nature, Photography

Jasper National Park, the Beauty … and the Destruction

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On July 21, 2024, four wildfires started within the boundaries of Jasper National Park. At the time, the park had been experiencing serious drought conditions that were accompanied by hot, dry winds. Three of the fires were caused by dry lightening strikes and the fourth through human ignition: sparks from work on a car engine started a grass fire that quickly escalated.

Acres of burnt forest stretch into this mountain and the horizon.

The next day, July 22, all four fires merged into the largest one ever recorded in the park for the previous 100 years; it eventually developed a self-perpetuating weather system containing fire tornadoes and continuous high winds.

The frame of a burnt sign.

By July 25, 25,000 people had been evacuated from Jasper townsite and the park itself. By July 26, Parks Canada announced that 358 of the 1,113 structures within Jasper townsite were damaged or destroyed but that all critical infrastructure such as the hospital, schools, and the wastewater treatment plant were saved.

Kilometres of dead trees.

It took until August 17 for the fire to be classified as “held” and on September 7, it was declared as “contained.” One fatality occurred; a firefighter died when a burning tree fell on him.

Grass is returning.

It’s completely normal for forests to periodically experience burns. Decades-long collections of dry forest floor detritus together with occasional hot summers have always caused them.

It’s also normal for our planet to experience periodic warming and cooling trends. However, the normal heating trend that we’re currently experiencing has been exacerbated by human activity which has lead to higher temperatures and drier conditions than we should have; this in turn brings about more and larger fires. These fires lead to more planetary heat, and the cycle continues to grow.

All that remains of a completely burned tree.

Nature is amazingly resilient, however. It has been less than a year and already the grasses and bushes are returning; the ungulates love eating the new growth and they have the added advantage of being able to better see the predators! The trails – even through burned areas – are re-opening and visitors are returning, too.

Maligne Lake escaped the fire.

Much of this gorgeous gem of a park escaped the fire …

… and after a morning of clear-sky hiking through stunning scenery we sat next to this lovely river to eat lunch. This particular restaurant had a great view!

A beautiful river.

Jasper’s fire is a reminder that nature does things in ways that she selects as healthy responses to certain conditions; sometimes, those responses are swift, brutal and merciless. But human interference in that process will eventually lead to consequences, consequences that are worse than what we’re now seeing with the cataclysmic sweep of fires now burning through three of our western provinces.

Pristine glacial-green waters.

Let’s hope that we learn nature’s lessons before she decides that we’re the problem and we’re selected for discontinuation.

54 thoughts on “Jasper National Park, the Beauty … and the Destruction”

    1. Oh yes, and right now there are huge fires over three of the western provinces, too. Yes, it will be interesting to see how fast it recovers. In a couple of places I saw very tiny seedlings, so the forest is already beginning to re-assert itself. Cheers.

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  2. Not easy to understand why she’s tolerated us this far, Lynette. I suppose we could argue we’re doing our best…

    There is a stark beauty in some burnt out areas and as it regenerates the contrast is wonderful, but it’s such a sad sight, and very scary to be anywhere near. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous place xx

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    1. You’re very welcome, Jo. At least six humanoid species have been selected for extinction so if she decides we need to go, it wouldn’t be the first time!

      It is wonderful to see it regenerating so quickly, Jo, and the contrast is stunning, of course. In some places there are burned patches surrounded by completely healthy trees, so the fire behaviour was odd, too.

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    1. Thank you very much, James. It’s too bad that you didn’t make it to Jasper as it’s quite a gem, even though some of it is now fire damaged. Nature does heal fast, but in some spots the fire was so hot that the topsoil was completely destroyed or damaged. It will take a long time for those areas to recover.

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      1. Several years ago we were hoping to go on the Rocky Mountaineer – I am Canadian but from the East side. For various reasons (mostly family) we had to cancel at the last minute. We go out refund back but we were disappointed. We must try again one day before it gets too long

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        1. Hi James, I didn’t realise that you are Canadian. I’m so sorry to hear that you were unable to take your holiday on the Rocky Mountaineer but I do hope that you are able to make the trip again. Cheers.

