We're having a wonderful summer with lots of sunny weather. But along with the great fishing and the suntans, a warm, dry summer also brings forest fires.
None of the fires is close to us. The nearest was the one shown in the bottom photo taken by Bow Narrows anglers Brad and Jill Shields a couple of weeks ago that started in Woodland Caribou Wilderness Park, probably about 10 miles from camp. It is history now following a drenching rain one night last week. However, other fires sprang up along the Manitoba-Ontario border, way northwest of Red Lake.
These are not a threat to us but can produce some smoky days and spectacular sunsets like this one I took last week.
Forest fire is a routine fact of life here in the Boreal Forest. We have lots of dry weather and with it, lots of thunderstorms. With umpteen million acres of dry forest to ignite, it's no surprise that some of the lightning strikes start forest fires. If man didn't suppress these fires, virtually every square inch of land would burn at least once every 200 years.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has an excellent system of detecting the fires and puts most of them out before they grow to immense size and become uncontrollable.
Still, there are times when so many fires start at once that some do get away.
In wilderness parks like Woodland Caribou, the protocol is to let lightning-caused fires burn since it is a natural process and one that some Boreal Forest tree species count on to regenerate.
Wildlife too has adapted to forest fire. The blazes renews the forest and turns it back to an early succession stage.
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