Yukon's wildland management creating a 'fuel break' near Mary Lake to prevent future wildlfires

Whitehorse residents can expect another two days of hazy skies and smoky smell lingering over the city as the Yukon Wildland Fire Management is currently burning a 10-hectares zone near Mary Lake.

The prescribed fire operation, called the Mary Lake Shaded Fuel Break, is removing debris left over from last year's fuel reduction work, regenerating the ground for better growing conditions and creating a strategic fire guard to the city and surrounding subdivisions.

Doug Cote, the Emergency Response Officer in the Southern Lakes Region for Wildland Fire Management, said this prescribed fire will act as a fire break between the Carcross valley and Whitehorse.

"We identified this area quite a while ago as a key area because it's at the top of the Carcross valley and runs straight into Whitehorse," he said. 

The prescribed site, which is 30 minutes away from the city, is at high-risk of fire due to continuous fuel and fire hazard along the path. There hasn't been a natural wildfire there in over 80 years, explained Cote.

Cote said he had been working on getting this project approved and running for almost a decade.

"It means quite a bit to me, personally, to be out here," he said as the ground behind him burned in linear sections.

Cote added prescribed fires are "the most cost effective and the most operationally effective" to create a fuel break and fuel mitigation.

And while fires are a natural and necessary step in the boreal forest, "a planned fire is much better than an unplanned fire," he added.

Long-term plan

The Yukon had a record-breaking fire season over the summer, which is why the fire department wants to work on proactive measures to reduce the risk of future wildfires near Whitehorse and surrounding areas.

Mike Fancie, the fire information officer with the Yukon government, said the strategic fire operation by Mary Lake is part of a long-term plan.

"We are removing the more flammable coniferous trees that pull a greater fire hazard and replacing them with aspen trees that are more fire resistant," he said.

Currently, the trees and debris in that area present a greater risk of potentially catastrophic wildfire, should one occur, hence the area will be replaced next year by an aspen plantation.

"Because the aspen plants are so small when they go into the ground, clearing it off of all that slash this year is going to give them a much better chance of survival next year," Fancie said.

So far, the department has conducted 10 prescribed fires around the Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Watson Lake area.

Safety is a priority

Fancie said he understands some people might be concerned or feel uncomfortable about an active fire being so close to the city, however the prescribed fire is under strict safety conditions and under strict weather parameters to reduce fire risk to the public.

"It's a way to do the same kind of work as those natural processes to make sure that the boreal forest behind our house is able to be as healthy as the boreal forest way out in the mountains or far away from our communities," he said.

Steven McGovern is training to be the incident commander. He uses a weather meter to measure the wind, humidity and temperature on site to ensure it is safe to continue burning the area.

"This gives you an on site weather rating so it's a lot more accurate than the reports we get in the morning," he said. 

"It's good when you're out on the field because if you get any weather changes or sudden shifts, we can measure wind, humidity, temperature, due points so basically any wind-related event that can affect the fire activity," McGovern said.

On site, there are 12 firefighters monitoring the burning area, and while some start the line of fire using ignitions and engines, others use hose lays to hold the fire and moisturize the surrounding vegetation. 

The fire operation is expected to continue until Friday, weather permitting.