For leaders in the Bow Valley, a landscape-altering wildfire on the scale of the fires that devastated Jasper, Fort McMurray, and Slave Lake is an inevitability.
That’s why efforts are ramping up to protect communities like Canmore, Harvie Heights, and Dead Man’s Flats, including through the construction of a large fireguard—work on which is now underway.
“We talk about not ‘if,’ it’s a ‘when,’” said Municipal District of Bighorn Reeve Lisa Rosvold.
“It’s top of mind at every community meeting I attend. It’s the first thing everybody wants to talk about: ‘How are we going to deal with this?’”
Work to harvest 200 hectares of forest west of the above communities and to thin a further 116 hectares began late last year and is expected to be completed by this summer. The efforts will not only create room to stage firefighting equipment and personnel but will also push wildfire to the ground where it’s easier to fight. This first phase of the project, which prioritizes the most vulnerable parts of the town of Canmore, the Municipal District of Bighorn, and the Kananaskis Improvement District, is funded through Alberta’s community fireguard program.
This first phase of the project, which prioritizes the most vulnerable parts of the town of Canmore, the Municipal District of Bighorn, and the Kananaskis Improvement District, is funded through Alberta’s community fireguard program.
Plans are in place for further tree harvesting in the valley in the coming years, though those are contingent on additional government funding.
Town of Canmore | This map shows draft plans for the Bow Valley Community Fireguard. Forest is being removed on the south-facing side of the valley, which receives more sun, and west of area communities due to prevailing wind patterns.
This map shows draft plans for the Bow Valley Community Fireguard. Forest is being removed on the south-facing side of the valley, which receives more sun, and west of area communities due to prevailing wind patterns. (Town of Canmore)
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As Rosvold, Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert and Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen highlighted at a January 13 press conference, the Bow Valley has gone decades without a significant wildfire due to fire suppression efforts.
As has been mentioned in many recent stories about the devastating effects of wildfires, they do also play a beneficial role in maintaining boreal forest ecosystems. Heat is needed to release the seeds trapped within by pinecone resin, and fire clears older, dying trees to make way for new saplings.
This process not only creates a diverse environment for a range of wildlife species, but also creates breaks in the forest that can act as natural fire guards.
But the idea of managing wildfire in such a way as to promote forest renewal is a recent one, and with more development occurring in boreal forest areas, extinguishing wildfire near communities and important infrastructure is still prioritized.
As a result, and as can be seen in the photo below, the valley’s forest canopy and floor have become unnaturally full.
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Town of Canmore | The Bow Valley is seen in 1889 and 2024. The left photo shows what the valley looks like in a more natural state, with frequent unmitigated wildfires resulting in less vegetation and a more diversified forest canopy.
The Bow Valley is seen in 1889 and 2024. The left photo shows what the valley looks like in a more natural state, with frequent unmitigated wildfires resulting in less vegetation and a more diversified forest canopy. (Town of Canmore)
“Wildfire remains the top-rated hazard to life, property, and critical infrastructure within and around the Bow Valley,” said Krausert.
“An abundance of mature trees and decadent forest is not a natural landscape at all. Decades of suppression have created a human-made environment that poses a great threat to Canmore and surrounding communities.”
Loewen echoed concerns that some wildfire management practices have created potential for faster, more intense fires and said the province supports a more nuanced approach moving forward.
“I think the people of Alberta are more aware now because of some of the situations we’ve seen, like in Jasper. If we would have tried a fireguard similar to what we’re doing now five years ago, I don’t know that there would have been the same widespread support for it,” he said.
“It’s time for us to make the landscape here a little more natural, a little more like it was 100 years ago.”
Supplied: Government of Alberta | Timber harvested as a part of the project will be sold to fund further wildfire management efforts.
Timber harvested as a part of the project will be sold to fund further wildfire management efforts. (Government of Alberta | Supplied)
Rosvold added that the towns of Canmore, Banff, and the MD of Bighorn have also begun work on a new regional evacuation plan.
“I think our municipality has made great strides in the last three or four years to make sure we’re as prepared as possible.”
Town of Canmore | As seen here on Sulphur Mountain, design for the new fireguard includes retention of some clusters of forest to reduce the visual impact of harvesting.
As seen here on Sulphur Mountain, design for the new fireguard includes retention of some clusters of forest to reduce the visual impact of harvesting. (Town of Canmore)
Krausert, meanwhile, said, “We are as prepared as we can be.”
While it’s still early to accurately predict wildfire risk in 2025, data suggests snowpack level in the region is below average for this time of year.
Rosvold, Krausert, and Loewen all encouraged Bow Valley residents to manage fires carefully, to practice Firesmart principles, and to sign up for emergency alerts this wildfire season.
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