It appears Nova Scotians are changing the way they burn: the province experienced its least active wildfire season on record this year, following the most devastating season in its history.

There were only 83 wildfires in Nova Scotia during the 2024 season, burning approximately 47.5 hectares of land, just over double the size of the Citadel National Historic Site. Halifax.

The numbers are well below the 10-year average of 185.4 wildfires and 3,277 hectares of land per year, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

“This is great news for Nova Scotia, particularly compared to last year, when the greatest number of hectares were burned and certainly the greatest impact on communities,” said Scott Tingley, Director of forest protection of the ministry.

Crews responded to a total of 220 fires in 2023, when bthe lazes burned over more than 25,000 hectares and 200 homes were destroyed in Shelburne County and suburbs outside of Halifax, making it the worst wildfire season since Natural Resources began keeping digital records in 2011.

This chart illustrates what 25,096 hectares and 47.5 hectares look like compared to Halifax:

Tingley said the 2024 season certainly presents the potential for wildfires, but there is increased awareness of the dangers of home fires and the need to burn safely after last year’s events.

“People knew how bad it was if they didn’t follow the rules,” Tingley said, noting that 97 percent of wildfires are started by human activity.

“We certainly believe that public awareness, people’s diligence and the hard work of Nova Scotians have helped keep these numbers low.”

Tingley said another factor was the fire department’s rapid response to fires that broke out.

He added that while there were warm periods throughout the summer, the weather was also humid, producing conditions often accompanied by lower winds and therefore a lower risk of wildfires spreading.

Wildfire season runs from mid-March to mid-October. During this time, daily burning restrictions are in place.

$600,000 in fines and fees imposed this year

In an effort to prevent wildfires, Nova Scotia has increased the fine amount for violating these restrictions to $25,000.

Natural Resources has taken a zero-tolerance approach to enforcement. The ministry imposed 19 fines of $25,000. The RCMP also imposed at least two fines equivalent to this amount.

A victim surcharge and HST also apply, bringing the total to $28,872.50. This represents more than $606,322 in fines and fees imposed this year.

A Natural Resources spokesperson said fines collected were “returned to the government.”

Darrell Locke, who helped fight the province’s largest wildfire on record in Shelburne County last year, said he’s noticed an increase in calls about illegal burning.

“We felt like we were banging our heads against the wall for several years. But people are finally paying attention to it,” said Locke, chief of the Shelburne Volunteer Fire Department.

“People here are shy and no sign of smoke in the air, we would get a call and in some cases it was worth going because the fire was still small and we were able to address it quickly.”

John Lowe, district chief of the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service, said he believes the new artificial intelligence cameras installed earlier this year in the municipality are a valuable asset to the department this season .

The pilot project saw cameras placed atop towers in Hammonds Plains, Musquodoboit Harbor and Middle Sackville that monitored the landscape for signs of smoke 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Lowe said the cameras did not detect any active wildfires, but spotted smoke during periods when fires were restricted, prompting firefighters to investigate.

“It did a great job. People were very shocked to find out that, yes, you weren’t reported (by someone), but by a camera,” Lowe said, adding that some of those burns would not have been detected. Otherwise.

Lowe said the company that provided the cameras, FireScout, was going in a different direction with its technology. But he said the department is exploring other options for AI cameras before next season.

Is Nova Scotia ready for the next big wildfire?

In the year since the wildfires ravaged Shelburne County and parts of Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, much work has been done to understand how management teams emergency services responded. Aly Thomson explains the biggest changes being implemented by the province and Halifax Regional Municipality.