Workshops

Workshop 1: EXP100 Wildfire Exposure and Directional Vulnerability Assessments: Methods and Applications

Instructors: Air Forbes, University of Alberta and Sarah Wild, Research Associate, University of Alberta

This full day, in-person course introduces foundational wildfire exposure and directional vulnerability assessment concepts. The course blends classroom style learning with hands-on guided exercises in R/RStudio with provided example data. This course covers assessments of landscape scale wildfire exposure, community scale wildfire exposure, and directional vulnerability. Participants also learn how to interpret and visualize results in R, and export results for further analysis in other software. Experience working with geospatial data is recommended.

9:00  – 11:00 am
Workshop 2: BurnP3+: Advancing Wildfire Hazard Assessment with a Multi-Model Simulation Framework

Instructors: Leonardo Frid, ApexRMS and Chris Stockdale, Senior Science Advisor, for wildfire science for the Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada

BurnP3+ is an open-source tool developed and maintained by the Canadian Forest Service for landscape-scale burn probability modelling and for investigating wildfire related phenomena. Building on the original Burn-P3 model, BurnP3+ supports a flexible multi-model simulation framework and can be implemented within SyncroSim to incorporate fire growth models such as Prometheus and FireSTARR, allowing users to evaluate wildfire hazard across a range of landscapes and planning contexts. This workshop will introduce participants to the fundamentals of burn probability modelling and demonstrate how BurnP3+ can support wildfire hazard assessment, risk-informed planning, and communication of model outputs to operational and management audiences. Through a live case study, participants will see how BurnP3+ can be used to generate and interpret burn probability outputs, explore practical applications, and understand how open, extensible modelling workflows can support research and operational decision-making. Participants will also be provided with information on how to access the tool and related instructional resources for continued learning.

9:00 – 11:00 am
Workshop 3: Rural Engagement and Evacuation Reluctance – Sharing Experiences, Shaping Policy

Instructors: James Whitehead, Simon Fraser University’s Morris J Wosk and Yolanda Clatworthy – Director – Mitigating Wildfire Initiative

Building on a series of semi-structured interviews with local governments and emergency management practitioners across Canada, the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative will convene a two hour workshop bringing together practitioners, researchers, rightsholders, and stakeholders to collectively interpret and deepen findings on evacuation reluctance and rural community engagement across Canada. The session will start with information sharing where the MWI team will present interviews and research findings before transitioning into a structured dialogue. During this dialogue, practitioners will be asked to compare findings against their own operational experience, surface regional variation, and identify the systemic and cultural factors that existing policy has not adequately addressed. Through facilitated discussion and small-group exercises, participants will have the chance to hear about experiences from different jurisdictions, share their own perspectives, and contribute to a forthcoming publication on the evacuation reluctance throughout Canada that will help to shape future policy agendas.

9:00 – 11:00 am 
Workshop 4: Mobilizing Knowledge and Connecting to Your Audience

Instructors: Shelagh Pyper and Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, Knowledge Networks Manager, WRCC

Learn how to move from a one-way dissemination of information to a cycle of effective knowledge exchange. This workshop will begin with an educational session where we share effective strategies for mobilizing scientific and technical knowledge so it resonates with diverse audiences.   We will then work with participants to help them identify and begin to reflect on their target audiences, providing worksheets and prompting instructions so you can truly practice what you are learning. We will also discuss how to find the Core message of your work, and support messages with evidence while avoiding jargon and information overload. We will share examples of how to translate statistics into relatable terms and provide reference points, visuals, and analogies to make abstract concepts and numerical data tangible. We will help participants envision how they could leverage culturally appropriate visuals or custom illustrations to enhance understanding of the key concepts they try to communicate.

9:00 – 1:00
Workshop 5: Walking with Indigenous Fire Guardians: Stories, Stewardship and Solidarity

Amy Christianson

Walking with Indigenous Fire Guardians: Stories, Stewardship and Solidarity is a collaborative workshop that brings together Indigenous Fire Guardians, Indigenous Peoples, and allies to learn about fire guardian programs and connect with one another. Grounded in story through lived experiences, Indigenous Fire Guardians will share about the work they do in their communities and advice for others looking to develop their own programs. Participants will engage in meaningful dialogue and build relationships for ongoing collaboration.

