It could take more than a century for the freshly burned forest in Jasper National Park to regenerate into its previous postcard-perfect form, a wildfire expert says.

The dense forest含羞草研究社檚 regrowth could be affected by how deep the fire burned into the ground and how many pine cones hatched like popcorn in the intense heat and released seeds 含羞草研究社� not to mention climate change more generally, said Jen Beverly, an associate professor with the University of Alberta含羞草研究社檚 Department of Renewable Resources.

含羞草研究社淭his is not a catastrophe from an ecological perspective, but we do know there含羞草研究社檚 a lot of uncertainty into the future,含羞草研究社� said Beverly, who has been studying wildfires for more than 25 years.

含羞草研究社淓cosystems are going to evolve and that might span decades to centuries where an open area becomes forested, then there含羞草研究社檚 a disturbance, and now it含羞草研究社檚 open again. We can含羞草研究社檛 keep them like a postcard that doesn含羞草研究社檛 ever change.含羞草研究社�

On July 22, wildfires cut road access through the park and forced the Jasper townsite含羞草研究社檚 5,000 residents, along with about 20,000 park visitors, to flee through smoke and ash. Two days later, the fire overwhelmed crews and hit the town, destroying one-third of its buildings.

Residents were allowed back Friday, but have been warned they may have to leave again with one hour含羞草研究社檚 notice as the out-of-control fire continues to burn within the park.

Those returning were greeted by a changed landscape of blackened trees reduced to skeletons.

Beverly said some clues on how rapidly Jasper含羞草研究社檚 landscape could regenerate are scattered elsewhere in the park where previous wildfires have struck.

Some of those clues can be found a 30-minute drive north of Jasper含羞草研究社檚 townsite and a few valleys away in the Syncline Ridge area.

In 2003, Syncline含羞草研究社檚 more than century-old spruce and pine trees overlooking a valley were burned all the way to the nearby highway, Beverly said.

Syncline含羞草研究社檚 landscape was similar to the forest area south of Jasper含羞草研究社檚 townsite before it, too, burned, she said. Both were affected by wildfires recorded in the early 1900s and had been referred to as 含羞草研究社渓ong unburned含羞草研究社� forest.

含羞草研究社淣ow, Syncline is still classified as grass and it含羞草研究社檚 been 20 years since that fire,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淎nd that can change over time as forests establish. (The previous forest) took decades and decades for it to reach that stage of mature forests. So overall, anyone visiting the park who frequents it in the decades ahead are much more likely to see open landscape for quite a while.含羞草研究社�

Beverly said after a fire has travelled through a forest, it has typically left behind a healthy environment for regrowth.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 actually a really great process where the fire is killing the fuel trees, opening the pine cones, setting the stage for this beautiful seedbed,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淭his is a natural event and these ecosystems have evolved with fire.含羞草研究社�

Climate change is a player in the recovery, too.

含羞草研究社淲e know climate could have an impact on the way the ecosystem responds in the years ahead, or other things like continued drought,含羞草研究社� she said.

Evolving conservation efforts could also change how seeds sprout into new forests, Beverly added.

含羞草研究社淲e have to kind of accept management actions taken by people 含羞草研究社� Prescribed burning, removing fuels proactively to mitigate the area can all alter what those valleys look like,含羞草研究社� she said.

含羞草研究社淎nd that could be quite interesting to watch in the years ahead as we see what comes back and how it looks over the next 10, 20, 50 years.含羞草研究社�

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press