Storm Update
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Posted By QuietJourney on July 19, 1999 at 11:17 169.207.130.204 QuietJourney would like to pass along the following storm update. (With apologies to subscribers of both this forum and the Friend's mailing list) Received from... Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness ******************************* On the afternoon of Sunday July 4th, wilderness enthusiasts witnessed one of the most tremendous displays of mother nature's awesome power. A massive thunderstorm packing 100 mile-per-hour winds hit the heart of the BWCA Wilderness. The winds blew down an estimated 386,000 acres of forest in the area, injured over 20 wilderness travelers, and has altered the area's forest mosaic. While all entry points to the wilderness continue to be open, travel in the area will be difficult until crews remove thousands of trees from portages and campsites. The areas within the BWCA Wilderness most affected by the storm begin in the Basswood Lake area north of Ely and extends east to the Clearwater, Pine, Caribou Lake area near Grand Marais. The Minnesota DNR's web site has several excellent maps that show the areas within the wilderness most affected by the storm on their web site at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/special_notices/incident_map.html and http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/fire/press/bw_bmaps.html . The extent of the damage within the affected wilderness area is extensive. Estimates from the United States Forest Service (USFS) show that in most areas affected, 70% of the trees have been blown down or snapped off. The MDNR's web site also contains several pages of thumbnail pictures of storm damage at: http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/fire/press/bw_dnrpics.html , http://www.ra.dnr.state.mn.us/fire/press/bwca_img.html , http://www.gis.umn.edu/snf/storms.html . Blowdowns are a common form of forest disturbance in forested areas such as the BWCA Wilderness. However, blowdowns of this size are unusual. A large portion of the area affected was virgin, fire origin forest. Much of the area is covered in red, white and jack pine, mixed stands of aspen, birch, and balsam fir, white spruce and cedar. This particular event will result in increased forest fire activity in the next 10 years in the BWCA Wilderness. When trees fall in blowdown events like this one, trees are often stacked off the ground, which allows them to dry quickly, much like fire wood. With so many acres of dead and down wood, much of it conifer species, the chances of fire increase dramatically. Historically, in the Boundary Waters, fires have followed blowdown areas and renewed the forests. Fire is a positive, a necessary, element of Boundary Waters forests. The red, white, and jack pine forests of the BWCA Wilderness are fire dependant, and other species are helped by fire when it clears out shade tolerant species, such as aspen and birch. We should see jack red and jack pine thriving in places where low intensity fires do burn in the next decade. If fires are suppressed or never materialize in places, we should see an abundance of aspen, birch, spruce and balsam species, which are not fire tolerant and grow at faster rates than most pine species. This blowdown event will have major impacts on bird and animal species. For instance, many of the bald eagle and osprey nests in the affected area have likely been destroyed, and likely many of these birds injured, killed, or displaced. The population of woodpeckers will likely skyrocket in areas where trees are blowndown as they feed on the many insects that thrive in the decaying trees. Recreational Issues If you are planning a trip or have a permit for the BWCA Wilderness, the USFS is advising visitors to contact either your outfitter or the USFS at (218)365-7548 to determine what conditions are likely for your trip. Currently, many portages are impassable and campsites unusable due to fallen trees. USFS crews are, however, clearing trees from portages and campsites every day until these places are open. Currently, all entry points to the wilderness are open, but some may be impassable due to fallen trees. The USFS is also offering full refunds to anyone wants to cancel their BWCA Wilderness travel permit. Refunds are available by calling the reservation center at: 1-877-550-6777. If you do decide to travel into the BWCA Wilderness, the USFS is asking visitors to adhere to the following safety and resource protection considerations: * When visitors come into the area most affected by the storm, they should be prepared to alter their plans and remain flexible. Most importantly, they must be aware that they are entering an area that may have many trees whose root systems have been compromised by the wind storm. Many trees are also leaning and are held up only by other leaning trees. * Use caution when walking open portages. (There will still be some down trees to negotiate.) * Do not try to cross the windfalls on blocked portages or go cross-country through blowdown. (You won't get far and you could get hurt.) * Do not choose a tent site under leaning trees. (More wind or rain could cause them to fall further.) * Use extreme caution if you choose to cut small downed trees or remove branches. (Fallen and leaning trees of any size are often under tension and will snap or jump back unexpectedly if sawn. - Please leave the removal of larger trees to trained sawyers.) * Visitors must also plan on digging a shallow pit toilet at least 150 feet from the shore. (Many of the latrines were damaged or destroyed in the storm.) * The USDA Forest Service is very concerned for the safety of BWCAW visitors. Please be aware of the additional risks when planning your trip and use caution and common sense when you arrive. * Visitors with reservations in the blowdown area may request a refund of their reservation fee by contacting the reservation enter at 1-877-550-6777. For more information on the storm, log onto the Superior National Forest's web site at: http://www.gis.umn.edu/snf/storms.html . ******************************* The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is an non-profit organization whose sole focus is the protection and preservation of the beautiful wilderness canoe country along the Minnesota-Ontario border: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and surrounding areas in the international Quetico-Superior Ecosystem. We are supported by our members. The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness produces BWCA Wilderness E-Updates free of charge to you, even though it does cost time and money. You can help keep this service free by joining the Friends. Memberships start at $15 and include a subscription to our regular mail newsletter. To unsubscribe from this list, send an email message to majordomo@friends-bwca.org. Do not type in the subject field. In the body of your message, type: unsubscribe friends-bwca your email address. Do you know others who may be interested in this list? Ask them to join the list! To subscribe to the list, send an email message to majordomo@friends-bwca.org. Do not type in the subject field. In the body of your message, type: subscribe friends-bwca your email address. Join the Friends! For more information, contact us at: |
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