Nova ScotiaThe Western Woodlot Services Cooperative organized a wildfire prevention conference in Bridgewater, N.S., on Saturday, where dozens of owners showed up to hear about what role they can play in decreasing the potential of wildfires spreading through their properties.Dozens of woodlots owners attended conference in Bridgewater this weekJosh Hoffman · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2025 11:43 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesJim Rudderham with Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources was one of several speakers at the wildfire mitigation and prevention conference organized by a group representing woodlot owners in western Nova Scotia. (Josh Hoffman/CBC)Reducing the risk of wildfires is a growing concern for some woodlot owners in Nova Scotia after devastating blazes across the province in recent years, according to an organization that represents them.The Western Woodlot Services Cooperative organized a wildfire prevention conference in Bridgewater, N.S., on Saturday, where dozens of owners showed up to hear about what role they can play in decreasing the potential of wildfires spreading through their properties.“Figuring out ways of how we can be more fire smart or how we can mitigate fire risk within our woodlots is really top of mind for a lot of our private woodlot owner members,” said Patricia Amero, general manager of the co-operative. The conference featured several speakers from the forestry industry, government and academia to talk about changing wildfire conditions in the Maritimes and how private landowners and community members can manage properties to reduce risk.This year’s wildfire season in Nova Scotia was “intense,” according to Jim Rudderham with the Department of Natural Resources, mostly because of the Long Lake Wildfire which burned out of control for six weeks and destroyed many homes. (Province of Nova Scotia)Woodlot owners should try to remove as much organic debris, such as dead trees and plants, which can act as fuel for wildfires helping the blaze spread more quickly, officials said. “The province is 70 per cent owned by private landowners, so if everyone did a little bit and tried to protect their own woodlots … it’s all a start,” said Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection for Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources. Rudderham described this year’s wildfire season as “intense” mostly because of the Long Lake Wildfire that burned out of control for six weeks. Events like Saturday’s conference are important to help educate landowners and members of the public about what can be done to help avoid these disasters. “Fire prevention is the most important thing we can do with fires,” he said. Grassroot initiativesSome speakers at the conference talked about what they’ve done after seeing this summer’s devastation.“It all started after the Tantallon wildfire, which was close to us, scarily close to us, and we realized what kind of wildfire risk we had,” said Cynthia Weatherson, president of the Fire Safe Society of Masons Point. Masons Point is a small peninsula community near St. Margarets Bay with one road in and out. Witnessing the chaos some residents experienced in 2023 while trying to flee the Upper Tantallon Wildfire was a wakeup call, Weatherston said. Cynthia Weatherston, president of the Fire Safe Society of Masons Point, said her community became proactive after the nearby Upper Tantallon Wildfire in 2023. (Josh Hoffman/CBC)The society has since been working with Halifax Regional Municipality’s Emergency Management Office to develop an evacuation plan in case of a natural disaster like a fire, she said.Weatherston said her society also produces educational videos to teach residents about how to prevent wildfires on their properties and what to do if they spot a fire. Most property owners in the community are happy to clear potential wildfire fuel from their property but they need more ways to dispose of it, she said. “It doesn’t take long to clean an area,” she said, “but you end up with this huge pile of debris. What do we do with it? It’s way too much for a normal garbage pickup and so we need help.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORJosh Hoffman is a reporter for CBC Nova Scotia. Josh worked as a local radio reporter all over Canada before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018.
Addressing wildfire risk top of mind for some N.S. woodlots owners after devastating fires
