ICLR Friday Forum: Real-time monitoring of wildfire risk to inform response/ mitigation (May 9 2025)

On May 9, 2025, ICLR hosted a Friday Forum webinar titled 'Towards real-time monitoring and prediction of wildfire risk to inform response and mitigation', led by Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, University of British Columbia – Okanagan.

Monitoring and predicting wildfire risk, including the likelihood of a fire occurring and potential impacts, during fire seasons is critical for wildfire response and guiding proactive mitigation around communities and infrastructure. However, despite the importance of predicting fire risk, current models and weather sensor networks used in Canada have considerable gaps in coverage and do not accurately account for fuels and rapidly changing weather. In this talk, Dr. Bourbonnais described a new approach his lab has been developing which uses low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices and AI to monitor and predict near real time and future (three- to five-day) fire risk. The system, which is currently being used operationally in British Columbia, is helping wildfire agencies and municipalities better prepare and respond to increasing wildfire activity.

Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais is a faculty member at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, a Principal’s Research Chair in Fire Risk and Wildfire Management, the co-director of the UBCO Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, and the lead of the Earth Observation & Spatial Ecology Lab. A former wildland firefighter, his research group focuses on developing new sensors and models for detecting wildfires, predicting wildfire risk and fire behaviour, and understanding ecosystem responses to changing fire regimes.