Wildfire is a real threat to the Bragg Creek Community. Foresters often cite fire cycles as a reason to harvest in high value areas, claiming that old trees are more susceptible to fire. However, the latest science is showing that old forests are more resilient to wildfires and many managed forests are burning hotter and faster than protected old forests. To add to that concern, this harvest will not be conducted using FireSmart principles, as was done in 2012.
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
|
"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
|