New Beginnings
Waterton Lakes National Park Fire – 2017 All Photos Courtesy of Parks Canada
The summer of 2017 was a busy one for Parks Canada. We welcomed a record number of visitors to celebrate Canada 150 with free admission to Parks Canada places. In the midst of this, there were a significant number of wildfires. Parks Canada’s National Fire Management Team worked with local and provincial fire and emergency management agencies to manage wildfires in the mountain national parks, including four larger fires that burned thousands of hectares in Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park and the Verdant Creek fire in Kootenay National Park near Banff. When you visit the mountain national parks, you will most likely come across areas that were impacted by wildfire. Some were prescribed fires (intentionally lit to help restore healthy ecosystems) and some are from wildfires. You may also notice
Kootenay National Park Fire – 2017
that since the fires, some landscapes have evolved significantly. Despite the size of some areas impacted by fire, you will see an abundance and diversity of herbs, grasses, tree seedlings and flowering plants thriving in the areas that were burned. This is an incredible chance to see the fascinating beginnings of the vegetation communities that establish after a fire. Fire is a natural process. The forests in our national parks have historically depended on fire to be healthy, with many plants and animals adapting to and reliant on fire. It creates diversity in forests and improves wildlife habitat by creating mosaics of different forest ages and composition. The many species of plants that sprout after a fire attracts a diversity of wildlife. Wildfires are not new events, however over the past few years, we have seen wildfires starting earlier and the seasons have
Glacier National Park Fire – 2017
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