FireMars: Tools for Fire Monitoring and Reporting

FireMars: Tools for Fire Monitoring and Reporting

With the rise in wildfires across Canada, the government has developed several tools to help the public stay informed about their impact on forests, carbon emissions, and other critical areas. During extreme wildfire years, the carbon emissions released can nearly equal those produced by fossil fuels.

The Fire Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting System (FireMars) is a complex, leading-edge system developed at Natural Resources Canada by the Canadian Forest Service and the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (formerly the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing), with support from the Canadian Space Agency.

4 Key Components of FireMars:

• The National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) has been used to map burned areas in Canada since 1986.
• The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) monitors daily fire weather and fire behaviour conditions across Canada.
• The Canadian Fire Effects (CanFIRE) model estimates carbon emissions from combustion.
• The Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) models carbon stocks, carbon stock changes, and emissions and removal of greenhouse gases from Canada’s forests.

Here are additional resources to be prepared before, during and after a wildfire.

Stay safe!