Maria Canton
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 10/99) - More than 3,000 hectares of the Foxholes meadow, near Fort Smith, were scorched last week in a prescribed burn by Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED).

The eight-hour burn was contained within a fire guard of pre-burned borders and light, southeast winds kept the black smoke from filtering into the townsite, about 20 kilometres away.

"We mostly burned grass and some willows," said Paul Johnson, manager of forests for the South Slave region of RWED.

"One of many reasons for the treatment is to revitalize the habitats."

In addition to environmental enhancement, the burn treatments aid in lowering fire hazards, gathering fire research and providing training for the firefighters.

Johnson says it is also used as a public relations campaign to tell the public that not all fires are bad.

"If we can get into the policy of using nature to help us out, we can reduce the number of fires," he says.

"If fires are always suppressed, the fire risk naturally increases."

The burns for this summer -- Foxholes was first of the season -- have been in the planning stages for the last five years.

And as the fire burned on April 30, RWED researchers recorded information on variables such as rate of spread, behaviour and intensity.

"This information is collected and it helps us to better understand what fires will do and how we can handle them," said Johnson.

Firefighters and personnel use the results when battling future fires and for maintaining the fire index.

The smoky blaze, between the Slave River and the border of Wood Buffalo National Park, was monitored by two fire crews and a co-ordinator, two aircraft and four RWED staff.

"The idea is to achieve the objective without spending a lot of money," says Johnson.

"If you have a suppression plan and do the necessary prep work to minimize the risk of the fire escaping, you can get results while keeping the costs down."

Foxholes meadow is home to many migratory birds, moose, bison and is used as a food source for traditional hunters.

The next burn is scheduled for the Hook Lake area, near Fort Resolution, where community discussions are under way.

"These burns are community-driven proposals," says Johnson.

RWED met with, and an agreement was reached, between the Salt River First Nations, the Metis and the Town of Fort Smith before going ahead with any plans.