Banff National Park of Canada
Park Management
Fire & Vegetation Management
Information Bulletin Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks No. 4 November 2007
Printable Version (PDF, 454 Kb)
Winter 07/08 Fire Management – Facility Protection and Fuel Reduction
Now that the cooler weather has set in, the prescribed burn season has come to an end, and fire crews are starting fuel management and facility protection work for the winter season. Locations are indicated on a map below.
Banff Townsite Fuel Management© Parks CanadaIn Banff/Lake Louise : The season began with cleanup of slash piles along the base of Mt. Rundle and in the Middle Springs area of the Town of Banff, and will continue with winter burning operations once there is snow on the ground. Towards the Banff East Gate, crews are continuing work on the Carrot Creek fire guard. Parks Canada crews have completed the first stage of forest thinning around Moraine Lake Lodge . The remainder of the project plus Saskatchewan Crossing FireSmart forest thinning have been rescheduled for 2008.
In Yoho: In September, Parks Canada crews thinned the forest around Twin Falls Chalet in Yoho National Park. Approximately half of the trees growing within 100 metres of the national historic site were removed. Forest thinning followed FireSmart guidelines designed to help protect these important heritage buildings from wildfire.
In October fire crews burned slash piles from the FireSmart project at Emerald Lake and Field . The remainder of slash burning for both projects has been rescheduled to 2008.
In Kootenay: This fall, forest restoration thinning begins on Redstreak Slopes immediately above the community of Radium Hot Springs. The work is part of a multi-year, multiagency project to restore important open forest and grassland ecosystems in the area. Thinning will also help protect the community from wildfire. This winter, crews will begin clearing and burning a 100 hectare fireguard in preparation for a future prescribed fire on Mitchell Ridge opposite the Kootenay Valley viewpoint.
2007 Fire Management Program Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks© Parks Canada
WHY?
Historical records have given Parks Canada fire management staff a good understanding of where and how often wildfires would spread through the area that is now the Town of Banff.
Staff have used this data, along with climate models, to predict how a wildfire would move through this area, and how best to defend against it.
Facility protection work will help safeguard the Town of Banff in the event of a wildfire. The maps in this newsletter show: 1 - an illustration of the large scale plan and how this is expected to direct a fire away from the town, 2 - an update on work that has been completed to date, and 3 – work that is planned for this year.
Winter Facility Protection around the Town of Banff
1 - What will the town's firebreak look like?
Banff Townsite Fuel Management - Fire Guard© Parks CanadaParks Canada is working in conjunction with the Town of Banff to reduce roughly 450 hectares of forest fuels near the townsite in order to safeguard against wildfire. Arrows on the map indicate how the fireguard will protect the town – fire travelling west along the Bow Valley would be directed north up Cascade Mountain, or south up Sulphur Mountain. Fire from the south, along the Spray River Valley, would be directed East and West, up Mt. Rundle and Sulphur Mountain, respectively.
2 - What's been done up to now?
Banff Townsite Fuel Management Completed© Parks CanadaSo far, Parks Canada and the Town of Banff have treated roughly 235 hectares of forest around the Banff townsite, in order to reduce susceptibility to wildfire. This year, crews are treating 56 hectares in the following places: the base of Mt. Rundle and Sulphur Mountain along the Spray River valley, the base of Sulphur Mountain in the Middle Springs Wildlife Corridor, the base of Tunnel Mountain near Buffalo Mountain Lodge, and an area near the Banff Recreation Centre.
3 - What's going on this year?
Banff Townsite Fuel Management This Year© Parks CanadaThis year, crews are treating 56 hectares in the following places: the base of Mt. Rundle and Sulphur Mountain along the Spray River valley, the base of Sulphur Mountain in the Middle Springs Wildlife Corridor, the base of Tunnel Mountain near Buffalo Mountain Lodge, and an area near the Banff Recreation Centre.
Spring/Fall Prescribed Burn Results
Dormer© Parks CanadaYa Ha Tinda/Hat Mountain Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 1200 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: 100 hectares
Other agencies involved: Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD)
Mount Nestor Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 1426 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: 60 hectares
Other agencies involved: ASRD
Mount Nestor© Parks CanadaUpper North Saskatchewan Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 7900 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: fireguard burning completed, remainder rescheduled for spring 2008
Other agencies involved: ASRD, Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
Dormer Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 1200 hectares
Total area burned this spring: 350 hectares
Baker Creek Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 800 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: some fireguard burning was completed, remainder rescheduled for spring 2008
Split Peak© Parks CanadaSplit Peak Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 950 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: 750 hectares
Mount King Prescribed Fire
Total area of burn unit: 1900 hectares
Total area burned in 2007: rescheduled to 2008
For more information, contact one of these fire information officers:
In Lake Louise Yoho and Kootenay: Marla Oliver 250-347-6174
In Banff: Sean Nardella 403-762-1447
In Lake Louise Yoho and Kootenay: Sharon Morgan 250-347-6174
Note: To read the PDF version you need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.
If the Adobe download site is not accessible to you, you can download Acrobat Reader from an accessible page.
If you choose not to use Acrobat Reader you can have the PDF file converted to HTML or ASCII text by using one of the conversion services offered by Adobe.