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          1. I came to England in ’67 when I was 12. My Dad died when I was 11 and my morher was English, so she brought me to England to be with her family. I haven’t been back to Canada as yet.

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          2. We have some similarities, then. I spent significant time in the UK when I was growing up as my mother was also English. My dad was French-Canadian. I hope you’re able to come back at some point for a visit. Thanks for telling me a bit about your history. Cheers.

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  5. Nature does what ere she wants, but sometimes the destruction gives me pause. I know Jasper Park will rebound, you’re right. We visited there years ago and adored its beauty.

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    1. I’m glad you saw it before the fire, Ally. Many parts of it are still beautiful as we discovered, but in some places the fire was so hot that the topsoil was destroyed or very damaged. Those areas may not ever recover. Still, I also saw some very tiny pine and spruce seedlings; nature is quickly reasserting herself in places, too.

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  7. It was heartbreaking to hear about the wildfires in Jasper last summer and the impact it had on the community. It’s remarkable at how quickly new growth has started to appear though. It’s great to hear that the trails are re-opening and that not all was lost. I’m surprised nature has tolerated us for this long considering how much damage we’ve inflicted on our planet.

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    1. It definitely was, Linda, and the first time I saw the damage I wanted to cry. But then I realised that nature is reasserting itself with the teeny little spruce and pine seedlings that I saw and also in all the grasses and bushes that are coming back. I agree about the tolerance. Nature has selected at least six previous humanoid species for extinction; only our arrogance could lead us to believe that it couldn’t happen to us.

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  8. Well said Lynette. I have long argued that humans are the virus and climate change is the Earth’s immune response to us. I agree with your summation that things will recover quickly in the burned areas. It will take years to regrow trees but vegetation and flowers will fill all the voids, creating a different kind of beauty. My post on our first views on Jasper in December 2024 will soon be landing. Lets hope a few voices reinforce the need to lower our footprint on the environment, carry out better building practices and locate settlements in less volatile zones. We all need to do better house keeping. Happy Monday. Allan

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    1. Thank you very much, Allan. I couldn’t agree more that humans are a virus and climate change is the immune response. When I hear that people such as that doorknob Elon Musk are trying to go to Mars or that space is going to be militarised I feel sick. As a species we have nowhere near the maturity needed to take such steps. We have all the arrogance and capability but no power to stop, consider and reassess. At a minimum, six humanoid species before us were selected for termination. Given the way we’re going, we could be the seventh. Yes, better housekeeping is definitely required or we might be fired!

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  9. It seems to me that humanity never will learn to a significant degree. To reverse, let alone slow down climate change, will take much more than nations and institutions and the general public are willing to do.

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    1. I agree, Neil. Arrogance and greed always manage to outweigh the long-term good. As a species, we really are very immature. Yes, to even try to slow climate change would take a very high degree of public cooperation and agreement, and trying to secure that is practically impossible.

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  11. The devastation is just tragic, but, as they say, life finds a way. Agreed; we need to do a much better job of caring for our planet, as it’s probably only a matter of time before Mother Nature kicks us out for bad behavior.

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    1. Yes, the devastation was severe, but much of the park survived and of course, nature will do a repair job. It may not come back the way it was, but it will come back. Yes, we definitely need to be much better about this lovely planet. A minimum of six humanoid species ahead of us were selected for extinction; I don’t doubt that nature will do that again if necessary, unfortunately.

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  12. This fire was/is a cautionary tale. How lovely it must have been to sit by the rushing river and surrounded by those pines. These wildfires are no longer the exception, I really fear for future generations. A timely and thoughtful post, Lynette!

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    1. Thank you very much, Belinda. 😊 sitting near that river was amazing. The air was soft and warm, we were pleasantly relaxed and the sound of the river added to the serenity. It was lovely. I agree that these fires are no longer an exception. Our warming planet is causing unusually hot temperatures and reduced rain or snow amounts and then these forests become so dry and susceptible to any kind of spark. It’s a terrible situation. Ugh.

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  14. What is with the current round of fires up there? Our news is reporting them as mostly human caused, but I believe very little of what I read–so I’m checking in with you!

