Flames of Life - Prescribed burn in 1993

For millennia, fire has played a leading role in shaping our national park landscapes through lightning and aboriginal-set fires. Like avalanches or floods, this natural process stimulates new plant growth and contributes to a mixture of habitats that supports a variety of animal species. During much of the 20th centure, fires were seen as a dangerous element that destroyed wildlife and detracted from scenic beauty. To restore the important role of fire, Parks Canada now uses prescribed fire, which was first used in Banff National Park in 1983.