Reducing fire risk in Sherwood Park

As part of continuing efforts to reduce fire risks in Strathcona County, staff assessed 62 parks and stormwater management facilities within the urban area of Sherwood Park as part of a Reserve and Parkland Wildfire Risk Assessment.

Urban forested areas were evaluated according a set of criteria, including forest vegetation, grasses and deadfall adjacent to dwellings, degree of continuous slope, amount and type of organic material that would allow a fire to climb into the tree canopy and the overall potential of igniting a fire. The urban wildfire risk will be assessed on a three-year cycle.

Human-caused ignition remains the largest single risk to wildfire in Sherwood Park.

Based on the above considerations, Summerwood Stormwater Management Facility and the Clover Bar Ranch Park were identified as the first areas to benefit from FireSmart-based wildfire risk reduction strategies. In these cases, a mowed swath of grass maintained by staff every fall, will act as a fire break for combustible materials.

FireSmart tips can be found online or by calling 780-464-8468.

Residents are reminded to help reduce wildfire risk by reporting illegal fires by calling 9-1-1 ,or reporting evidence of fire play (e.g.: burned fire pits) in parks by calling Fire Prevention and Investigation at 780-449-9651.

Set in the centre of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a thriving, successful and vibrant community of almost 96,000 residents. Strathcona County is made up of the urban area of Sherwood Park and a large adjacent rural area of farms, acreages and smaller hamlets. It is home to 75 per cent of refining in Western Canada. With a focus on economic, governance, social, cultural and environmental sustainability, Strathcona County is committed to balancing the unique needs of its diverse community.

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Contact:

Strathcona County Communications, 780-410-6595