Unit 2 - Alberta's Forest Land Issues
Fire Management
If you lived in Alberta between 2011–2019, you will remember some of the worst forest fires in history; the Slave Lake fire of 2011, the Fort McMurray fire of 2016, and the High Level fires of 2019. It is not hard to think about the negative impacts
these fires have had: loss of homes and property, threats to communities, loss of natural resources, loss of jobs, wildlife disturbance, etc.
Image Source: Pixabay
Image Source: Pixabay
However, fires also have a positive impact on the forests because they play an essential role in the forest cycle. Natural forest fires help to: remove old trees, remove diseased trees, replenish the soil, control insects, etc. In addition, the lodgepole
pine requires heat in order to open its cones. Many other trees are also well-adapted to fire.
With both advantages and disadvantages of natural forest fires, how does Alberta’s government balance the benefits and damages due to wildland fire?
In 2004, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers introduced a task force of federal, provincial, and territorial deputy ministers. One year later, the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS) was developed and introduced. The CWFS was renewed in 2016 in an attempt to balance the social, ecological, and economic aspects of wildland fire. The strategy looks at root causes and symptoms of current and potential fire management issues.
Alberta established a wildfire management program under the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, developed to protect the 39 million hectares of Alberta’s forest land. Due to the severity of the 2015 fire season, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry commissioned a review of the program. The review looked at what could be learned from the 2015 fire season and how to prepare for long-term future challenges. One part of the review looks at Alberta’s FireSmart program and how to improve the program and implement FireSmart projects. The FireSmart program can be found here. You may also want to explore some of the other resources on the Alberta Wildfire website, such as the many interesting wildfire status reports and videos.
In 2004, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers introduced a task force of federal, provincial, and territorial deputy ministers. One year later, the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS) was developed and introduced. The CWFS was renewed in 2016 in an attempt to balance the social, ecological, and economic aspects of wildland fire. The strategy looks at root causes and symptoms of current and potential fire management issues.
Alberta established a wildfire management program under the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, developed to protect the 39 million hectares of Alberta’s forest land. Due to the severity of the 2015 fire season, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry commissioned a review of the program. The review looked at what could be learned from the 2015 fire season and how to prepare for long-term future challenges. One part of the review looks at Alberta’s FireSmart program and how to improve the program and implement FireSmart projects. The FireSmart program can be found here. You may also want to explore some of the other resources on the Alberta Wildfire website, such as the many interesting wildfire status reports and videos.
Image Source: Pixabay
Forest Facts
Did you know that the Government of Alberta has a prescribed fire program whereby a fire is deliberately set, under specific conditions, in order to prevent a larger uncontrolled fire that could occur?