In 2017, wildfires destroyed over a million hectares of forests in British Columbia, with the BC Wildfire Service responding to over 1,300 fires — one third of which were found to be caused by humans. So far this year, nearly 1.3 million hectares of the province has been burnt due to wildfires, making it the worst fire season on record.

Residents of the province are well aware of the risk of fires during the summer months, but often see it as something that doesn’t affect them directly. So, working with Vancouver agency Camp Pacific, the Government of British Columbia has launched a new campaign to show people that fires actually destroy “more than trees.”

The video takes shots of some of the province’s forests, with still photographs of camping trips, hikes and fishing weaved into the environment. The message is that forests are not just home to trees and lakes, but some of people’s most valued memories, and lovers of the great outdoors should be careful with campfires and cigarettes if they want to preserve the areas where those memories were created.

[iframe_vimeo video = “288453685”]

In addition to the TV spot, the campaign includes six- and 15-second pre-roll spots, as well as radio and online display ads.

Earlier this month, the Outdoor Recreation Council BC and Rethink also launched a campaign to get people to think about behaviour that might cause wildfires by putting giant price tags on its trees to show a tangible cost to what could be lost.