Where there’s smoke, there’s prescribed fire
Sustainable Resource Development is taking advantage of ideal weather conditions, to carry out the first in a series of proactive prescribed burns in the Rocky Mountain House area that will help reduce the potential for future large-scale wildfires in the area.
The Blackstone prescribed burn was completed successfully in an area northwest of Nordegg in mid-May creating a fire guard in the backcountry.
According to local Information Officer Maria Sharpe, the Blackstone prescribed burn is prime example of how the department uses fire to achieve strategic forest management objectives on the landscape.
“Prescribed burns are an effective tool to help enhance Alberta’s forests,” said Sharpe. “From creating fire breaks, to controlling the spread of mountain pine beetle, these burns help restore the delicate ecological balance of Alberta’s forests in a way that is controlled and predictable.”
The Blackstone prescribed burn is part of a larger management plan for the area, which seeks to achieve ecological restoration using a variety of tools including prescribed fires. To find out more, view the R11 forest management plan..
