Roy Lake Fire

From BWCAWiki

The Roy Lake Fire burned 3,380 acres south of Saganaga Lake in August 21-27, 1976. Named after the small Roy Lake, the wildfire was ignited by a lightning strike.

Extent

The Roy Lake Fire burned mostly jack pine and black spruce forests between the south shore of Saganaga Lake, Romance Lake, the west shores of Gull Lake and the Seagull River and the north shore of Seagull Lake.

The battle to prevent the Roy Lake Fire from crossing the Seagull River and Gull Lake into the end of the Gunflint Trail area was hard faught and ultimately successful. Near the End of the Trail Campground, the burned western shore of the Seagull River is separated by less than 100 feet from the undamaged pines of the campground, and the outfitters and cabins beyond.

Recovery

Thick stands of young jack pine have since regenerated across the burn, although they still seem to be a "young" forest when compared to adjacent areas. Some parts of the Roy Lake Fire were re-burned in 1995 during the Romance Lake Fire and in 2005 during the Alpine Lake Fire.

References

Heinselman, Miron. The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem, University of Minnesota Press, 1996. ISBN 0816628041