As of Wednesday, Wisconsin is only one day away from breaking a previous record for number of consecutive days under smoke related warnings as the state continues to be engulfed in smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Wildfires in Canada are at their second-worst of all time and have caused air quality issues across the midwest, with over 4,100 fires that have burned tens of millions of acres.
Officials at Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources believe smoke from the wildfires could continue for the remainder of the summer, delaying travel and limiting outdoor activities for sensitive groups.
“Unfortunately, that potential remains high for wildfire smoke impacts here in Wisconsin throughout the rest of the summer,” Czarnecki said.
The negative effects caused by the wildfires have sparked outrage among Midwest legislators who are demanding better forest management from Canada. (RELATED: Republican Businessman with Questionable History Enters Gubernatorial Race)
Representative Tony Wied, R-Wi. is one among multiple Wisconsin legislators who have demanded better forest management from Canada.
For his part, Representative Tom Tiffany, R-Wi. has floated including better forest management in trade talks with Canada that have recently stalled, resulting in higher tariffs.
The issue, which would normally be considered a bipartisan issue, has faced some pushback from Democrats including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin. (RELATED: UW Regents Unanimously Approve Third Straight Tuition Increase)
This is the third year in a row that Canada’s wildfires have caused a dip in air quality in the United States. The wildfires turned deadly after two people died in Manitoba earlier this year.
Other states have joined the fray in condemning poor forest management in Canada, including key Trump ally Elise Stefanik, R-Ny. who penned a letter to the Canadian government.