Getting ahead of wildfires: controlled burns underway in Jasper National Park
If you've been to the Jasper area in the last month, you might have seen smoke in the air.
Fear not, say Jasper fire officials, because the smoke is usually from controlled burns to help prevent wildfires.
Dead or dying trees are being removed in both the Jasper townsite as well as from some areas within Jasper National Park. The trees being removed are often damaged by pine beetles and the dry bark can present a risk if a wildfire ever happens.
"This type of work has to be done in the winter. We need snow cover and we need frozen ground. Otherwise, the impact to the ground is too significant," said Jasper fire chief Greg Van Tighem.
More than 50 hectares of trees were removed near the Jasper townsite last year. This year and into 2020, more than 70 hectares of dead trees in forested areas southwest of the townsite will be targeted, said Van Tighem.
Parks Canada staff are taking out dead trees in Whistlers Campground, which will be closed for 2019, as part of the campground's reconstruction. The forest protection program is also removing trees in the Pyramid Bench area.
Jasper's fire chief said a contractor has also been burning trees in town on a lot near the Sawridge Inn where the future RCMP detachment will be built.
Visitors to Jasper National Park will be warned with signs on the road of any active controlled burns in the area, says a Parks Canada spokesperson.
Being proactive
Van Tighem said eliminating the dead wood makes it easier to battle any future wildfires. When the forest is thinned, he explained, the wildfire stays on the ground rather than the treetops.
There were no major wildfires within Jasper National Park in 2018. But it was hit hard in 2015 when a wildfire in the Maligne Valley area near Excelsior Creek devastated more than 5,000 hectares.
"But it's on the forefronts of our minds all the time," Van Tighem said.
"The pine beetle epidemic that we've experienced has really magnified our concerns to this level and these pine beetle trees burn quicker and hotter. Combating them is more challenging."
That's why the municipality and Parks Canada are taking proactive measures to ensure the area, residents and visitors keep safe.
"We hope there never will be an event here but we need to be prepared in case there is one," he said.
