Intense wildfires in British Columbia and smoky skies over the south coast are the result of climate change and other weather factors, said John Innes, the dean of UBC's faculty of forestry. The season for wildfires - nearly 200 burning across the B. C. - has come earlier than usual.

In the wake of relentless blazes and smoke, a province-wide ban has been imposed on campfires, evacuations, and air quality advisories.

According to Innes, a hotter, drier summer is expected this year as two weather trends, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño, are likely to take place together this year. To make it worse, climate change then comes into action, making wildfire forest season in B. C. an extraordinary one.

Either humans or lighting causes most wildfires, but how warm or dry an area is forms the basis for spread of fires. Climate change appears to be the major cause to affect the conditions that make an area warm or dry.

"Longer term, we will see more fires. We will see the fire season extending, it will start earlier, it will go on later, and the fires that we get will be more intense", Innes said.

He added that it's very important to ensure that forests are as resilient as possible. To make it simpler, the need is to have a variety of trees, variety of species, and variety of genetic stock to ensure the survival of as many as possible.

Innes said that many people are under illusion that climate change will begin impacting earth sometime in future, when the truth is it has already started occurring now.