Jasper National Park forest fire 7 years in the planning

A forest fire in Jasper National Parkseven years in the planning may be touched off this fall as part of of change in direction in forest management at Parks Canada.

"We wait for that right window of opportunity with the weather and the forest fuel dryness ... before we can carry out a prescribed fire,"says forest expert Kim Weir.

For seven years, Weir said,park staff has tried to ignite a 750-hectare managed forestfire in the Vine Creek area 20 kilometres north of the Jasper townsite.

But as in previous yearsnatureis refusing toco-operate.

Prescribed burns area change in strategy in managing forests in Canada's nationalparks.

For many years, fire management in the park has meant supressing fire, leavingdensely-treed forests that are highly flammableandof poor quality for wildife.

"All of the species that we see in this fire-adapted landscape are used to fire and they're adapted to it in some way, shape or form," Weir said.

Fire is the best way toregenerate the forest, she said.

"We have a nice blackened landscape that absorb the sunlight," she said. "We have less canopy cover that allows more sunlight to get down to that forest floor to allow that regeneration to happen."

Parks Canada says the perfect conditions to rejuvenate this forest won't occur until the fall at the earliest.