Each year, millions of hectares of forest are damaged or destroyed by fire, insects and disease. Protection aims to keep these problems within acceptable limits so that forest management objectives can be achieved. It is an ongoing task of prevention, early detection and control.

Protection Against Pests and Diseases

Pests and diseases retard growth, reduce wood quality, kill trees and often create fire hazards. Prevention and early detection are the best approach to pest problems.

Planting disease- and pest-resistant species, managing stands to maintain a mixture of species and age classes, harvesting stands before they become overmature and maintaining clean logging practices are typical prevention measures which can be built into forest management plans.

To detect pest and disease problems, become familiar with the general warning signs of diseases and pests currently active in your area, and particularly with those diseases and pests which attack the types of trees in your forest. Then, check your woodlands for potential problems at every available opportunity _ _ walks, road construction, harvesting. When you suspect a problem, take samples of the diseased tree and consult your provincial forestry department and other professionals for help in identifying the problem and developing a solution.

Fire Prevention and Suppression

Preventing fires means protecting not just timber, but homes, range and recreation areas, wildlife habitats and watersheds as well. The best protection against fire is to identify potential fire hazards and eliminate them. You can do this by adopting rigorous site-rehabilitation measures to dispose of logging debris, a readily combustible fuel for fires. You can take further precautions by carefully storing gasoline and other hazardous fuels for machines to minimize fire dangers. You can inform forest users about the dangers of a forest fire and how to prevent it. Finally, you can take measures to restrict or control forest use when the risks of fire are high.

Early detection of fires will limit damage. You should ensure that First Nation members know whom to call when they spot a fire. Keep track of provincial fire-hazard ratings in your area. When fire risks are high, regular ground patrols, fire towers and spotters can help detection.

Prepare to fight fires before they happen. Some First Nations keep maps and firefighting equipment handy. They have fire attack plans, particularly important where help could be long in arriving, and have joined with other First Nations or tribal councils to set up well-equipped, well-trained firefighting teams. These teams are on permanent stand-by in some areas, ready to be flown wherever they are needed.

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