The Liberals remain silent on any new fire prevention measures implemented by Parks Canada, prompting an Alberta MP to criticize poor forest management in Parliament, only a year after fire destroyed Jasper, Alberta. 

"In the wake of the Jasper fire, we learned about the devastating consequences of poor forest management that failed to clear swaths of dead forests," said Conservative MP Dane Lloyd. "Experts are now sounding the alarm that communities in national parks like Banff face similar threats this summer."

MP Lloyd questioned national park fire preparedness, but Minister Olszewski did not address his concerns, according to Blacklock’s.

An Emergency Preparedness spokesperson clarified in 2023 that provinces and territories manage 90% of government forests, with the federal government coordinating wildfire response efforts with them.

The July 24 Jasper fire caused $1.2 billion in insurance losses and destroyed a third of the town. Parks Canada knew of fire risks from beetle-infested dead pine in Jasper Park, but failed to remedy the risk.

"Obviously, one of the big concerns is the dead trees and the fuel load," Darlene Upton, vice-president of Parks Canada, testified at 2020 hearings of the Commons environment committee. "We are ramping up our efforts."

Despite 577,000 acres of dead pine present, Parks Canada failed to conduct controlled burns before the Jasper disaster, according to Access to Information records released on May 8.

The Liberal Cabinet blamed the Jasper fire on "climate change," downplaying forest management issues. Former Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said, "Sadly, the community of Jasper was a victim of this... We've seen the devastating impact of climate change in wildfires."

Critics argue that inadequate forest management policies and infrastructure contributed to yet another wildfire response in 2023, during which approximately 18.5 million hectares burned. Indigenous groups also voiced concerns about restrictions on traditional prescribed burns. 

Lightning-caused wildfires, more frequent in hotter temperatures, burned 93% of the land in Canada in 2023, while human-caused fires accounted for the remaining 7%. In contrast, preliminary data for this year indicates that most wildfires in both provinces have been human-caused, though their impact on the total area burned is yet unknown.

The fires have consumed approximately 2 million acres, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 

Premiers Scott Moe and Wab Kinew attribute 90% of wildfires this season to human activity, amounting to dozens, many of which are out of control. The federal government does not track data on arson-related wildfires.

Resources for battling the wildfires and aiding evacuees are currently strained, contrasting last year, when the federal government held a wildfire briefing outlining mobilization plans, including funding for international crews, Indigenous firefighter training, and equipment purchases.

In the four years before the Jasper fire, only 1,529 of 577,431 acres of dead pine were removed via cutting or controlled burns, without explanation.

The 2022 Jasper National Park Management Plan recognized the need for wildfire risk reduction near the Jasper townsite, including controlled burns. Beetle infestations had already killed 44% of Jasper's pine forest.

"Fire has not yet been applied for Whitebark Pine restoration," said a 2022 Implementation report. Alternative cutting of dead trees occurred in only "a small area," it said.

Whitebark Pine restoration hasn't included fire yet, according to the report. Only "a small area" saw alternative dead tree cutting.

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