Wildfire is a real threat to the Bragg Creek Community. In the past, it was thought that forest fire fighting had resulted in an unnatural stand age and that clear cutting was necessary to "mimic" wildfire and remove old forests. This was so logical that they never tested to see if dense, old forests are more susceptible to severe fire until recently and the results were astounding.
We explore why the current harvest plan won't reduce fire hazard for Bragg Creek and could actually make it worse in this video:
We explore why the current harvest plan won't reduce fire hazard for Bragg Creek and could actually make it worse in this video:
The movie Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire (click for link to full show) provides a great in-depth look at wildfire and how our current forest harvesting techniques are actually increasing our wildfire risk!
CPAWS focused on forest management specifically within our eastern slopes. Their conclusion?
"The most important factors influencing fire on the Southern Eastern Slopes are weather, forest type, density, and fuel (irrespective of forest age). These factors are largely independent of logging, and in some situations, clearcut logging may in fact increase fire risk on the landscape (Lindenmayer et al., 2009). Additionally, it is difficult to predict where a fire will ignite in the backcountry. Therefore, the common assertion that clearcut logging stops, or reduces, fire on the landscape does not hold on a landscape scale."
"The most important factors influencing fire on the Southern Eastern Slopes are weather, forest type, density, and fuel (irrespective of forest age). These factors are largely independent of logging, and in some situations, clearcut logging may in fact increase fire risk on the landscape (Lindenmayer et al., 2009). Additionally, it is difficult to predict where a fire will ignite in the backcountry. Therefore, the common assertion that clearcut logging stops, or reduces, fire on the landscape does not hold on a landscape scale."
The Edmonton Journal recently published an article warning against using forestry for fire protection
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"the provincial government and forestry companies have said the solution to managing wildfires is to cut down older forests because they are more susceptible to burning, but she disagrees.
“Old forests and mature forests are actually more resilient to wildfires than younger forests,” Earl said. “When they do burn, in a lot of cases, they actually burn at a lower intensity and so those fires don’t kill the whole land and they don’t travel as far.” But with the amount of industrial clear cutting that is happening, there are more young forests regenerating that tend to be more dry than older forests, making them more susceptible to an intense wildfire." |
Click to read the full article
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Dr. Rachel holt, an independent ecologist in the Kootenays found, “There is no evidence that old growth burns more often than other ages of forest,” she says. In contrast, “intense plantation forestry, characterised by young forests and spatially homogenized fuels, are significant drivers of wildfire severity.”
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We see more evidence of this in the 2023 ABMI - Effects of 2023 Wildfires in Alberta Report. During the massive wildfires of 2023, more forests under 60 years old burned, than forests over 60 years old.
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If clearcutting won't save Bragg Creek, what will?
The good news, is that there is an answer to this question and it's fully in your control. Study after study shows localized Fire Smarting on your own property provides the greatest protection to your home. Going through the FireSmart Home Assessment is the most effective step to protecting your home from future wildfire, regardless of what happens to the forest surrounding you. |