That's an area nearly the size of Prince Edward Island. Many of the fires are still burning and continue to create hardships for forest product companies and communities alike. The fire destruction has translated into lost production for many companies. As well, they have had to spend millions of dollars to repair equipment or redesign it to handle burnt wood, estimate the damage and account for the impact on their operations and begin reforestation efforts.
Fire has no conscience as it burns mature and immature forest alike.
The Virginia Hills fire started in May 1998, destroying more than 130,000 hectares by the time it was contained. Blue Ridge Lumber of Blue Ridge is putting in a dust collector and additional debarking equipment to handle the dust and increased debarking from processing burnt wood.