Circumpolar Coordination on Wildfire Prevention, Preparedness and Response
This project aims to improve the coordinated response by Arctic States and Permanent Participants in response to catastrophic wildland fires in the Arctic region, and to promote the possibility of international cooperation and contracting of wildland fire resources across State boundaries, as well as coordinate trainings between relevant agencies so that emergency prevention, preparedness and response to wildland fire is effective and contemporary.
The Arctic is experiencing unprecedented ecosystem changes and warming, and subsequently, extreme wildfire events in all eight Arctic states. Wildland firefighting resources and information are often shared between some Arctic States such as Canada and the United States. However, a forum by which all eight Arctic states can collaborate for the purposes of wildland fire preparedness, mitigation, and response is conspicuously absent and offers an opportunity to fill this initial research gap. The impacts of wildland fires are a shared northern problem for both the Arctic States and the Permanent Participants. Issues ranging from carbon release and permafrost degradation to smoke impacts increasingly represent cross-border challenges facing many stakeholders, including Arctic states and Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council. The research goal of this report is to determine a baseline understanding of operational capabilities and information sources for wildland fire response available in each Arctic State.
The Wildland Fire Project is lead by the Gwich'in Council International and the United States.
GCI, CAFF and EPPR hosted an Arctic Wildland Fire Sharing Circle, a two-day online gathering in November 2021.
Arctic Council Working Group