© Tourism Kananaskis

CANMORE – Warm, dry weather has pushed the wildfire danger to high in Canmore and Kananaskis Country. Provincial wildfire officials say several days of warm and dry weather in the Calgary Forest Area, which includes Kananaskis and areas of the Bow Valley outside of Banff National Park and southern parts of Alberta, have quickly dried vegetation. “With strong gusty winds occurring across the area, the risk of fast moving wildfires is increased,” said Anastasia Drummond, a public information officer with Calgary Forest Area, in a bulletin issued Wednesday (Sept. 23). “Please do your part to prevent human caused wildfires.” As the days grow shorter and nights become cooler, Drummond said campfires remain an important part of backcountry trips. It’s also important they are put out

©Chateau Lake Louise

Visitors to Banff’s golden larches may instead see barren trees and browned needles, because of a severe insect outbreak that’s hit a large swath of the national park’s popular fall attraction. Parks Canada says a larch needleworm outbreak has left nearly 2,900 hectares in Banff National Park “severely defoliated,” with more than 70 per cent of their needles damaged. Needleworm caterpillars feed on the pine needles and then bind them with silk-like webbing, says Jakub Olesinski, a forest health specialist with Parks Canada. “When they feed, larch trees can lose significant amounts of their needles. And the appearance on the trees can look pretty dramatic,” he says. The larch needles turn brown, and can fall off early, leaving some trees completely bare before the fall larch viewing season even begins. The main outbreak area ranges from Sunshine Village near the Banff townsite up to the Lake Louise region.

William Wagner

I see that the government has announced its first candidate area for the Working Forest Landscape Model. Through its “new” approach of resource economics applied to the natural cycles of forests through zoning, it will solve all the issues around poor forest practices. We know how zoning has worked out in the urban communities and the Great Bear Rainforest. It will do much the same in natural forest settings. When is the health of the land and waters of the Island going to be a real consideration? Why can’t our government forest “experts” understand that the forest is not a factory of drones and that it marches to rhythms that are not energized by commands from corporate commanders? Forests are complex biosystems that are constantly adapting to change; some induced by human activities and others by natural conditions that are in continual flux. Good luck Campbell River, government efficiency and corporate ethics are your neighbours! [END]

Doug MacLeod

Doug MacLeod could see the danger bearing down on him. In early August, the forestry contractor was marking trails for heavy equipment to plow fire breaks on the mountainside above Faulder, a community near Summerland in British Columbia’s southern Okanagan valley. He had tied only a single piece of flagging tape when he saw the Bald Range wildfire roaring through the forests toward him. …He abandoned flagging and started pounding on residents’ doors, urging them to flee. He watched as fire ripped across the valley and cut off Fish Lake Road, the only viable route out of the area. Knowing he and dozens of residents were now trapped, Mr. MacLeod leaned on his training and decades of wildfire experience to give those around him the best possible chance to survive. The fire’s behaviour was unlike anything Mr. MacLeod had ever seen. …But the scale of the danger is largely invisible to most Canadians until it’s too late. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required for full access]

The Alberni Valley Community Forest Corporation is helping three local organizations with donations in 2026. It’s part of the corporation’s vision to give back to the community while making a financially viable and sustainable forestry operation. The Small Donation Fund provides up to $10,000 to an organization to help finance a specific project that benefits the broader community. Donations are not granted for general operating expenses. After an application process earlier in 2026, the Community Forest Corporation’s chairperson Erin Badesso presented $4,000 to Erin Williams from West Coast General Hospital Foundation, which is raising money to build a cancer treatment centre at WCGH. Badesso also awarded Port Alberin Backpack Program with $2,500 in support of School District 70 and ensuring students don’t go to school hungry. The third 2026 donation, in the amount of $3,500, was awarded to the Alberni Athletics Soccer Club to help maintain soccer fields next season.

Jordon Gabriel

For Jordon Gabriel, the forest has never simply been a workplace. It is home, classroom, pantry, pharmacy, and legacy. As Manager of Forestry Operations for the Lil’wat Forestry Ventures LP, Jordon oversees approximately 800,000 acres of traditional territory, but his work extends far beyond harvesting timber. Every decision begins with a different question, “How will this benefit the land and the people for generations to come?” Growing up in the Lil’wat Nation, life revolved around the land. Fishing, hunting, gathering berries and mushrooms, and learning from Elders were part of everyday life. He left high school early to support his young family and found work in forestry, eventually becoming a crew leader with BC Wildfire Service. Originally, he had planned to become a backcountry mountain guide, but a serious vehicle accident ended those ambitions. Instead, another opportunity appeared.