AltaLink Powerline below Harvey Heights connecting Banff National Park to the Alberta grid and view of vegetation conditions here in 1888 (Mountain Legacy Photographs). A well-gladed powerline here could provide a fuelbreak from the high probability of a wildfire ignition near the highway.
Poorly maintained powerlines with narrow cleared right-of-ways and overtopped by trees are a fire risk. Conversely, a wider right-of-way with vehicle access can be an excellent location to contain a fire. In the Bow Valley, traffic along the Trans Canada Highway one of the most significant vectors for fire ignition. The powerline paralleling the highway throughout the valley can be managed to both contain or channel the direction of wildfires. In many areas it could provides a containment line for prescribed fires that would further reduce broad scale wildfire risk.