2. Aug. 2l, 2003 – a seasonal wildfire abruptly changed direction A 6-km wall of flame reached 50 m into the sky Fire suddenly whipped over the slopes, throwing off the energy equivalent of an atomic explosion every 30 minutes. Burned over 20,000 hectares of forest. Statistics
3. Personal Stories... One resident at home that Saturday was Elaine Hruby. At 10 a.m. authorities told her to leave. Immediately. “I didn’t know what to take” says Hruby, recalling her anxious departure. She put her cat and dog in the car & grabbed a few possessions. There was no time to do more. Hruby then drove about 20 km west along the valley, sat down on a rock ledge and watched the flames. Despite her horror, she couldn’t stop looking. “I felt masochistic, sitting on the outcropping, but those flames were like a magnet.”
4. Tourism hit hard, but other businesses (local dry cleaners, gas stations, restaurants) retained steady business Spray Lake Sawmills used a significant amount of the burnt lumber, so that it didn't go to waste Salvage efforts depend on amount of root scorch and cost. (ex: de-barking the trees will reduce carbon content) Effects of the blaze
5. A Happy End? Ecological pros and cons after a fire A burned area is black and looks devoid of life Over time burned areas also create diversity. Large stands of timber smother the light and inhibit undergrowth.
6. Powerpoint text from: http://people.uleth.ca/~m.hollingsworth/ed3508_fall09/Ed3508_Fall_2009/Assignments/Entries/2009/9/16_Effective_Presentations_-_Online_-_Assignment_2.html Images from (in order of appearance): http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2003/07/31/fire030731.html http://blog.mypets.ws/tag/dog/ Unknown http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=86455&page=12 References