# How's the air you breathe today? Can you smell the smoke from the wildfires in Quebec? (June 2023) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158 "2023-06-07T17:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/201 "2023-09-05T13:39:52Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I read somewhere recently once these forests burn^, it can take thirty years to restore the moisture needed to restore natural fire resistance. Depends on a lot of factors. This summer I visited Drummond Island, Michigan. About a 80-100 years ago (I don’t remember the exact number) they have a big forest fire. There are still parts of the affected area that have not yet fully recovered. Part of the problem there is thin topsoil - any area where post-fire exposed soil was washed away it’s just bare rock now. A relatively short growing season doesn’t help, either. The point being that recovery from a bad burn can take longer than us city folk might suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/202 "2023-09-16T16:01:16Z")
Light haze today. In more positive news, the folks from the NWT now have a sign-up schedule for return to their homes. Hay River and Yellowknife were both evacuated, as was K’átł’odeeche First Nation. > **['Living with fire': Some fires in the N.W.T. won't be under control until...](https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/living-with-fire-some-fires-in-the-n-w-t-won-t-be-under-control-until-snow-comes-1.6562511)** > > As communities across the Northwest Territories prepare to receive more returning residents, officials are cautioning that many of the wildfires which spurred evacuations in the first place are still active – something that may not change until... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/203 "2023-09-16T16:02:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Once the snow gets 3 feet deep. That’ll smother the ones burning and prevent more from starting. (only semi-serious, but not entirely facetious) What’s going to stop fires is enough moisture, not mere cold. That’s exactly what the fire officials in the NWT are saying: > “We will need to adapt to living with fire,” he said. “It’s very likely these fires will need to be managed till snowfall.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/204 "2023-09-22T00:01:43Z")
From the **Stuff You Never Thought You’d Ever See** file … A fire “hurricane” in the Northwest Territories headed for Nunavut: > **[A Smoky Cloud Swirl](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151860/a-smoky-cloud-swirl)** > > Intense fires and a passing cold front led to the sprawling feature. (Not actually a hurricane, but it sure resembles one). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/205 "2023-10-03T19:25:29Z")
And today in Florida we have lousy air quality due to smoke (well, Pm2.5) from, you guessed it, fires in Quebec. And fires in a few other US places, but mostly Quebec. It’s bad enough youse guys send us all half your elderly drivers every winter, now they gotta send the smoke out ahead of them so they’ll feel at home when they get here? Sheesh! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/206 "2024-02-21T12:46:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Once the snow gets 3 feet deep. That’ll smother the ones burning and prevent more from starting. (only semi-serious, but not entirely facetious) What’s going to stop fires is enough moisture, not mere cold. And it looks like we didn’t get enough snow this winter. Certainly not here, Chez Pipers. We never had much snow. Sounds worse up North. > **[It's the middle of winter, and more than 100 wildfires are still smouldering...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/wildfires-zombie-fires-canada-bc-alberta-1.7119851)** > > "A lot of people talk about fire season and the end of the fire season, but our fires did not stop burning in 2023," said a wildfire crew chief in Fort Nelson, B.C. There are still 94 active fires in British Columbia and another 54 in Alberta,... > **[Alberta declares an early start to wildfire season](https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-declares-early-start-to-wildfire-season/wcm/5d0594ef-2f8d-45d5-9b8d-facb5c1fde11/amp/)** > > The season traditionally has run from March 1 to Oct. 31, but Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen says it's now underway. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/207 "2024-02-21T15:50:34Z")
Fire plus little rain, they’ve got to run out of wood eventually. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/208 "2024-02-21T15:57:50Z")
If that happens, it’ll cause huge other problems. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/209 "2024-02-25T21:32:19Z")
Zombie fires? Who even knew this was a thing? > **[These wildfires never went out — they just moved underground](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/24/canada-wildfires-zombie-fires/)** > > In Canada, more than 150 wildfires are smoldering through the winter. These zombie fires could mean another active wildfire spring. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/210 "2024-02-25T21:45:42Z")
Yes, I’ve heard of them. It used to be rare, but I think we’ll have to get used to them. Snow pack was down, two years running. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158/211 "2024-03-19T16:41:42Z")
Interesting. Canadian cities did not do well given a difficult summer. > **[One Thing Most Countries Have in Common: Unsafe Air](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/climate/air-pollution-pm25.html?unlocked_article_code=1.d00.o4jP.5lkbO3eYe_K9&smid=url-share)** > > New research found that fewer than 10 percent of countries and territories met World Health Organization guidelines for particulate matter pollution last year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-air-you-breathe-today-can-you-smell-the-smoke-from-the-wildfires-in-quebec-june-2023/985158.md?page=10)