Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 31/99) - Forest fires are always a major concern in the Northwest Territories.

As summer approaches, the concern will reach even higher proportions, especially if hot and dry conditions like those that occurred in the NWT last year return.

To aid them in their fight against forest fires, forestry managers with the Department of Renewable Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development have several systems in place to help them detect any possible fires before they can reach crisis proportions.

"To help us detect fires and hypothesize where fires are likely to appear, we use a system of maps that collect data over past years," says North Slave Forestry manager Lance Schmitt.

"We have fire history maps that date back 20 years. They tell us where fires have occurred in the past and where they likely will happen in the future. Forests that are 100 years old are more likely to burn than forests that are 10 years old because older forests tend to have more dry undergrowth.

"Satellite pictures taken from space can also determine vegetation classes and, therefore, the flammability of any given forest."

According to Schmitt, besides human carelessness, lightening is the major culprit in forest fires. But forestry managers across the North have a means of detecting most lightening strikes before major fires can result.

"We use direction finders (DFs) that let us know when lightening strikes anywhere in the North," Schmitt says. "They are antenna-like devices planted at high elevations that work on a grid detecting lightening strikes."

"We also use a drought code that measures the dryness of heavier fuels and depth of duff layers below the ground surface," Schmitt adds. "The codes also helps us predict where fires might start, but this largely depends on the amount of winter moisture that has accumulated in any given area."

"In any event," Schmitt adds, "fire behaviour largely depends on the weather, and that's why most of our knowledge is based on it."