How fireweed offers hope amid B.C.'s worst wildfire summer on record

From empty lots in downtown Vancouver to the remote fire-ravaged forests of north and central B.C., fireweed plants — with their bright spike of purple blooms — are out in full force this summer.

They are tall and billowy, and populate desolate urban and rural spaces with great density.

And despite its name, its proliferation isn’t a cause for concern: fireweed is not an exotic or invasive species in North America.

In fact, it’s the opposite, says Lori Daniels, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia.

The fireweed, she says, is a sign of regeneration and a cause for hope.

An abundance of fireweed plants grow and blossom amid a fire-ravaged

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