Affected by smoke this year? Plants and animals have been too, experts say

While experts advise people to stay inside and avoid wildfire smoke, orput on a respirator-type mask if outdoors,that's not possible for wildlifewho are out in the elements all the time, and itcould have consequences on their health too.

Saskatchewan has seen a record-breaking year for forest fires and smoke. Around 1.9 million hectares of land have burnedas of Sept. 28, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, breakingthe previous record of 1.7 million hectares set in 2015.

Records for the number of hours of smoke observed have also been surpassedacross the province, withRegina seeing over 250 hours, Saskatoon over 300 and La Ronge nearly 850 as of Sept. 24.

Iga Stasiak, Saskatchewan's wildlife health specialist, says animals face the same impacts from smoke as humans including respiratory problems and fatigue with birds particularly at risk.

"Birds have more efficient respiratory systems, so they can more easily absorb the toxins in the smoke and have a harder time clearing the particulates," she said.

Stasiak said smoke can impact wildlife behaviour as well becauseit obscures their sense of sight and smell.

"Being able to find forage, to be able to find mates depending on the time of year, reproduction, those types of activities might be affected," she said.

Stasiak said peoplereporting sightingsof animals on naturalist appsand camera traps will help researchers see the impact smoke may have had on wildlife movement in the province.

Shesaid it's important to monitor livestock and pets for trouble breathing or eye discharge because of smoke.

Pets should be kept inside if it's smoky, and owners should call a veterinarianif their animalsexperience symptoms.

WATCH|Wildlife can experience same symptoms from smoke as humans, while plants can see harms and benefits:

Wildlife can experience same symptoms from smoke as humans, while plants can see harms and benefits

1 year ago

Duration 2:08

Thick smoke has blanketed the Prairies this year amid Canada's record-setting wildfire season. All that smoke can be harmful and helpful in some ways for plants. It can also impact animals, particularly birds.

Plants impacted by smoke too

Forrest Scharf, the province's fruit crop specialist, said dense smokecan have impacts on all types of plants.

Ozone, a gas formed bythe interaction betweensolar rays and oxygen, can damage plantleaves.Scharf said smoke can also impact photosynthesis.

"There's less sunlight coming down and actually being absorbed by the plants," he said. "They aren't distributing other photosynthates to the plant;it doesn't grow as well."

Raju Soolanayakanahally, a researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, saidsmoke dries out the atmosphere, makingplants think they'reexperiencingdrought.

As a result, theyclose theirstomata tiny pores on the surface of their leaves which keep water stored, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Soolanayakanahally said thatcan impact plant growth.

"Even a simple 30-minute exposure to smoke can reduce photosynthesis by almost 50 per cent," he said.

Smoke could have benefits forplants

Scharfsaid smoke also causesphotosynthetic netting,whichscatters radiation from the sun, preventing heat stress on plants and allowing them to undergo photosynthesis more efficiently.

As a result, Scharf said the smoke also slowedmoisturebeing evaporated from plants and surrounding soil.

"So under drought conditions, it might have been beneficial that we had a bit ofsmoke because we're not getting as much water loss."

Soolanayakanahallysaid smoke can also sparkgermination in areas affected by forest fire breathing new life into charred land.

He said studies have shown that smoke can also speed up the ripening of fruit, such as bananas.

Soolanayakanahally said data from the Canadian Grain Commission at the end of the year will show if crops have been impacted by smoke, similar to how canola crops were affectedin Alberta in 2018.

Scharf said he'salsokeeping aneye on fruit crops.

"If they don't get the chance to send nutrients down to the roots, they might not overwinter as effectively," he said.

"Next spring I'll be looking at things and looking at plant health this fall as well and just trying to gauge how much of an impact smoke may have had on their ability to overwinter."