In Canada, the fires have forced more than 25,000 people to evacuate from three provinces. The fires also put over 344,000 barrels of oil sands production at risk - about 7% of Canada's total oil output. Canadian wildfire smoke has moved south into the United States. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) predicts that wildfire risks will stay high in the western United States through September. The outlook looks especially concerning for Idaho and Washington, where officials are getting ready for what could be a dangerous fire season.

The USDA Forest Service's wildfire prediction methods have changed by a lot since 1964. Back then, they used only two fuel models to assess fire danger. Scientists now use up to 40 different fuel models that include grasslands, shrublands, timber, and slash. These models are a great way to get insights about how fires might behave.

Forward-thinking organizations are now turning to vegetation management software to better assess utility vegetation risk and implement data-driven strategies. These smart approaches not only address vegetation wildfire risk but can also lead to remarkable benefits—proper management can reduce outages by 30% while innovative methods like integrated vegetation management can deliver cost savings exceeding 40% compared to traditional techniques.

Wildfire trends show a disturbing acceleration, with forests burning at least twice as much tree cover today as they did two decades ago. The severity of this crisis reached unprecedented levels in 2023, when nearly 12 million hectares burned—shattering the previous record by approximately 24%.

Check out our state-of-the-art fire risk analysis tools that help forecast and reduce potential dangers before they affect the grid.

Discover how directed fire risk management can not only reduce insurance premiums but also enhance coverage options.

The current approach to wildfire fuel management has major flaws. Better modeling approaches are urgently needed.