Parks Canada to start fire control project between Banff, Lake Louise

Parks Canada is set to start working on its 32.8-hectare Protection Mountain Fire Guard along Highway 1A in mid-December to help control the spread of fires.

It starts with the thinning of the forest beside the Bow Valley Parkway near the Protection Mountain Campground, around 15 kilometres southeast of Lake Louise.

Contract work began on Dec. 8 and machinery will soon be brought in to start the project.

Dwight Bourdin, a resource conservation manager with Parks Canada, says this work is needed to help curb the impacts of climate change and protect nearby areas that may be affected by forest fires.

“Its primary purpose is to protect the community, Lake Louise, and infrastructure within the Bow Valley, in anticipation of impacts to climate change, and making sure our forests and our visitors are safe,” Bourdin said.

“It’s also going to improve the ecological integrity of the area by opening up the forest to create improved habitats for things like grizzly bears, elk, and deer.”

The project map for the Protection Mountain Fire Guard. (Parks Canada photo)

The project is expected to wrap up by March 15, 2023. Once completed, Bourdin says the fire guard will also help protect wildlife in the area.

He adds people can still drive along the Bow Valley Parkway and enjoy the “scenery of the park” throughout the project.

“People will see, eventually, some trucks hauling timber out, some small slash piles of woody debris being burned eventually, under good venting conditions. We have mitigations for all that,” he explained.

“And also, [it will] improve habitat for wildlife in the area, and hopefully draw things like … grizzly bears away from highways and railways, so it reduces mortality for wildlife.”

The burning won’t happen until January, with Bourdin saying more site preparation is needed before it can start.

He also says people should expect smoke in the area since there will be burn piles to dispose of wood debris.

“Some people will be like, ‘Oh my God, they’re ripping down trees. They’re damaging the park.’ But [we] want to let people know this is part of it,” Bourdin said.

Parks Canada says the Protection Mountain Campground will be closed for the time being.

Screenshot of the area closed for the Protection Mountain Fire Guard. (Parks Canada)

Parks Canada says anyone who enters the area could face a hefty fine of up to $25,000. More information can be found by visiting its website.

-With files from Mark Strashok