CROWSNEST FIRES2003

Figure 1. Crowsnest Fire1

AUGUST 21, 2003

a seasonal wildfire transformed into a giant fire:• 6 km long• 50 m high

Figure 2. Wildfire2

Equivalent in energy

of an atomic

explosion every 30 minutes

Figure 3. Explosion3

HRUBY’S STORY

“[She] drove about 20 km west along the

valley, sat down on a rock ledge overlooking

1,359-m-high Crowsnest Pass and watched the flames

veer down on Hillcrest.”Figure 4. Alberta Fire4

The Impact

over 20,000 hectares of forest burned

The blaze negatively affected:the timber industrylocal businessestourism

Spray Lake Sawmills benefited from all the burnt lumber by salvaging it.

Ecological Pros and Cons of Burned Areas

Cons: Large burned

areas are black and appear devoid of life

Figure 5. Dead forest5

Pros:Creates ecological diversity and allows for the development of rich undergrowth that

wasn’t there before.

Figure 6. Pine Forest6

PHOTO REFERENCES:1. Image obtained from: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2003),

Residents poised to flee Crowsnest Pass fire, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2003/07/31/fire030731.html

2. Image obtained from: US Forest Service (2009), Naches Ranger District Fire Management, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/fire/naches/ia-crew.shtml

3. Image obtained from: Atalee (2006), Watching the Anti-American/Israeli Axis, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://freeatalee.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/august-22-surprise/

4. Image obtained from: Copyright © Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Effect of wildfire on hydrology and water quality, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://www.environment.uwaterloo.ca/planning/faculty/stone/wildfire.html

5. Image obtained from: Welton, D. (photographer) (2006), Oregon Summer, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://www.welton.it/photos/oregon_summer_2006-mountains/burnt_forest.jpg

6. Image obtained from: Waygoods, O. (photographer) (2004), Pine forest at Kananaskis, [online image]. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://individual.utoronto.ca/owaygood/