Using technology to get ahead of wildfires
July 28, 2025
Wildfire season is no longer something that comes and goes; it’s becoming a year-round concern. In BC, wildfires can shape the entire year, and we want to know what’s coming, what’s at risk and how to prepare.
That’s why researchers at UBC Okanagan are using the latest data and technology to predict where and when wildfires may occur, rather than responding to them.
“The wildfires I see now aren’t the same wildfires I saw 10 to 15 years ago. They’re a different beast,” says Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, a former wildland firefighter who now conducts wildfire coexistence research at UBC Okanagan. “We’ve got to realize that new approaches are needed.”
UBC Okanagan’s wildfire research spans dozens of separate projects across multiple faculties, bringing together experts in engineering, environmental science, social sciences, and Indigenous studies.
- Institutional initiatives
- Our people
- Research
- Announcement
