Parks Canada began pre-burn work for a prescribed fire in the Bow Valley this week.
A fireguard burn in preparation for a prescribed fire in the Sawback Range west of Banff started Wednesday (April 30). Smoke was expected to be visible, but minimal, in the valley.
Weather permitting the actual prescribed fire will be set in the next two to three weeks.
“We want to take advantage of current moisture levels in the ground before it becomes too dry and is able to hold or carry any fire,” said Dani McIntosh, Parks Canada’s fire communications specialist.
“Burning under current conditions will prevent the spread of fire outside the current unit boundary, and if successful and the drying trends continue, we will begin to proceed with ignition of the main unit within the next two to three weeks.”
The prescribed fire, located about 10 kilometres west of the Banff townsite, is adjacent to the Bow Valley Parkway between the areas locally referred to as Hillsdale Meadow and Guide’s Rock.
One of the main goals of the prescribed fire is to improve the quality of habitat for grizzly bears, in part to draw the bruins away from the railway line, where they feed on grain, as well as from busy roads.
It is linked to a joint Parks Canada-Canadian Pacific Railway study, which aims to reduce grizzly bear mortality on the tracks. There have been 14 known grizzly bear deaths on the railway in Banff and Yoho since 2000.
Another key goal is to reduce lodgepole pine regeneration, which has flourished after years of fire suppression, and to restore Douglas fir and aspen grasslands that resemble historic vegetation patterns typical of this area.
In addition, the fire is planned to improve habitat quality for the establishment of whitebark pine, an endangered species.
The prescribed fire is expected to benefit this fire-dependent tree overall, however, specific prescriptions and mitigation measures to protect existing stands of whitebark pine from damage during the burn have also been incorporated into the burn plan.
Officials say this area of the Bow Valley is used heavily by grizzly bears and wolves and the area is also known to be used to a lesser extent by black bears and cougars.
There is a potential bear denning location in a higher elevation bowl in the burn unit and there is evidence of wolf packs using areas adjacent to the burn unit both for den locations and rendezvous sites.
“We have been working with the wildlife experts,” said McIntosh. “They have been monitoring bear movement in the area, and the wolf pack as well.”
More than 70 per cent of the 2,400-hectare burn unit area in the Sawback region west of Banff has been burned four times over the past 20 years – in 1985, 1986, 1993 and again in 1998.
During the burn, helicopters as well as air tankers will be on standby. Banff fire crews will work with crews from Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay, with assistance from the Town of Banff fire department and an engine crew from the Alberta government.
The fires will be lit using a combination of aerial ignition, heli-torch and hand drip torch ignition.
Parks Canada maintains a smoke notification list for people who are extremely sensitive to smoke. If you would like to be added to the list, please call 403-762-1447 or email [email protected].
