The Crowsnest Forest Fire Of 2003 Revised Assignment Two
- 1. The Crowsnest Forest Fire of 2003The Lost Creek Fire
- 2. Overview of the Fire… A random fire got out of control and transformed into a massive, wild, forest fire. Began on August 2l, 2003, in the Crowsnest Pass areaCalled the Lost Creek Fire A 6-km wall of flame reached 50 m into the skyBurned over 20,000 hectares of forest,The fire threw off the energy equivalent of a an atomic explosion every 30 minute
- 3. Far reaching effects… The fire produced many effects – some negative, and some positive timber industrylocal businessesthe ecology of the region
- 4. On tourism and business… Tourism was hit hard, but other businesses like local dry cleaners, gas stations, restaurants and office services maintained a steady business. A business that benefited is Spray Lake SawmillsThe sawmill holds 28% of the salvage rights in the area and will use a significant amount of the burnt lumberSalvage efforts do depend upon the amount of root scorch and it does cost more. For example, burnt bark is not good, and so some trees will need to be de-barked to keep the chips clean and reduce the carbon content.
- 5. On the regions ecology… Both pros and cons:A burned area is black and looks devoid of lifeBut over time burned area also creates ecological diversity that wasn’t there beforeLarge stands of timber smoother the light and inhibit undergrowth, whereas a burned area creates ecological diversity and allows for the development of rich undergrowth
- 6. People living in the area… One Women`s Story: One resident at home that Saturday was Elaine Hruby, whose husband was working that weekend up north in Fort McMurray. At 10 a.m. authorities told her to leave. Immediately. I didn’t know what to take, says Hruby, recalling her anxious departure. You start doing crazy things. After putting her cat and dog in the car, she grabbed the lamp her husband once used as a miner, her jewelry (but not his) and a little plastic Buddha. Hruby then drove about 20 km west along the valley, sat down on a rock ledge overlooking1,359-m-high Crowsnest Pass and watched the flames veer down on Hillcrest. Despite her horror, she couldn’t stop looking. I felt masochistic, sitting on the outcropping, Hruby recalls. But those flames were like a magnet.