REPORT FROM CANADA

Space-age technology helps preserve timber supply
By Paul Harris*

For what seems almost as long as forest fires have been unleashed upon British Columbia, the story of how they are fought and eventually extinguished has remained a distinctly human one.

It speaks of bravery, of sacrifice, and of the ongoing battle to contain one of Mother Nature's most enraging creations.

This year is no different -- with one key exception. For the first time, firefighting teams have been able to call upon technology fine-tuned with the help of the European and Canadian space agencies to pinpoint the precise locations of firefighters as they battle a blaze.

It is an innovation which is playing a major role in helping preserve vast volumes of standing timber at risk from fire. Sophisticated tracking devices are strapped to the belts of firefighters, enabling field managers to quickly pursue a particular blaze without endangering the lives of firefighters who would otherwise remain hidden by smoke and debris in the forest.

"Strategically this equipment helps us make quicker decisions over how to prioritize the positioning of aircraft and firefighters, with real-time tracking so that we can respond immediately to changes in a fire's movement, and weather conditions," said John Flanagan, Fire Operations Specialist and a 30-year veteran of wildfire in B.C.

The tracking technology, known as REMSAT II ("Real-time Emergency Management via Satellites"), received final testing in June this year at Chilko Lake, a location in the central Interior devastated by last yearﾕs unprecedented fire season, which has little or no cell phone reception and mixed VHF radio coverage. The project was one of several financed by the province to ensure B.C. was better-equipped than ever to protect timber supply and personal property in several regions most at risk.

"It is important for people to understand that this REMSAT system is not a panacea for everything that happened last year," said Flanagan. "But it will quicken decision-making and allow us to potentially fight fire more aggressively and help ensure the safety of our crews."

REMSAT offers local communities surrounding a blaze, not to mention key decision-makers, with an immediate appraisal of fire conditions, said Flanagan. "It is a very powerful planning tool to take into a rural setting." It saves time ﾐ and the band-width available for important tactical communications -- because rescue workers can check-in digitally with managers in the field, rather than by conventional two-way radio. The system ensures managers receive a continually updated digital display of all "incident data", which can then be swiftly relayed to firefighters.

REMSAT was used successfully during the early season fires in Lillooet, B.C., paving the way for its extended use as the 2004 fire season becomes ever more intense.

"A lot of people believe that the water bomber planes are the ones that put out the fires, but they offer air support to the people on the ground who really put the fire out," said Nancy Argyle, Provincial Fire Information Officer, based in Victoria. "It is hot, sweaty, dangerous work, so the crews are trained to probably the highest standards in North America." A combination of the mountainous terrain and the incredibly densely forested area makes fighting fire in B.C. uniquely challenging. It also means that B.C.ﾕs crews are very well placed to help fight fires elsewhere. In recent years, crews have been rushed to Peru and several US states including Oregon, Washington and Montana -- not to mention one memorable response to a blaze on the Galapagos Islands.

During early summer this year, all the indications have been that the province would face another serious fire season. By the end of June, weather stations throughout the province registered drought conditions exceeding the levels recorded during the same period in 2003, said Fire Weather Specialist Eric Meyer, of the B.C. Forest Service.

But that has not fazed the firefighting team. To them, it is just all part of the job.

To markets served by B.C.'s wood products, it is difficult to put the sheer scale of wildfires in B.C. into any sort of perspective. But it is crucial to do so, because the fires in reality make up a very small proportion of B.C.'s overall forestland. In 2003, 264,747 hectares burned at a total cost of C$371.9 million -- an expensive operation, but a tiny fraction of the available timberland in B.C.

While the fires cover large geographic areas and pose a threat to people, property and forestry resources, they are a natural part of most ecosystems across the province. Wildfires help to renew the forest and maintain biodiversity. Native timber species have adapted to fire and some even depend on it. Lodgepole pine needs fire or heat to release its seeds from cones that are protected by a seal of pitch. Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and western larch have thick bark and their lower branches fall off as they grow so the trees can survive surface fires that clean out competing vegetation.

While fire protection techniques are continually improved, the province expects timber losses due to wildfire. To lessen the losses, the industry restricts forestry activities such as harvesting when the fire risk is high.

Forest fires have been a part of British Columbia's Interior for thousands of years. Before suppression began 90 years ago, wildfires likely burned on average more than 500,000 hectares of forest each year in B.C. Today, more than 2,500 wildfires burn less than 30,000 hectares on average each year. More than 94 per cent of these fires are put out when they are small, usually before they reach four hectares.

The conditions surrounding last yearﾕs fires were in many ways unique. Going into 2003, some areas along the Pacific Coast and in the southern Interior were in the midst of their worst drought in 100 years, confirmed Environment Canada. Due to the sheer size and impact of the fire season, an independent review team was commissioned to see what else could be learned from the 2003 experience. The review, which resulted in the Filmon Report, "showed clearly that we know what we are doing," said Argyle. The report made several observations, indicating that in future the province could help prevent fire from spreading so quickly by reducing the build up of forest fuels -- using strictly controlled prescribed burning, thinning, mulching and chipping. The report also advocated adjusting the volume of timber harvested in any one year in areas where fire-prone forestland is close by communities, in order to help reduce the build-up of forest fuels.

How fire performs in coming years, of course, remains a mystery. It is simply an integral part of B.C.'s ecosystem, and an ongoing challenge. "An old rancher once told me that only fools and newcomers predict the weather," said John Flanagan. "It's the same with forest fires."

ENDS

* The author is an independent forestry writer based in Vancouver, B.C.