For four days in October, Saskatoon became the meeting place for people who understand fire in all its complexity. From October 20 to 23, the Wildland Fire Canada Conference brought together speakers from across regions and disciplines, and the result was a gathering packed with ideas, experience, and a generous willingness to share.
Two fires, one conversation
One of the sessions that stayed with us was the panel on prescribed and cultural fire. Renny Grilz of the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange joined a lineup of remarkable speakers, each bringing a distinct perspective to the stage. Knowledge was offered openly, and the audience was richer for it.
Renny grounded the discussion in real-life examples, the kind that move a concept off the slide and into the landscape. Through them, he showed why prescribed fire matters so deeply to the health of the land we call home. Fire, handled with knowledge and respect, isn't the enemy of the prairie. It's part of how the prairie lives.
Crossing borders to carry fire forward
On October 22, the spotlight turned to partnership. Dr. Roy Vera Velez, Dr. Eric Lamb, and Dr. Carol Baldwin, our partner from the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange, presented International Collaboration to Advance Prescribed Fire.
Fire doesn't recognize boundaries, and neither should the people working to understand it. The session explored what happens when researchers and practitioners across borders share science, compare experiences, and build something together. It was a rich hour of learning about the science behind prescribed fire and about the relationships that move that science forward.
What we're taking home
The conference left us with a simple conviction: the future of fire stewardship is collaborative. It depends on diverse voices, shared knowledge, and people willing to learn from one another across disciplines, cultures, and borders.
Thank you to all the speakers and organizers who made it such a memorable week. We're already looking forward to what comes next.