Canadian Forest Service employee directory

Mike Wotton

Research Scientist, Forest Fire
Great Lakes Forestry Centre
1219 Queen Street East
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5

Tel.: (416) 978-5251

Profile

Mike’s current research focus involves developing process based models of fuel moisture exchange, fire ignition and spread that can be applied by fire management agencies throughout Canada. This work, in part, involves development of models for the Canadian Forest Service’s Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS), a system used operationally throughout Canada and a growing number of countries around the world. He also uses these models together with climate change scenarios to examine the impacts of climate change on forest fire management. This research area requires working closely with fire management agencies from across Canada in the application of the research models into daily fire management operations.

Mike is stationed at the University of Toronto as part of a CFS-University of Toronto partnership focusing on providing graduate level training in the physical fire sciences. There he teaches a 4th year and graduate level course on fire danger rating and forest fire behaviour and supervises graduate students working on aspects of the next generation of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System.

Education

Publications