Forest recovery, after the fire

Recently, there have been several bad fire seasons in Northern and Western Canada, thanks to a continuing drought and unusually warm temperatures.  It may be that the current bout of serious fire is a historical fluke.  But with global warming heating and drying our northern forests, and stretching the summer fire season ever longer, many forestry scientists think that more frequent and more severe fires are going to be a regular part of our future.  For the last two summers, University of Alberta PhD student, Ellen Whitman has tramped through devastated forests in the north.  Her summer field seasons have involved going deep into the burned woods, by truck, helicopter and on foot.  She's been trying to understand what's happening to those forest landscapes, and how they're recovering after fire.

Related Links: 

2016 Wildfire Season Begins in Northwest Territories - CBC Story