068 Fire ecology in western Canada with fire expert Cliff White.

This is a special episode that I wanted to get out right away. It's an important talk about the fire situation in western Canada, but more importantly, what we can do in townsites like Banff, Canmore, and Jasper…and with that said, let's get to it.

This presentation was organized through the Rockies Institute and featured Cliff White who worked for almost 4 decades with Banff National Park. He started as a park warden but rose through the ranks to positions including vegetation fire management specialist, manager of ecosystem research and restoration, as well as three years as the National Fire Management Officer.

Cliff knows forest fires. He understands the ecology surrounding fire ecology and has dedicated his career to working with government to help to bring wildfire back to the landscape while at the same time helping communities to better protect themselves from fires that threaten homes and properties.

In this program, he details the fire history of the Rockies while also showing how the lack of fire has altered the ecology for the worse. His message focuses not only on how the return of fire is critical to the landscapes of western North America, but also how communities can play a role in protecting their perimeter from the potential for Fort MacMurray style fires.

In the next episode, I'll be talking a lot more about fire. This year has created a situation where the mountain west has been defined by the threat of fire. Unfortunately, it is a bill that has been long due. The fires we've been experiencing have long been inevitable and I'll look at British Columbia and how the fires of 2003 helped to provide a prescription for a better future but unfortunately, little was done towards accomplishing those goals.

In the presentation, the Rockies Institutes Laura Lynes introduces the Institute and is followed by Karen Barkely, a program manager with the Rockies Institute who introduces Cliff.

This program is one that all residents of the Bow Valley and wider mountain landscape should listen to. I hope you enjoy it.