Documents show Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was informed in 2022 Parks Canada managers failed to take full precautions to save Jasper, AB, from wildfires.Parks Canada at the time acknowledged they failed to carry out controlled burns of dead pine trees that posed an obvious fire risk, per Blacklock’s Reporter. “Cherished places are a priority for the Government of Canada,” Guilbeault wrote in signing a 2022 Jasper National Park management plan. “This new management plan for Jasper National Park supports this vision.”Management plans are mandated under the National Parks Act. The 2022 Jasper plan warned acres of Whitebark Pine were killed off by beetles.“A mountain pine beetle infestation has brought significant change to forests in Alberta including Jasper National Park with consequences for wildfire risk,” Guilbeault was told.. The plan proposed “wildfire risk reduction measures around the Jasper townsite” like controlled burns of dead pine. “Prescribed fire is used to maintain and augment thinned areas and restore open forests,” it said.Almost half of Jasper’s Whitebark Pine forest, 44%, was infected by beetles. However few steps were taken to reduce the risk to the Town of Jasper with controlled burns of surrounding forest, records show.“Fire has not yet been applied for Whitebark Pine restoration,” said a 2022 implementation report. “Mechanical thinning has been completed in 1.6 hectares which is a small area relative to the amount of Whitebark Pine habitat.”No reason was given for failing to take precautions. Guilbeault in public statements made no mention of the management reports. “My heart is broken for everyone experiencing loss and disruption from this terrible event,” he said.Parks Canada has exclusive authority over Jasper’s zoning and development and all surrounding Crown lands under the Parks Act. Parliament designated Jasper a national park in 1907. It is home to five national historic sites and part of the Rocky Mountain Park system designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.Parks managers two years ago wrote that “targeted burns with the goal of implementing at least two every five years” would be followed with tree planting to replace dead pine. “It is likely 520,000 seedlings may be required,” said the report. Only 18,000 seedlings were planted. There was no explanation.The 2022 warnings followed a 2018 CBC Radio feature in which British Columbia foresters specifically warned Jasper was “due for a catastrophic forest fire” because of large stands of dead trees. Parks Canada dismissed the broadcast. “We are confident with where we are,” a superintendent told the Edmonton radio station.
