Canadians are mourning the destruction by fire of Jasper, Alberta. But we also need a serious reappraisal of Canadian forest management practices; otherwise it won't be a matter of whether more communities are lost to wildfires, but of when.
Governments Must Act Now on Proper Forest Management or Wildfires Will Get Worse | Epoch Times | Cory Morgan:
July 26, 2024 - "Millions of Albertans, and indeed Canadians, are mourning the destruction of a site where they have memories of recent and childhood trips. We can be thankful that no lives have been lost, but the loss for residents of Jasper is unimaginable.... When the Jasper fires have been extinguished and the rebuilding process begins, we must have a serious appraisal of our forest management practices and act as soon as possible. Otherwise, it won’t be a matter of if another community is lost to a wildfire, it will be a matter of when.
"To begin with, it must be accepted that fires in boreal forests are natural and inevitable. It has only been in the last couple of centuries that humans have entered the scene and meddled with the natural cycle of burning and rejuvenation of forests. What we are seeing today is the consequences of deferring the fires that would have naturally burned. The forests have become overgrown, unhealthy, and cluttered with layers of extremely flammable deadfall. Forests in that condition burn hot and fast, leading to fires that can’t be extinguished. Many communities in Canada are surrounded by forests like this and are but one spark away from a disaster.
"It’s not reasonable to just let fires burn naturally in populated areas. That means we must manage these forests and our communities to reduce the chances of wildfires and mitigate the damage they cause. This has been done to a degree in areas, but not adequately.
"Jasper is a prime example. A mountain pine beetle infestation had previously killed thousands of acres of pine trees around the "townsite. Standing dead pine trees are extremely flammable, and experts were warning of the risk they presented to Jasper in 2018. A plan was formulated between the Alberta Forest Service and Jasper National Park officials to manage the forests, but it was rejected by the federal government. It’s not that the federal government wanted to see the area burn. They didn’t want to deal with the optics of bulldozers and loggers taking down tracts of forest in a scenic national park along with the haze and smoke prescribed burns would bring. The consequences of that deferral are being seen today.
"Municipal governments are loath to create buffers between forests and their townsites because residents enjoy the cozy feel of living next to the wilderness. Developers pitch communities that share space with nature and property owners will complain if bush is cut back. Cutting buffers in forests, doing prescribed burns, and clearcut logging may not look pretty, but it is all preferable to the devastation a fire will bring. Politicians must make the tough choices and impose fire mitigation measures upon communities, even if it upsets some residents....
"I worked as a surveyor for over 20 years in Alberta, and what I saw building up on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains was concerning, to say the least. In some areas, it is almost impossible to walk due to the volume of deadfall. If we don’t clear those zones out soon, a fire will and it will be a big one.
"Government jurisdiction and long-term changes in the climate are subjects worthy of discussion, and we doubtless will be having those discussions for years. In the meantime, we must act and safeguard our communities. We don’t have years to wait, and we will see more heartbreaking losses as we have with Jasper if we keep putting off the forest management that must happen."
Jasper wildfire: Examining the damage and promises to rebuild | CBC News: The National | July 26, 2024:
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