Parks Canada is readying a prescribed fire in Jasper National Park that could begin as early as this month.
According to a Friday news release, specialists plan to light the controlled burn near Southesk Lake in the park’s southeast section sometime between September and early October, weather and environmental conditions permitting.
The operation will move forward only when those requirements are fully met.
The site sits roughly 70 kilometres southeast of the Jasper townsite and about 90 kilometres south of Hinton. Natural and man-made barriers already surround the area, including a fireguard left by an earlier wildfire and a second one constructed by crews last year specifically for this project.
Officials say the burn aims to shrink habitat favoured by mountain pine beetles, strengthen the forest’s ability to withstand future wildfires, and re-establish the region’s natural fire patterns.
While the fire is underway—likely for several days—the Southesk Valley will be closed to the public.
Smoke from the operation may be noticeable along the South Boundary Trail and on adjacent provincial lands.
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