What is FireSmart?

April 1, 2016

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• Boreal Forest
• Fish and Forest
• Forests
• Rocky Mountain and Foothills Forests
• WLA Archive

April 2016 Wildlands Advocate article by Joanna Skrajny

Fires are smart. In the beginning, Alberta’s forests grew in harmony with fire. Fires were wild and unpredictable, equally likely to burn in forests of all ages. Caused by lightning, often these fires were small and inconsequential. Drier conditions would result in large and irregular fires that significantly  impacted the landscape. Fire was a natural and essential disturbance to the landscape that recycled nutrients, regulated succession of plants, maintained diversity, and controlled insects and disease.

To obtain a copy of the pdf, click here.