32K hectares of P.E.I. forest affected by Fiona blowdown, new imagery shows

The first updated satellite images of P.E.I.'s forests showing the impact of post-tropical storm Fiona will help the province plan for the future, the province says.

Imagery is available for 12 out of 16 areas of the province on the P.E.I. government website. Weather impeded the push to get images of the remaining four areas; the province has acquired new images that will be available in the coming weeks, according to the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.

More than 31,720 hectares of forest were affected by blowdown in the 12 areas that have been analyzed. Affected perentages of areas range from 1.6 per cent in eastern Prince County to almost 30 per cent along the North Shore.

"This information will help government and landowners understand the full impact of Fiona and plan for the future," Environment Minister Steven Myers said in the P.E.I. Legislature Wednesday.

Provincial forest technicians, landowners and forest contractors will use the images to continue to target areas affected by blowdown, the minister said — especially areas with high concentrations of softwood trees and those near higher-risk infrastructure such as houses, barns and public buildings. 

"Should a fire occur, the imagery will be very important in helping provincial fire fighters manage the response," Myers said.

Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker said the images are "critical information" not just for firefighters but for all Islanders.

"There's an opportunity to grow back better, to plant back better," he said.

"And it's a small silver lining in a huge cloud, of course, but here we have the opportunity to replant the ancient Acadian forest that we had here, the maples and the birch and the hemlocks and the red oak and all of the constituents of a diverse and healthy forest."