11:15 am – 1:15 pm
Workshop 6: Mapping information needs for wildland firefighter health: The Wildland Firefighter Science Needs Assessment

Instructors: Arielle Milkman, Colorado State University and Luke Montrose, Associate Professor, Colorado State University

The field of wildland firefighter health science has grown over the past 40 years, with unprecedented levels of research on topics relevant to wildland fire responders and practitioners now being developed. But what are the most important topics and techniques for the next 40 years of research? And how can these research approaches be informed by the needs of wildland fire personnel?  This interactive workshop invites participants to map the most urgent topics where more work is needed to advance the field of wildland firefighter health. Participants will be invited to share their ideas for areas where more research is needed on wildland firefighter health, and then we will discuss these ideas in small groups. Participants will then be asked to rank their ideas quantitatively, and quantitative results will be shared with the workshop participants.  At the end of the session, the facilitators will share results from ongoing research on the Wildland Firefighter Science Needs Assessment, including takeaways from the first 40 years of research on wildland firefighter health, best practices for scientists partnering with wildland fire management personnel, and health risk reduction techniques fire personnel have identified as feasible possibilities for the future.

11:15 am – 1:15 pm
Workshop 7: Canadian Living Lab Network: A network of Physical Spaces for Wildland Fire Research, Innovation and Gathering

Instructor: Maria Sharpe, CIFFC

This BlueSky workshop brings together researchers, land managers, Indigenous knowledge holders, policymakers, and industry partners to envision a Canada-wide network of outdoor laboratories for wildland fire research and innovation. Designed as a neutral, collaborative space, the session fosters cross-sector dialogue and partnership.  Through facilitated discussions and interactive design exercises, participants will explore models for structuring, governing, and sustaining such a network, while identifying opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and real-world experimentation across diverse forest ecosystems.

2:00 – 6:00 pm
Workshop 8: Building Capacity for Prescribed Fire in Canada

$0 – workshop sponsors by Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program 

Instructors: Jane Park, University of British Columbia Okanagan – Parks Canada and Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais – Asst Professor, UBCO, Director, Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program; Other instructors TBD

The Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program is working with a wide range of partners to develop training that builds national capacity for the safe and effective use of prescribed fire. This workshop will introduce the program and invite participants to help identify training needs and priorities for diverse learner groups, including wildfire agencies, fire departments, land managers, Indigenous Nations and communities, NGOs, industry, and landowners. Because ecosystems, governance structures, and operational contexts vary across Canada, prescribed fire training must be both Canadian-specific and regionally informed. Through facilitated discussion, participants will explore how program curriculum and standards can best reflect these regional differences and meet the needs of multiple stakeholders.

2:00 – 6:00 pm
Workshop 9: FWI2025 – Introduction to the Next Generation Canadian Fire Weather Index System

Instructors: Natasha Jurko, Canadian Forest Service, Derek van der Kamp, Research Scientist, Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service; Gabrielle Ayres, Research Mobilization Analyst, Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service.

This one-day FWI2025 workshop provides a focused, hands-on introduction to the key updates of the Fire Weather Index System, emphasizing what has changed, why it matters, and operational implementation. Participants will gain a practical understanding of hourly calculations, updated moisture and canopy interception, and the addition of grassland components, with discussion of assumptions, limitations, and implications compared to FWI1987. The workshop will prioritizes interpretation, decision-making, and real-world application to support fire danger rating, planning, and communication within operational constraints.

2:00 – 6:00 pm
Workshop 10: Mapping Resilience: A Hands-On Workshop to Develop Canada’s Wildfire Resilience Index

Instructor: Amélie Jeanneau, Natural Resources Canada; Caleb Tomlinson, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre; Delphine Theberge, Natural Resources Canada, and Solange Nadeau, Natural Resources Canada

Canadian communities face increasing wildfire risks, yet lack a standardized framework for assessing resilience and adaptive capacity across social, ecological, infrastructural, and governance dimensions. This participatory workshop goes beyond theory, focusing on active collaboration to shape the development of a Canadian Wildfire Resilience Index (WRI) while building a community of practice.  Through hands-on activities, such as round tables, role-play exercises, and discussions, fire and emergency managers, researchers, and practitioners will contribute to co-designing the WRI. Participants will explore how the index can address real-world needs, define relevant spatial scales, and contribute to its ongoing development through a technical task team. The workshop will focus on interactive exchange to ensure the WRI aligns with operational priorities and community perspectives.

2:00 – 6:00 pm
CANCELLED Workshop 11: Wildfire Intelligence and Predictive Services – Practical Scope and Developmental Progress

Instructor: Rachel Dietrich, Canadian Forest Service

Predictive Services units (PSUs) across Canada face increasing expectations to provide decision ready insights for wildfire operations, planning, and long range situational awareness. Each jurisdiction structures and tasks its Predictive Services capacity differently, leading to varying workflows, pressures, and gaps. This workshop brings together Predictive Services teams to develop a clearer national picture of how predictive work is carried out, what questions PSUs are being asked to answer, and what tools, products, and capabilities they are expected to provide. Through structured collaborative activities, participants will compare approaches across jurisdictions, identify common needs (data, models, training, capacity, governance), and explore opportunities to reduce duplication and strengthen interagency collaboration. Building on insights from the 2020 Predictive Services Workshop, this session shifts the focus from defining predictive services to understanding the practice of predictive services and how we can better support one another.