Restoring forest ecosystems

Dákeyi ukaanathį̀ jè: All of you watch over our country with your heart

Champagne & Aishihik First Nations (CAFN), Kluane First Nation (KFN), and Parks Canada are working together on Dákeyi ukaanathį̀ jè: All of you watch over our country with your heart – Restoring forest ecosystems in Kluane National Park and Reserve (KNPR). Informed by Indigenous Knowledge and Western science, this multi-year, collaborative project is taking tangible steps towards understanding and increasing the resilience of Kluane’s forests.

Bark beetle outbreak

A widespread Spruce Bark Beetle outbreak which began in the early 1990s has had a dramatic impact on the health of KNPR’s forests. The beetles affected two-thirds of the white spruce forests, and nearly half (44%) of the mature spruce forest was killed! Regular visits and monitoring of these impacted forests are helping us understand the long term implication of this disturbance.

Wildfire deficit

A wildfire deficit exists in KNPR (that is, much less area has burned over the last 80 years compared to what we would have expected to burn based on our knowledge of the wildfire regime), likely influenced by various policies of the previous century enacted to suppress natural fire and remove Indigenous cultural practices and access to the land. In 1943, the Government of Canada created the Kluane Game Sanctuary, which denied First Nations access to hunting, fishing and trapping in a significant portion of their traditional territory. Cultural practices on the land, including traditional uses and relationships to fire, were interrupted and altered the cycles of fire in the landscape.

Project activities include efforts to understand the park’s wildfire regime and how Yukon First Nations cultural practices and settler land management practices may have influenced the vegetation and forests we see in Kluane today. Understanding the historic role of fire and how people fit in and helped shape the landscape is an important first step in planning our actions to support forest health in KNPR.

Restoring balance

Fire is an integral natural process for rejuvenating and creating diversity within Kluane’s boreal forests. The younger stands originating from fire help adapt to and absorb impacts from climate change and other stressors.  A forest mosaic comprising a variety of stand ages and plant communities is generally more resilient in the face of major insect infestations and catastrophic fire events. With this project, our hope is to start the process of restoring balance to our forests and increase their ability to withstand and recover from past and future changes. 

Areas to conduct active management – prescribed fire, cultural burning or other interventions to increase the resilience of the regions forests – have been explored within KNPR and with neighbouring jurisdictions. Planning for these activities has been approached with an eye to connectivity and an understanding of the shared conservation interests and objectives of CAFN, KFN and adjacent jurisdictions. Shared conservation interests include exploring opportunities to support traditional activities and promoting long term connections to the land.

 

This project will help us plan long-term approaches to restoring and increasing the resilience of the park’s forests while helping to revitalize Southern Tutchone traditions and culture.

Safety

Safety is always Parks Canada’s top priority when planning prescribed fire.

Parks Canada does prescribed fires on Parks Canada administered lands to help restore and maintain ecological integrity and biodiversity, to promote ecosystem conservation and restoration, and to reduce the risk of wildfire to nearby communities. Parks Canada takes wildfire prevention and risk reduction very seriously and carries out activities, in collaboration with communities located inside and near Parks Canada administered places, to prevent and reduce the risk of wildfires. Prescribed fires are one tool that Parks Canada uses to reduce the risks. Prescribed fires help lessen the buildup of plant materials that can fuel and help sustain wildfires. Removing plant materials from around communities can help to reduce the intensity and severity of wildfires, slows their spread, and makes them easier to control or extinguish. Additionally, prescribed fires help to support healthy ecosystems that are resilient to the impacts of climate change and invasive plant and insect species. In turn these, ecosystems are more resilient to the impacts of wildfires.

Members of Parks Canada’s National Fire Management Program carry out extensive planning and preparation before a prescribed fire is lit, including evaluating the landscape and assessing weather conditions and windspeed. At Parks Canada-administered places, prescribed fires are planned and managed by well-trained, professional wildland fire management specialists and are only set under specific, pre-determined conditions. Since 1983, there have been 529 prescribed fires conducted by Parks Canada across the country.

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For more information on prescribed fire in National Parks, check out: 

• https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/nature/science/conservation/feu-fire/feuveg-fireveg/dirige-prescribed
• Prince Albert NP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1coJqyxOeb0 
• Banff NP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxvC6MPhu9I
• Pukaskwa NP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyk5H0KSFnw
• Terra Nova NP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwzQVrl3QY