Crews are out helping to reduce the risk of wildfires in Kananaskis and Bow Valley.
The Alberta government, Bow Valley communities, and their partners are working to reduce the wildfire risk by creating fireguards, reducing the amount of fuel for fires, and ongoing FireSmart work.
The next phase of the Bow Valley Community Fireguard Work began on Monday, Aug.18 at the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, which is a partnership between the Town of Canmore, Government of Alberta, Municipal District of Bighorn, and the Kananaskis Improvement District.
This fireguard work is being separated into three areas, two of which are located at the east end of the Nordic Centre (both upper and lower), and the other one is at the west end of the Banff National Park boundary.
The majority of the fireguard work happening at the Canmore Nordic Centre is expected to be done by the end of this upcoming October, with some of the other areas being closed over the winter to be completed by Spring 2026.
While the work is happening, there will be mechanical tree removal and forest thinning, along with logs being hauled through the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park.
Crews will use heavy equipment and forestry machinery to complete the work.
This work will cause some trails in the area to be closed or have restrictions, but there will still be many trails in the area that will remain open for people to enjoy.
On top of the fireguard work, Alberta Parks crews will be doing targeted forest fuel reduction, which will see the remove of trees and vegetation in specific patches of land above the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park.
By doing this work, those areas will provide an improvement to the wildlife habitat around the town of Canmore and the Canmore Nordic Centre.
They are also aiming to enhance the human-wildlife coexistence in the area, by creating and providing space for animals that is away from human development, recreation areas, and trails.
This work also will support the wildfire mitigation efforts in Bow Valley.
Part of the fireguard work will involve removing coniferous trees, which are the most flammable in the area, while the Douglas Firs and deciduous trees will remain.
According to Alberta Parks, they are working with their partners to make sure the work happens with minimal disruptions to visitors.
To see the full list of trail and facility closures, head over to the Alberta Park website.