Pile Burning and Fuel Reduction: Updates
Prescribed Fires 2009: Summaries
Prescribed Burns Photo Gallery
Fuel Reduction Plans For The Banff Field Unit Fall/Winter 2009
Burn piles are used to remove branches and debris© Parks Canada What’s Happening?
Efforts are underway to reduce the risk of wildfire in key areas of Banff National Park. Throughout the fall and winter, vegetation will be removed from these areas by mechanical and/or hand cutting with some of the debris being piled and burned on site as weather conditions allow.
Operations range from ongoing projects to create large firebreaks to piling and burning a small area of blown down trees. There are a total of nine projects that are summarized with a map and table below.
Why?
The goal is to protect people and infrastructure from wildfire.
Thinning, limbing and removing built-up vegetation are techniques that together can slow down an approaching wildfire. By analyzing how wildfires have moved through our area in the past, we can identify the key places where fuel reduction techniques can be effective, giving us a chance at suppressing future wildfires that might threaten our communities.
How might this affect YOU?
- Crews and machinery may be visible at the areas throughout the winter, generating noise associated with chainsaws and thinning equipment.
- Smoke from debris pile burning may be visible from various locations in the Bow Valley this winter - further updates will be issued prior to any pile burning operations to provide specific details about expected smoke impacts.
- Operations at Rainy Bay and below the Rimrock Resort may delay cross-country ski trail track-setting on the Spray Loop and Sundance trails if we have an early snowfall.
| Location |
Project Description |
Size (hectares) |
Mechanical or Hand-Cutting? |
When will the work begin? |
| Sulphur Mountain |
- Old debris piles will be burned at the end of October
- Mechanical thinning will begin early November until the spring
|
19 |
Mechanical |
End of October |
| North of the East Gate |
Piling and burning blown-down trees north of the east along the park boundary |
1 |
n/a |
End of October |
| Lower Carrot Creek |
- Thinning between Hwy 1 and the railroad tracks as part of valley-wide firebreak and to prepare for future prescribed fire
- Old debris piles will be burned adjacent to the thinning unit
|
9 |
Mechanical and Hand-Cutting |
Ongoing |
| Industrial Compound |
Old debris piles will be burned in the forest along the west side of the Industrial Compound |
1 |
n/a |
As the weather allows |
| Rainy Bay (Sundance Trail) |
Thinning to reduce vegetation build up |
4 |
Mechanical and Hand-Cutting |
End of October |
| Tunnel Mtn Campground |
Thinning to remove hazardous trees and reduce vegetation build up in J Loop with small debris piles being burned this winter |
4 |
Mechanical and Hand-Cutting |
End of October |
| Moose Meadows |
- Thinning between Hwy 1 and the railroad tracks as part of a valley-wide firebreak
- Some pile burning this winter
|
26 |
Mechanical and Hand-Cutting |
Ongoing |
| Below Rimrock Resort |
Piling and burning debris from previous thinning work |
8 |
n/a |
To be determined |
| Ya Ha Tinda Ranch |
Thinning, blow down and hazard tree removal along Scalp Creek and adjacent trails |
To be determined |
To be determined |
To be determined |
Banff National Park: Project locations © Parks CanadaBanff Fire Information Sources:
Banff National Park Fire Program: www.pc.gc.ca/banff-fire
Fire Information Officer:
Banff: 403.762.1447 or email kathy.burden@pc.gc.ca
Travel Advisory Updates:
Mountain Parks Road Report
Banff Information Center: 403.762.1550
Lake Louise Infomation Center: 403.522.3833
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