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    1. Labelling them as caused by human ignition is sort of but not completely accurate because this is a complex situation. These forests are tinder dry because of unusually high temperatures combined with extreme drought. Then there are the high, warm winds that are making the situation worse. If a spark comes into that situation, from a train passing by, from a dry lightning strike (these happen more frequently with dry conditions) or from a campfire, you can say that the forest fire is either caused by a human or by nature, but it’s really the dry conditions that are providing the fuel for ignition. When it’s that dry and hot, even a little static could cause these fires.

      Unfortunately, the real problem underpinning all of this is that these forests are in poor condition because of climate change or global warming and that’s partially a worldwide human responsibility because we’re making a normal warming trend worse. So we just came right back around! The fact is that we need to be much better planetary stewards than we have been.

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    1. Thank you very much, John. 😊 Most of the park escaped; it’s a very large national park and about 10% was either destroyed completely or damaged. About half the townsite of Jasper was destroyed and is now being rebuilt. Cheers.

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  18. I could cry, and likely would if I were there. Since Jasper’s fire Banff town and Canmore (and probably others) have created fire breaks around the towns to protect them and Banff Hospital has installed sprinklers on its roof and around the grounds. But there’s a lot of work to do to get the message out there. Maggie

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    1. I held off Maggie but it was close. I’m glad to hear that Banff and Canmore have taken precautions. I think that in the future we are going to have to deploy many such precautions wherever there are forests. How very, very sad.

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  19. I like your very accurate description of the current global warming issue – the media has got half the world believing that it’s entirely down to humanity rather than exacerbated and accelerated by it. (And, consequently, at least half the world is falling hook, line and sinker for the marketing ploys behind the truth. I get so angry at the misuse of the word “sustainable” and how so many people fail to see through it!). Rant over! Anyway, we don’t get extremes of weather in the UK, but after the 1987 hurricane, one area of the country – a very wealthy area – spent a fortune on removing the fallen trees. Nowhere else could afford it. Guess which was the slowest woodland to recover naturally in the whole country. Everywhere else, Mother Nature knew precisely what to do.

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    1. Hi Phil, I get irritated by that too and by the attempt at simplistic explanations. No, we aren’t entirely responsible, but we are responsible for exacerbating it and failing to understand that some activities are worse than others. Given that there’s evidence that at least six humanoid species before us have been selected for extinction, there’s no reason to think that it won’t happen again. Only human arrogance makes people say things like “we’re going to destroy the earth.” Nonsense. The earth will far more likely destroy us.

      Yes, nature knows exactly what to do, and removing fallen trees isn’t a good choice. Those trees will nourish the new ones growing from the cones that the fires cracked open.

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  20. Haunting photos. A blow to the heart. Yet as you say, the resilience post-disaster is extraordinary. I remember seeing stubborn new growth in eastern Ontario in 1999, just one season after the massive ice storms of 1998 that caused widespread destruction in Ontario, Quebec & adjacent American states. However, as you also say, unless we human learn to cooperate with and and respect nature, we could find we no longer meet nature’s changing criteria for survival.

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    1. Yes, I felt very emotional the first time I saw all the destruction. But then I noticed all the grasses and little bushes that are coming back and also saw very teeny spruce and pine seedlings that will be nourished by the remains of the old forest. Very affirming. Nevertheless, we humans are very immature in so many ways. We so often know our responsibilities but don’t attend to them, and that easily could lead to our extinction. Sometimes when I cast a cold eye on it, Penny, and see some of the complete idiots who are so-called leaders such as Musk and Trump, I do think that it might be time to start over. Musk on Mars? Ugh.

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  22. I was listening to a podcast (The Bridge) and he was interviewing a journalist author who wrote a book about the Jasper wildfires. How much rebuilding is evident in town? I am looking forward to Allan’s next set of posts when he talks about going back for the first time.

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    1. Almost all the debris and damaged parts have been hauled away and rebuilding is occurring at a very quick pace, Bernie. I was surprised to see that I could only tell where damaged or destroyed buildings had been because essentially, there were an unusual number of vacant lots. It’s good to get the town rebuilt again as soon as possible. Most of Jasper survived, though.

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