A warm and dry beginning to 2016 in the province of Alberta may signal an early wildfire season a well.
A warm and dry beginning to 2016 in the province of Alberta may signal an early wildfire season a well.
With near record breaking mild temperatures for February being experienced in the Bow Valley and elsewhere in the province, officials are already preparing for the wildfire season which typically begins April 1.
The province of Alberta announced last week it will put protection measures in place early to prepare for wildfire season, bringing into effect annual restrictions on burning activities.
As of March 1, a permit is required for all planned fires in Alberta's forest protection area, with the only exception being campfires.
“By beginning one month early, we can more effectively monitor burning activities and also ensure that our firefighters are well prepared to respond quickly when wildfires are detected,” said Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Oneil Carlier.
Last year's wildfire season produces 1,786 wildfires that burned more than 492,000 hectares in Alberta, more than twice the 25-year average.
Meanwhile, in Banff National Park, fire and vegetation specialist Jane Park said while there has been an unseasonably warm winter there is still enough snow on the ground that fire season preparations are not needed early.
“Our fire crew has been working all winter on fuel management and dangerous tree removal projects; if we find ourselves in a situation where we need them, they are here,” Park said. “There are no plans to necessarily bring all the crews back anytime earlier than April 1.”
The Mountain National Parks fire season runs from April 1 to the end of October each year and as long as the ground is saturated and there is still snow on the ground there is limited risk, according to Park.
“In the mountains we are at a higher elevation and, aside from our valley bottoms where grass is, we usually have snow up high until April,” she said.
Meanwhile, Parks fire crews are preparing for two prescribed fires in spring - one in Rocky Mountain House national historic site and the other in Moose Meadows near Castle Junction.
The latter prescribed fire is approximately 100 hectares in size and is adjacent to Highway 1A where a previously logged fuel break was created, as well as Moose Meadows itself. The goal of the fire is to restore habitat and create a fuel break from the Town of Banff.
The two spring prescribed fires are in addition to another four that are on the books to address in 2016 if the right conditions create the appropriate prescription to have a controlled burn.
Other burns include Harry's Hill near Lake Louise, Baker Creek, Alexandra (near the Jasper boarder of Banff National Park), and the Dormer prescribed burn.
