Last week, Parks Canada commenced work on the 49-hectare Ross Lake Fire Guard in Yoho National Park. The project area sits adjacent to Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) north of Ross Lake near the Alberta/BC border (Banff/Yoho national park boundary).

Work on the fire guard is scheduled to be completed by late March 2024. Once finished, the Ross Lake Fire Guard will create a landscape-level forest fuel break which will reduce the risk of wildfire to the communities of Lake Louise (AB), Field (BC), and surrounding areas. This project will improve safety for park visitors and residents while creating high-quality habitat for local species.

Fire guards create landscape-scale fuel breaks that, in the event of a wildfire, help reduce the risk of wildfire to communities and facilities and improve the safety of park visitors and residents. Work will be completed by an external contractor.

Preliminary work will consist of building temporary access roads. Mechanical tree removal work will only commence once specific conditions are met to reduce impacts to the area, such as frozen soil and/or snowpack.

During this time, motorists may notice increased noise and truck activity near the Lake O’Hara turn-off from Highway 1. Woody debris will also be piled and burned on-site or chipped and hauled off-site for disposal. Smoke may be visible in the area.

Every effort will be made to limit smoke during pile burning operations, however, unpredicted changes in weather can increase and/or redirect smoke.

Although unlikely, motorists should be prepared for potential delays and reduced visibility on sections of Highway 1 while burning is taking place. Individuals with respiratory conditions or severe smoke sensitivities can be added to a smoke-sensitive list. Local organizations may also be added upon request.

Safety is always the top priority for Parks Canada in all fire management operations. An area closure will be maintained by Parks Canada for the duration of work to prohibit public access to the project area.

The area closure will include the westernmost 1.5 kms of the Great Divide Trail between the Lake O’Hara junction and 100 m west of the Ross Lake Trail junction. This section of the Great Divide Trail will not be track set for winter 2023-24 and is expected to open in March 2024. Short-term closures of the Ross Lake trail will occur intermittently throughout the winter for public safety during operations.

Additional short-term closures may take place with limited notice during cutting, hauling and burning activities. An up-to-date list of area closures can be found on the Yoho National Park webpage.

Parks Canada works to ensure wildfire risk reduction projects also carry ecological benefits. Once complete, the Ross Lake Fire Guard will create improved wildlife corridors and foraging habitat for ungulates such as deer or elk in an area less frequented by visitors. The fire guard will also support species at-risk including creating high-quality habitat for grizzly bears and five-needle pines.

Decades of fire suppression have created dense forests with a significant buildup of forest fuel that poses a significant risk during periods of heightened wildfire danger and could result in high intensity wildfires that can spread quickly across the landscape.

The Ross Lake Fire Guard will create a crucial forest break by removing a significant source of fuel. Once complete, noticeable changes will include fewer trees at all elevations across the fire guard.

This opening will allow more sunlight to penetrate the ground, permitting new grass and shrubs to establish over time. The fire guard will utilize both constructed and naturally pre-existing features such as avalanche paths, scree slopes, lakes, roadways, and rail lines to create a cross-valley mosaic of open areas and reduce the overall need for mechanical timber removal.

Parks Canada – Lake Louise, Yoho, and Kootenay Field Unit

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