Fire protection and restoration projects

A fire guard is an area where fuels (trees, brush etc.) have been removed, often by heavy equipment, or prescribed fire. This gap in fuels can help slow a wildfire and provide a location for firefighters to safely fight a fire. Fire guards are built in strategic locations on the landscape.

The effects of climate change, in combination with historical fire suppression practices, are increasing the chance and severity of wildfires. Reducing forest fuels helps keep a potential wildfire on the ground rather than spreading from treetop to treetop. When fire is on the ground, it limits fire intensity, reduces windblown embers, and makes it easier for responders to control.

Pre-established fire guards help contain wildfires quicker than when a fire guard is not in place. This reduces the risk to:

• Communities
• Visitors and residents
• Infrastructure
• Natural and Cultural Resources

Having a fire guard in place can reduce the length of time a wildfire burns, which can reduce the impact on air quality.

By planning carefully, we can design fire guards to improve ecological integrity. Once completed, the open areas allow sunlight to reach the forest floor where sun-loving plants can flourish. These plants provide important food sources and foraging opportunities for wildlife such as grizzly bears and elk.

Fire guards, FireSmart™ and prescribed fires are all aspects of Parks Canada’s fire management program. However, they are quite different.

A fire guard is a large, strategically constructed feature on the landscape where fuels, such as trees, brush or leaves have been removed, often by mechanical means, or prescribed fire when safe to do so. This large gap in forest canopy fuels can help slow a wildfire and provide safe and strategic locations for fire fighters to respond. Proactively built fire guards increase protection and minimize impact to the environment.

FireSmart™ Canada is a community wildfire protection program. Examples of FireSmart™ work include removing shrubs, trees, deadfall or woodpiles within the first 10 meters of a building (zone 1). FireSmart™ can also include thinning and pruning of trees in other zones.

Prescribed fire is setting a planned fire under specific, pre-determined conditions to achieve certain goals. At Parks Canada, our goals include reducing the risk of wildfire, restoring and maintaining fire-adapted ecosystems and protecting cultural heritage. Prescribed fires are planned and managed by trained wildland fire management specialists.

Parks Canada uses a variety of tools and strategies, including prescribed fires, forest thinning, and the creation of community fire guards to reduce the impacts of wildfire and protect the public, communities, and infrastructure.

Prescribed fire is often the preferred method to create a fire guard. However, mechanical tree removal is used when the necessary conditions for a prescribed fire are not met. Mechanical tree removal is the use of low impact heavy equipment to remove trees within the national park.

A lot of work goes into a fire guard. They often take years of planning before the first tree is cut.

Once the project is approved, external contractors are hired to complete the work. Work often starts in the fall. This includes building temporary access roads. Mechanical tree removal work is completed during the winter months to reduce impacts to soils and vegetation. Once the ground is frozen and/or there is snowpack, heavy equipment cut and remove trees from the area to create the opening. Small vegetation and woody debris get piled and burned on site. Sometimes it is chipped and hauled off-site. Tree removal wraps up by the end of March each year until the project is completed. During the summer, in areas where tree felling has been completed, Parks Canada works on restoration.

To achieve a significant break in forest canopy fuel, there will be a noticeable difference relative to what the area looked like before. Once complete, the Lake Louise Community Fire Guard will include fewer trees at all elevations across the project area. The freshly created openings will allow more sunlight to reach the ground. This permits new grass and shrubs to establish over time.

The landscape dictates the areas that trees can be removed from within the project boundary. Although changes are evident in the first couple of years after tree removal, it doesn’t take long for ground covering vegetation to grow back. Where possible, natural features are used to minimize the number or trees that need to be removed with irregular borders to make the fire guard look more natural.

Parks Canada fire management personnel complete an impact assessment process to identify potential impacts and implement mitigations. This process includes working closely with specialists to make sure fire guard projects carry ecological benefits and protect cultural resources.

Vegetation: Prior to starting work, Parks Canada specialists survey the area and flag the location of trees that will be retained such as Douglas-fir, deciduous and endangered trees.
After the fire guard is complete Parks Canada will work to restore disturbed areas with native vegetation.

Soils: Equipment and vehicle access is restricted to well-drained or frozen soils. This minimizes soil disturbance and potential for soil erosion.

Watersheds: A riparian buffer zone will be maintained around all lakes, streams and wetlands.
Machinery will only cross streams at designated crossings with appropriate precautions to prevent bank damage and soils or other debris from entering the watercourse.

Wildlife: Trees that provide important wildlife habitat for cavity nesting birds and other species such as Species-at-Risk Act (SARA) listed bats are identified and protected. The primary breeding seasons for these species will be avoided by completing the work in the winter months.

Cultural Resources: A no-work zone is maintained around all identified Indigenous and cultural sites or resources. If a previously unknown cultural resource is found during the project protocols are in place to protect it.