B. C. must find ways to reduce risk of wildfire hazards
E. C. Manning Provincial Park is a ticking time bomb and one of these years it’s going to go off. Once over Allison Pass, the effect of the mountain pine beetle infestation that has resulted in the death of a large proportion of the mature lodgepole pine in the park becomes readily apparent.
In the decade since the epidemic began, many of the trees killed by the beetle have fallen to the forest floor. The post- beetle forest now presents a significant wildfire threat: very large accumulation of fuels on the forest floor; fuels staying dryer longer because they are not in contact with soil or grass; the forest floor receives much more direct sunlight resulting in higher temperatures and lower relative humidity; and, fewer trees means higher winds at the level of the forest floor drying out the fuels.
Under mid- to- late- summer dry, windy conditions, an ignition would quickly result in a very high- intensity crown fire with long- range spotting.
This scenario is likely to play out over much of the area affected by the beetle epidemic over the next century. In fact, in the areas hardest hit by the beetle, the province estimates that, by 2052, more than two million hectares will likely have burned in wildfires.
During the driest part of the summer, the whereabouts of park visitors, especially backcountry recreationists, should be tracked though a registry in order to avoid entrapment issues.
The situation in Manning Park should be of special concern to the province for a number of reasons, including the effect of a major wildfire on one of the three primary transportation corridors into the interior; issues of park visitor safety; and, down- wind smoke impacts in the Okanagan Valley. A large wildfire would close Highway 3 for an extended period of time resulting in a large amount of traffic being rerouted through either Highway 5/ 97C or Highway 1.
Added costs to businesses that typically rely on goods transported through Highway 3 would be significant. A second major concern should be park visitor safety.
During the driest part of the summer, the whereabouts of park visitors, especially backcountry recreationists, should be tracked though a registry in order to avoid entrapment issues. Even for visitors using established campgrounds and dayuse areas a plan should be in place to quickly notify people of a dangerous wildfire situation ( there is no radio or cellphone reception in the area) or to evacuate them.
And thirdly, in the event of a wildfire, due to prevailing winds out of the southwest and west, most of the smoke would inundate the Okanagan Valley, leading to human health issues as well as negative economic impacts. ( The economic impact of smoke from the 2003 fires in the Okanagan on the tourism sector was estimated at $ 80 million.)
Instead of waiting for the inevitable, the province should proactively begin the process of reducing the wildfire hazard in the park, and the threat to community of East Gate, by treating fuels at the landscape scale.
The few small- scale fuels projects carried out so far by the park are too insignificant to have any effect on either fire behaviour or fire effects. Strategically burning entire hillsides, in conjunction with fuel removal using traditional forest thinning equipment, can safely and effectively be carried out by knowledgeable and skilled staff within Wildfire Management Branch.
Funding can be provided through fuels removal; BC Parks has the legislative authority to remove vegetation, sell it, and steer the profits back into restoration treatments. Until the hazard has been reduced, BC Parks should consider closing Manning Park during periods of high to extreme fire danger.