FORT FRANCES—With the Forest Fire Prevention Act set to take effect April 1, the local Ministry of Natural Resources is expecting conditions average for springtime—a far cry from this time last year, when far below average snowfall over the winter of 2006-07, coupled with a dry summer and fall in 2006, saw the stage set differently.
“We’re looking at starting the fire season with normal-type conditions,” acting fire management supervisor Harrold Boven said in an interview Friday.
“We’re not looking at a moisture deficit,” he added, noting this past fall and winter brought a good amount of rain and snow.
According to Environment Canada, Boven said, March, April, and May will see below-normal temperatures for the western half of Rainy River District and normal for the eastern half.
Over the same time period, the entire district is expected to see above-normal precipitation.
Boven also noted while the snow has melted quickly the past two years, early indications show that it will go gradually this spring.
While weather conditions always can change, this sets the stage for a slow start to the MNR fire season, which runs until Oct. 31.
During fire season, burning is not permitted during daylight hours. Anyone wishing to do any burning must contact their local municipality or the MNR.
According to an end-of-season report issued by the MNR last November, the 2007 fire season “proved challenging at times, particularly in the spring.”
“May proved busy as predicted with extreme fire hazard conditions and project fires,” it noted. “This picture changed in June when heavy rains hit the region.
“Provincial fire advisories were issued for much of the northwest and FireRanger crews assisted with road washouts in the districts of Kenora, Dryden, Red Lake, and Sioux Lookout.
“Dryden District fire staff also provided support to Ignace in storm-damage clean-up after a microburst blasted the community,” it continued.
“In August, Fort Frances responded to over 60 new fires but despite late summer drought conditions, fire staff were able to keep the lightning fires to small sizes,” said the report.
“Quetico Provincial Park, in the Fort Frances District, had more prescribed fire activity again in 2007, which allowed for fire in the park as a beneficial aspect of ecosystem renewal.”
But the 2007 fire season ended with something of a whimper. There only were three new fires reported in the region between Sept. 6-13—one each in the districts of Fort Frances, Kenora, and Sioux Lookout.
By contrast, at one point in September, 2006, there were more than 300 active fires burning in the northwest—over 200 of which were classed as “not under control.”
The Northwest Region saw a total of 481 fires last year, consuming 32,852.5 hectares.
Final statistics for the 2006 Northwest Region numbers were 1,716 fires and an area of 147,615.1 ha burned.
Resources from the Aviation and Forest Fire Management Program in Ontario, including some from Northwest Region, assisted Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, and the states of Michigan and Minnesota during the 2007 fire season.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
