When the Sawtooth Hotshots arrived in northern Minnesota to fight the remote Bear Trap Fire in the Boundary Waters, reaching the fire was a challenge in itself. On July 29, U.S. Forest Service Beaver floatplanes carried the 21-person Idaho crew and thousands of pounds of gear from the Ely Seaplane Base to Gull Lake, giving firefighters direct access to a landscape otherwise reached by miles of trails, lakes and portages.
The operation was one example of the unusual role the Forest Service’s decades-old Beaver planes have played during this summer’s Boundary Waters wildfires. By late August, the Bear Trap Fire was 97% contained after burning more than 30,000 acres on the U.S. side of the border.
Workhorses of the north
One of the important pieces of equipment the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) uses to manage the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northern Minnesota takes to the skies: the Beaver plane. Usually outfitted with floats, this single-engine aircraft is known as the iconic “workhorse of the north.” Developed just after World War II by de Havilland Canada, the Beaver was designed to meet the growing need for a sturdy bush plane. It hauled both people and cargo efficiently into remote areas of the far north. The Beaver was considered revolutionary for its time. However, “bush planes” had been used by trappers and prospectors in Minnesota as early as the 1920s.
The Beaver’s adaptable design allows it to use wheels on land, floats to access remote lakes in summer, or skis to land on ice in winter. Additionally, two large doors on either side of the plane allow for quick loading and unloading. Its short takeoff and landing capabilities make it ideal for navigating the region’s rugged wilderness, making the plane an indispensable asset for wilderness management. Jeremy Harmon, a pilot at Ely Seaplane Base, told the USFS that “It is like the Swiss Army knife of bush planes.
Currently, the Ely Seaplane Base in northern Minnesota is home to three U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Beaver floatplanes, with another based in Alaska. Christine Kolinski, a USFS public affairs specialist, said that the first Beaver arrived in Ely in 1956.
Half of Forest Service Beaver fleet based in Ely
The base is home to half of the federally owned de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver floatplanes. Situated in the Forest Service’s Eastern Region, their efforts focus mostly on places like the Superior, Chippewa, and Mark Twain National Forests. They also support wildfire management in Voyageurs and Isle Royale National Parks.
The floatplane helps to suppress wildfires in other ways. They’re instrumental in spotting new fires and can drop about 1,000 pounds of water on a fire from a 125-gallon tank.
When not on fire duty, the planes have many other uses. They’re sometimes used in regional search-and-rescue missions covering three counties. They also conduct wildlife surveys to assess the health and well-being of radio-collared animals such as moose and wolves. The planes also fly in fish to stock area lakes for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and can carry hoppers used for tree seeding.
Idaho-based hotshots confront Bear Trap fire
Recently, a crew from southern Idaho arrived to help manage the Bear Trap Fire. One of many fires burning in the wilderness this summer, it is among the more difficult fires to access and control. The Sawtooth Hotshots arrived as a 21-person crew ready to work the fire, which had burned thousands of acres north of the Echo Trail near Ely. The fire, along with others, was detected on July 7 after a lightning storm had pushed through the area.
According to Kolinski, the crew had two options to reach the fire. They could either head to Ely Seaplane Base and use a USFS floatplane to take their crew and gear close to the Bear Trap Fire, or drive 15 miles to a trailhead entry point up the Echo Trail. This option would require them to tote their gear several miles over lakes and portages, taking up considerably more time.
The choice was clear, so they gathered at the Seaplane Base. Taking multiple flights, they shuttled 21 people and 7,000 pounds of gear to a site near Gull Lake on the southern edge of the fire-charred landscape. Once they landed, they hauled gear to multiple campsites that became home bases.
Each day they moved personnel and equipment to areas needing fire suppression. Like visitors, they also adhered to the 9-person, 4 watercraft rule at each campsite. Depending on the location, they used both canoes and motorboats.
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Tireless firefighting efforts
Over two weeks, the hotshots worked 14- to 16-hour days to manage the wildfire. When crews are in the field, helicopters, float planes, and sometimes boats bring in resupplies. Because helicopters have limited landing options, they drop some gear farther away. Firefighters then used canoes to paddle to the drop-off locations and retrieve the gear, sometimes several lakes away.
Because crews like the Sawtooth hotshots came from other areas of the country, they faced additional challenges unique to a wilderness primarily accessed by water. Suddenly, they had to fight fire while also learning new skills. “The hotshots, along with all firefighters and other positions that went into the BWCAW, were given canoe skills and safety instruction, Leave No Trace practices, BWCAW rules and regulations, Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) for suppressing fire in a wilderness,” Kolinski said.
The Sawtooth crew, along with the Jackson and Midewin Hotshots, fought the wildfire alongside other resources and staff. Thanks to their efforts, they have contained 97% of the Bear Trap Fire.
While the Forest Service uses many types of aircraft to manage wildfires, the durable, versatile Beaver plane will likely remain an important tool in the North. The floatplane serves communities and helps protect forests, lakes, and wildlife across a region defined by dense forests and countless lakes.
More info:
- Ely Seaplane Base: Beavers in Fire Management and Wilderness Stewardship – USFS – Superior National Forest
- Float Planes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – USFS – Superior National Forest
- Inciweb
- U.S. Forest Service Seaplane Base in Ely, MN – David Quam