Forest Fires > Natural Disturbance Database > Background

Background

Thom fire - Eutsuk Lake. (D. Cichowski photo)

Natural disturbances such as wildfires and forest insect outbreaks are important to forest dynamics. They can significantly affect forest age class structure and species composition and so influence regional timber supply and habitat availability. Knowledge of the natural disturbance pattern, frequency and the probability of occurrence is needed to develop sustainable forest management plans and practises. Historic natural disturbance regimes also provide a benchmark against which to evaluate contemporary forestry practises and a basis to develop practises which better emulate natural disturbance, including cut block shape, harvest distribution in time and space, and serial stage distribution. Approaches and techniques to incorporate natural disturbance knowledge into forest management plans are also needed.

Mountain pine beetle, Flathead River Valley (B. Erickson photo)

There is wealth of historical data records on natural disturbances in British Columbia. Between 1925-1988 the BC Ministry of Forests maintained a central map atlas of wildfires (greater than 20 hectares in size). The Canadian Forest Service mapped significant insect outbreaks between 1920-1996. However, this data is not widely available either within or outside these agencies.