Banff National Park has announced that if the conditions are right Parks Canada will be continuing a controlled burn on 1571 Hectares of land in the Alexandra River Valley today.
The purpose of the fire is to return the historic fire cycle in valley, the valley hasn't experienced a fire in 280 years, usually a fire occurs every 100-150 years to rejuvenate the landscape. Also, the prescribed fire will better the habitat for grizzly bears and whitebark pine.
The area of the Alexandra prescribed fire is located west of the Highway 93 North (Icefields Parkway) and 7 km east of the B.C.-Alberta border and Banff National Park boundary. An area closure will be in place for the duration of operations.
While a fire ban is currently in place for Banff National Park, this prescribed fire, done by trained professionals will fall outside of the fire ban.
For more information on prescribed burns and how they help the environment and animal Habitats: http://ow.ly/kLeV50Kln1x