Originally published in our Winter 2000 edition

Current Low-down On The '99 Blow-down

Updated and rewritten on a regular basis

Most of this material is a compilation of US Forest Service publications.

Heavy rain and straight-line winds in excess of 90 miles per hour hit northeastern Minnesota about noon on July 4, 1999, blowing down trees and causing severe flooding. On the Superior National Forest, 477,000 acres of timber impacted by blow-down. Most of this acreage lay within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The swath of damage was about 30-miles long, and 8 to 10-miles wide. An estimated 32,000,000 trees were blown-down or snapped off 10 to 20' above the ground.
 

The first priority was to ensure the health and safety of visitors and residents in the path of the storm. The Forest Service opened roads to homes, resorts and cabins, and assisted Cook, Lakes, and St. Louis County Sheriffs as they led the search and rescue effort in the BWCA. Within the wilderness area, 18 law enforcement officers along with 75 Forest Service personnel worked for two weeks to check every location.

An interagency team searched 2,200 campsites.  Of 60 people that were injured, 20 were evacuated via floatplanes (this was completely accomplished within the first 36 hours following the storm).  Debris was cleared on more than 400 miles of area roads, and emergency repairs were completed on six miles of roads that had been washed out.

Once the emergency situation was stabilized, the focus turned to reducing hazards that could negatively affect visitors. The Forest Service brought in 191 people, including an administrative team and several crews from across the nation to return the wilderness to a safe condition, so they could be reopened and used during the rest of the summer.

• Debris was removed from 1,520 BWCA campsites.

• 551 portages were opened and cleared of debris.

• 15 miles of BWCA trails were cleared.

As always, visitors are welcome to enjoy the beautiful lakes and forests of the BWCA. Those who travel into storm-damaged areas of the forest have the opportunity to observe the natural recovery process as the forest regenerates itself.

Most of this damaged area, however, now has restrictions prohibiting open fires (ie: campfires). Cooking must be done over gas stoves. We have been advised that should conditions warrant, these areas may be closed to visitors. For these reasons, unless specifically requested by the customer, North Country no longer uses these severely damaged areas.  The  four entry points we consider as being, or leading to, "at risk locations" are:

1. Moose Lake (all BWCA routes)

2. Wood Lake (all BWCA routes)

3. Fall Lake (any BWCA route to the east)

4. Snowbank Lake (any BWCA routes to the north or northeast)

Over the next few years, the Forest Service will be doing prescribed (intentional / defensive) burning in these and other areas that they have identified as being at a high or moderate risk for potential wildland forest fires. This represents between 47,000 and 81,000 acres. During periods where burning is being done, entry quotas may be reduced or the areas may be closed altogether.

If you still plan on using one of the above entry points, or to travel in the blow-down areas, some things you need to know:

• Risks are a natural part of the wilderness experience. As always, be woods wise when you travel into the remote, backcountry forest.

• When you go into the woods, you are on your own. Because of the remote location of so many lakes and portage trails, do not count on being notified of a forest fire.

• In the event of a forest fire or severe storm, authorities may not be able to evacuate travelers in remote, wilderness areas. The BWCA is too vast, and it is impossible to locate all of those traveling in the backcountry.

• Cell phone service and commercial broadcast radio reception are pretty spotty or unavailable in large areas of the Boundary Waters. We do have satellite phones available for rent to our customers. These are "from anywhere, to anywhere, at any time" digital phones which use orbiting satellites versus cellular towers.

Regardless of your entry point, our North Country staff will discuss pertinent safety measures with your party before you head into the woods. You will be advised on:

• Current fire risk levels as released by the Forest Service.

• Any campfire restrictions (stoves are included in all of our complete packages).

• Any information on existing fires or smoke conditions from a distant fire (we've had smoke blow in from Manitoba).

• Route planning and mapping session so we will know your where-abouts over the course of your trip.