A contractor explains how a mulcher operates. The machine breaks up felled trees and branches so they can return to the soil more easily and don't serve as kindling for a potential forest fire. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

The spark of knowledge

Fire prevention on display in Little Red River Park

Sep 4, 2019 | 5:01 PM

Industry leaders in forestry management met on Wednesday in Little Red River Park to share expertise with each other, and to highlight some of the strategies they use to prevent forest fires to the public.

SaskPower was the event’s lead organizer. Around 50 of the crown corporation’s employees and their partners scattered throughout the park to hold demonstrations on the techniques and machines they use to make sure trees and power lines don’t come in contact with each other. On display were aerial rescues, tree removals and a variety of other operations.

SaskPower contracters remove branches from a tree. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

“We hope to give the public a better understanding of what it is we do,” SaskPower’s Eric Bullock told paNOW.

Timothy Yeaman, Prince Albert Parks Manager, was also a key organizer of the event and in attendance on Wednesday.

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“I think it’s important that we bring industry together and learn from other experts about their skills and what they can bring to the table,” he said.

Yeaman reported he was especially interested to learn that ash and poplar trees can slow down forest fires by trapping embers in their leaves.

Discussed at the event was the importance of selective pruning as opposed to clear-cutting when maintaining and installing power lines.

“When we’re talking about in the park or talking about in the city, it’s important that we don’t just go in and clear a bunch of trees for the sake of clearing them. We need to be selective in how we remove them and make sure we’re doing it systematically,” he said.

While this event was the first of its kind organized in Prince Albert, Bullock said he hoped it would become an annual occurrence.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom