The Ministry of Natural Resources isn't counting on the snow that's already on the ground — or any spring snowfalls that may still materialize — to mitigate the wildfire hazard this season.
The forest fire season officially started on April 1 and parts of Northwestern Ontario have experienced multiple snowfalls since then.
There's a chance of more snow later this week.
But Chris Marchand, a fire information officer at the Northwest Regional Fire Management Centre in Dryden, says snow depths across the region vary and burning conditions can change rapidly in the spring.
"Our snow coverage is somewhat variable from location to location, which means some areas are going to be snow-free before others and begin to display a fire hazard. We're seeing lower snowpacks in the southern sectors along the Ontario/Minnesota border, notably around Fort Frances," Marchand told Newswatch.
He said fire management staff in those areas in particular are closely monitoring local conditions to ensure their readiness to respond when wildfires start to occur.
"Despite the snow on the ground at this moment, we expect conditions to change quickly over the next few weeks. The outdoor burning regulations, which determine the time of day that you can burn piles of debris, are now in effect for the duration of the fire season."
Marchand emphasized that the rate at which the snow melts is critically important to how the fire season will unfold.
"If you have a slow and consistent reduction of the snowpack, that can help that dead grass and the other fine fuels to stay wetter longer. But once those areas are snow-free we do see real changes in the fire hazard. Open grassy areas tend to become the first dry areas, and represent that early-season hazard for us along highways and rail corridors, as well as places where outdoor burning and recreational activities pose an increased risk of new fires as people clean up their properties and spend more time outdoors."
Recruitment and hiring of fire rangers and pilots is continuing for the 2026 season.
Marchand said over 2,500 applications for fire ranger positions in Northern Ontario were received this year and that local fire management headquarters are in the process of finalizing their crews.
Typically, about 700 firefighters are hired each year for deployment across the north.
"We've added 68 permanent positions to support wildland fire management over the past year. That's in addition to another 100 positions that came online in 2024 and 2025, so we definitely have some more full-time support for the program this year," he said.
According to an MNR news release, it has recently increased compensation for firefighters, pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, and "will ensure they have everything they need for the upcoming fire season."
Newswatch has reached out to the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents firefighters, for comment. Union officials have expressed concern in the past about pay rates and retention rates.
Over the past 10 years, Ontario has had an average of 713 wildfires that have burned an average total 210,000 hectares.
Last year, there were 70 fewer fires than average, but they burned almost 600,000 hectares.
The province's largest fire on record, Red Lake 12, burned 197,000 hectares last year.