The risk of forest fires is extremely high in the southwest corner of Quebec. The province’s forest fire protection agency, the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), says the Val-d’Or, Outaouais and Pontiac regions are among those most at risk. Several regions, from the Eastern Townships to Northern Quebec, are at a high risk of forest fires. That includes the…
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is battling 24 forest fires in Northeastern Ontario and one in the North Bay area is one of the largest in the region. North Bay 32, located 12.5 km west of Latchford in Kittson Township (more specifically: east of East Lady Evelyn Lake), measures 40 hectares and is not…
I am writing in regards to the draft range plan recently released under Alberta’s Caribou Action Plan, which attempts to address the preservation of the Little Smoky and A La Peche herds located around Grande Cache. While no one can argue the importance of preserving the natural beauty and wonder of local wildlife around us,…
A wildfire burning north of Campbell River is proving very tough for crews to tackle. Dry conditions, steep terrain, slopes of fallen timber are fueling a blaze that has already consumed hectares of forest, blanketing the region with smoke and putting residents on alert. Resident Cody Card explains that “this whole entire mountainside…this whole ridge…
It’s still not known what led to a wildfire in a Vernon neighbourhood. While the Ministry of Forests has indicated that Saturday’s blaze on Tronson Road may be human-caused, the Vernon Fire Department is remaining cautious. “We’re working with the ministry to determine the cause,” said Keith Green, Vernon fire chief. “As you gather data,…
Pilots have started taking to the air to help the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations assess the progress made on combatting an outbreak of the spruce beetle in the Omineca region. Project manager Heather Wiebe said Tuesday an airplane has been deployed this week to check for evidence of the insect and…
Research suggests pine trees with strong natural defences are their own worst enemy when it comes to the destructive mountain pine beetle. Although the sap produced by the lodgepole pine is toxic to the beetles, the smell of the sap can attract large numbers of the tiny bugs that can collectively end up killing a…
The City of Regina destroyed three trees infected with Dutch Elm Disease so far this summer. The elms were in the Wood Meadows neighbourhood in Regina’s east end. The infected trees were all within a block of each other. Russel Eirich, the manager of forestry, pest control and horticulture for the City of Regina, says the disease was…
Re: “Forestry workers, environmentalists call for ban on log exports,” July 22. It is important that the voice of B.C. forest workers who actually log and work in sawmills is heard. With respect to the organization quoted, the United Steelworkers represents loggers and the majority of unionized sawmill workers in B.C. USW has long advocated…
During the summer of 2015, it seemed there were reports every week of wildfires burning in the province or warnings about how to prevent them. So far, the summer of 2016 has been cooler and less smokey, but that could begin to change as hot weather has arrived throughout much of the province and wildfire danger is again creeping…