Fourth of July marks 20th anniversary of Boundary Waters Blowdown
The historic storm that wiped out huge swaths of forest and injured visitors left a long-lasting mark on the wilderness.
Search Results for: blowdown
Fires Prescribed for Dangerous Deadfall in 1999 Boundary Waters Blowdown
Forest Service plans four projects this fall to reduce the risk of fast-spreading natural fires.
The 1999 Blowdown and Forest Management Practices Impacts the Pagami Creek Fire
By Charlie Mahler Natural fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – those started by lightning rather than, say, by careless campers – provide opportunities and risks for the managers …
Remembering the Blowdown of 1999
Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the famed Boundary Waters Blowdown. On July 4, 1999 a huge storm packing 90-mile-per-hour winds ripped through the BWCA, uprooting trees, blocking portages, and stranding campers. In all 370,000 acres in the BWCA were affected by the storm.
Book Review: Gunflint Falling by Cary J. Griffith
On July 4, 1999, the sky fell. Or so it seemed. On that day the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was hit by a historic storm unlike anyone had ever seen.
Boundary Waters Wildfires 2021
Superior Hiking Trail closed, Boundary Waters closed due to fires. Updated maps, photos from fires in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest as official information is available. Greenwood Fire grows, Moose Lake Fire detected…
Drought impacts northern Minnesota’s ecosystem
Low water levels, cyanobacteria, wildfires, stressed forests due to extremely dry conditions.
A Night on Birch Lake
Birch Lake near the Boundary Waters offers a serene northwoods camping experience apart from busy state parks, with lake vistas and abundant opportunities for fishing.
Seeking sustainable timber harvest: when loggers leave a few trees standing, birds can thrive
New research finds that letting a few trees remain in harvested stands can provide big benefits for wildlife.
Choose Your Own Adventure – Fall Hike on the Upper Gunflint Trail
A fall hike along the edge of the Boundary Waters. Ada Igoe shares one of her favorite trails, easily accessible from the Gunflint, on marked ski trails through aspen and jackpine to incredible vistas…
Prescribed fires planned this fall in the Boundary Waters to protect outside areas
Fires will reduce the amount of flammable forest materials in areas hit by the 1999 blowdown, and hopefully reduce the risk that a wildfire could escape the wilderness.
What is Wilderness? Examining tree rings, researchers reconsider the history of human influence in the Boundary Waters
“By examining annual growth rings in increment cores taken from tree trunks, we found that many pines at this site were more than 250 years old. Distinct injuries recorded within their rings denoted the passage of multiple low-severity surface fires that damaged but did not kill many of these trees…”
Ten Years After the Ham Lake Fire: A Forest Regenerates
In May 2007 an out of control campfire off the Gunflint Trail grew into a wildfire that burned 75,851 acres. Ten years later, the forest is at a turning point…
Northern Minnesota Man Will Spend a Month Clearing Trails in the Boundary Waters
The Kekekabic Hiking Trail was severely damaged by a windstorm last summer.
Strong Winds Strike Canoe Country, Falling Trees Kill Two Campers
Severe storms wreak havoc on wilderness, blocking roads and portages and harming visitors.
How Humans Affect the Boundary Waters’ Woods
Researcher Lee Frelich says wilderness forests are being changed in several ways.
Reconstructing the Past
By Rob Kesselring Archaeologists are painting a picture of Quetico-Superior’s first people and what the land looked like 12,000 years ago. Crouched behind a granite boulder we wait. A damp northwest …