Alberta completes fireguard near Canmore, looks ahead to 2025 wildfire season

As wildfires rage in California, and Jasper continues to recover from last summer’s devastating flames, Alberta says a provincial program is mitigating the risks of catastrophic wildfires in at-risk communities.

The Community Fireguard Program will increase wildfire resilience in Canmore and the Bow Valley, according to the province. By removing trees surrounding vulnerable communities that can act as fuel in wildfires, residents, homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure are better protected in the case of a blaze.

“Alberta faced significant wildfire seasons over the last two years. The reality is that decades of fire suppression left our forests aging and vulnerable,” Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, said in a Monday press conference. “By working together with our at-risk communities, we are taking steps to increase wildfire resilience across Alberta.”

Alberta says construction on the new Bow Valley Community Fireguard started in the late fall of 2024, after it got $750,000 in provincial funding from the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta.

The Town of Canmore, Municipal District of Bighorn, the Kananaskis Improvement District, and the Alberta government are partners on this project.

Work on the fireguard will be ongoing, including a combination of mechanical tree removal and forest thinning. The entire fireguard will be finished with more work over the next three to five years, and planning is underway for the next stage of construction and funding approval, according to the government.

Ahead of the 2025 wildfire season, the province said it is working on other fireguard initiatives, including in Whitecourt and Hinton. Swan Hills is focused on debris clean-up from fireguard construction in 2023.

Fireguards were also built in Buck Creek, Grande Prairie, Dimsdale, Lac Ste. Anne, Valleyview, Gift Lake, and Fox Creek.

Alberta is also working to hire more wildland firefighters, who will get specialized training at the Hinton Training Centre. The centre also gives free online training to municipalities and local fire departments.

As a way to support local communities, the province has mutual aid and resource-sharing agreements that allow access to specialized firefighting equipment when needed.

The FireSmart program is also continuing its work in making properties more resistant to wildfires, according to the province.

The government is also continuing to implement prescribed burns and selective harvesting to reduce the risks of wildfires by removing aging trees.

Measures undertaken to reduce the mountain pine beetle population have been effective, according to the province, with work ongoing to cut and burn infested trees as needed.

The Community Fireguard Program began in 2023 in a move to enhance wildfire preparedness for communities at risk of experiencing wildfires.

That same year, the province put $5 million towards emergency fireguard construction.

In 2024, $14 million was given to the program.

The Jasper wildfire was named Environment Canada’s most impactful weather story of 2024, causing $880 million in insured damages.

The July fire forced the townsite’s 5,000 residents, and around 20,000 park visitors, to evacuate.

The fire not only devoured homes in the town but also scorched much of the natural landscape. Wildlife experts believe it could take more than a century for the burned forest to return to its postcard-perfect form.

-With files from The Canadian Press