barriers which preclude the formation of strong, comprehensive wildfire mitigation plans and strategies in ontario: a knowledge gap analysis
abstract
as occurrences of wildland-urban interface (wui) wildfires become more frequent throughout
ontario, there has been an increasing need for mitigative approaches towards managing wildfire on
landscapes, especially where human settlement has taken place. since the provincial government and
many communities based in ontario’s boreal forest have not yet implemented mitigative actions against
wildfire risk, this study will explore which factors act as barriers to the formation of a comprehensive
wildfire mitigation strategy in ontario. this literature review will analyse factors such as gaps in
knowledge in fuel management techniques, social barriers, economic barriers, and policy barriers, which
prevent the formation of a wildfire mitigation program in ontario. findings from the literature review
reveal that the following points act as the main factors which prevent the formation of effective
mitigation strategies in ontario: (1) there is a distinct lack in research regarding fire behaviour in fuel
treatments specific to ontario’s forest types; (2) current forest management policies in ontario are not
conductive to wildfire mitigation; (3) there is an absence of funding and workforce for mitigation
planning and implementation; and (4) there is a general lack in social and political understanding and
support for community wildfire resiliency projects.
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- undergraduate theses [325]