BC Forest Discovery Centre - Burning Snags and Raining Ashes: The Bloedel Fire of 1938 and its Aftermath.

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Sunday, April 20th, 2014
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

The spark that started it all: the Bloedel Fire of 1938 began one hot July afternoon when a spark from a passing locomotive fatefully flew onto a dry pile of logs. By that evening, the blaze had already grown to five acres in size. By the time the caustic fire ran its course, the Bloedel Fire had burned out of control for almost thirty days and destroyed roughly 30,000 hectares of forested land.

The dramatic story of the Bloedel Fire, also known as �The Great Fire� and �The Sayward Fire� will be told by the BC Forest Discovery Centre in a new temporary exhibit entitled Burning Snags and Raining Ashes: The Bloedel Fire of 1938 and its Aftermath.

�We�re incredibly excited to be presenting this special exhibit throughout the summer season� says the BCFDC�s Curator Jenna Kiesman. �It�s a fantastic opportunity for our visitors and members to come and see a forgotten narrative from Vancouver Island�s history as told through items from our collection.�

The exhibit experience begins by traveling along a scenic trail marked with interpretive panels, passing by the Lookout Tower and arriving at the Ranger Station building, where the exhibit will be displayed. Employing archival images and a diverse range of artifacts, the exhibit offers a detailed look at the dramatic events of the fire itself and the innovative changes in safety and fire fighting practices that occurred shortly thereafter. Once the extent of the fire�s devastation was realized, forest officials concluded that natural regeneration would not be enough to ensure a sustainable supply of timber for future use. The Bloedel Fire is important to us today as it marks a turning point in the development of a provincial reforestation program and now, 75 years later, many areas have since been logged and planted again.

This temporary exhibit will be open to the public starting Sunday, April 20th during the BCFDC�s �Easter Eggspress� event. The exhibit is open to visitors during the Center�s hours posted at www.bcforestdiscoverycentre.com and runs throughout the spring and summer seasons.

Pricing at www.bcforestdiscoverycentre.com according to season