MNR is committed to protecting the health, safety and property of the people of Ontario from natural hazards such as:
Learn more about MNR's role in Emergency Management.
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has a role to play in responding to forest disturbances other than fire. This may take the form of emergency response i.e. ice storms, tornados; or be directed more to planning for hazard reduction and emergency response in cases of large areas of blowdown, insect infestations etc. Here are some examples of MNR’s work in this area.
Blowdown areas along National Borders:
Northwestern Ontario
July 4, 1999 brought a new dramatic change to the landscape in the West Fire Region and it’s Minnesota neighbour across the Canada – United States border when gale force winds sheered off tree tops and blew down timber over an area covering more than 200,000 hectares.
The result was a mixture of light to heavy timber damage with impacts on wilderness parks, residential and cottage areas both north and south of the Canada – U.S border.
Reports from the U.S call this event a “Derecho”. This meteorological term is defined as a widespread convective windstorm consisting of a complex of thunderstorms that develop into a long-lived squall line with straight-line winds, which may extend from hundreds of kilometers along the path of the system. Wind speeds over 90 M.P.H (145km/h) in the early afternoon coupled with heavy rains (approximately 4” or 10.2cm) later that evening was the result of this rare event.
Within the West Fire Region, two districts were hardest hit. Thunder Bay District in the Arrow Lake area (all around the lake), Saganaga Lake and the Northern Light Lake areas. The other was the Fort Frances District, with 11,000 hectares of blowdown occurring at the southeast tip of Quetico Wilderness Park. Reports from the park indicate that the worst area is from a point that is the very southern extent of the park at the Prairie Portage Entry / Weather station. The extreme blowdown zone follows the north shore of Knife Lake and ends at the northern most point of that lake. (Bottom of the northern most bays).
A spot of serious concern is that immediately surrounding Prairie Portage. In addition to the ground level and aerial fuels produced by the storm, there is also the presence of dead balsam fir.
There are points along the international border in this area where the separation between the two countries is a few feet at most. At these points, the blowdown is almost continuous from one country to the other. This lack of separation causes concern because fire from the U.S will easily carry across to Canada.
Ground travel in the blowdown area will be slow and can be dangerous. Some portages are still obstructed and windstorms during the winter may have obstructed portages previously cleared.
A hazard reduction prescribed burn was conducted in the fall of 2000 and fire specialists will be assessing the blowdown again this summer for further opportunities to conduct hazard reduction prescribed burns in the fall of 2001. The prescribed burns will be conducted under low moderate indices to remove the fine fuels. These are prime fuels involved in fire spread. Removal of these fuels will also reduce the chances of ignition due to lightning.
There are Restricted Fire Zones in effect on the Canadian side of the international border in Quetico Park and the LaVererandrye waterway areas.
Minnestoa
On July 4,1999, heavy rains and straight-line winds in excess of 90 miles per hour caused massive tree blowdown. In less than 30 minutes, the storm cut a swath through the Superior National Forest, causing a blowdown that impacted an estimated 477,00 acres of the National Forest. Most of the blowdown occurred within the boundaries of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness (BWCAW). President Clinton declared eight Minnesota countries as a disaster area. The Cippewa National Forest also experienced impacts and damage from the high winds and rain that aggravated already high water levels. Approximately 9,000 feet of excessive shoreline erosion or control structure failure, 1,300 acres of downed trees, and hundreds of miles of washed out or blocked roads, trails and wildlife impoundment’s occurred as a result of the storm.
Through most media attention focused on the BWCAW, this impacted the entire northeastern portion of the State of Minnesota and neighboring Canadian lands. The storm has changed the forests for years to come and has created new risks and experiences for visitors and residents. There is a significant increase in the likelihood of large fires in the blowdown area. The high volume of fuels now available to burn can result in fires that start and can spread easier, burn more intensely, and exceed the capability of firefighters to control. Weakened or leaning trees may continue to fall down. Fallen or leaning trees may be under tension and may snap or jump back unexpectedly if cut. Since July 4th, the Superior and Cippewa National Forests have been working with several partners on storm recovery activities and planning to meet future needs.
The most heavily affected portion of the Forest outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was the Gunflint Corridor.
The Gunflint Corridor project area is about 25 miles north and west of Grand Marais, Minnesota, and encompasses the northern half of the Gunflint Trail. The Gunflint Corridor includes about 51,500 acres, of which about 31,500 are National Forest System lands. Approximately 11,000 acres in the area were blown down.
Areas affected include wilderness parks, the USA/Canada border and multi-use areas with permanent residents forest industry, cottagers and tourism in the Gunflint Corridor (U.S) and the Saganaga Corridor – Arrow Lake, Northern Lights Lake area in Canada.
