Banff Plans Major Expansion of FireSmart Landscaping Across Public Spaces

The Town of Banff is proposing a major expansion of FireSmart landscaping that would extend beyond municipal buildings to include boulevards, medians, parkettes, parking lots and other landscaped public spaces, a shift that could significantly change the look and maintenance of streets and parks across the community.

The proposal was outlined during the Municipal Parks service review, presented to council as part of the 2026 budget process. Staff said the move is driven by growing wildfire risk and new FireSmart guidelines that require a fundamental rethink of landscaping practices.

“Our new reality with FireSmart relative to landscaping is we have to rethink how we’re going to manage weed control and watering and hydration of plants,” said Paul Godfrey, the Town’s director of operations.

From mulch to rock

Under the proposed expansion, FireSmart treatments would be applied across town-owned landscaped areas, replacing bark mulch and other flammable ground cover with rock and more fire-resistant plantings.

“We’re no longer using mulch,” said Godfrey. “Mulch was a weed barrier, but it also provided an opportunity to keep the ground underneath it moist. Now it’s going to be rocks.”

Administration cautioned the change comes with operational trade-offs, saying rock surfaces increase evaporation and make litter harder to remove.

“It’s going to be harder to harvest the cigarette butts out of rocks as it was mulch,” said Godfrey. “Mulch, we could rake it up and kind of replace the mulch.”

Despite the challenges, he said the department will adapt.

“This is our new reality, and we’ll rise to the challenge and figure out the right way to do it. It’s new for us,” said Godfrey.

Cost and funding

Administration is requesting approximately $346,000 to implement the expanded FireSmart landscaping program, with funding proposed from the town’s Climate Change Resiliency Reserve. Ongoing annual costs related to maintenance, irrigation and contracted services would be funded through taxation.

Godfrey said the expansion builds on existing FireSmart work already underway in Banff. A $940,000 FireSmart project approved last year to protect critical infrastructure is now more than 90% complete.

“The FireSmart project that council approved last year, $940,000, is more than 90% complete,” said Godfrey. “We only have six remaining lower-priority locations that will happen as weather permits and the ground thaws up in 2026.”

Councillors question broader impacts

While councillors acknowledged the need to reduce wildfire risk, some raised concerns about how FireSmart-driven changes are reshaping Banff’s public landscapes, particularly the town’s relationship with its urban forest.

“Urban forest was actually an asset here in town. We invested heavily in urban forest,” said Coun. Brian Standish. “Now we’re on the other extreme where urban forests have become a liability.”

Godfrey said that while wildfire risk has shifted priorities, the town continues to treat its urban forest as a long-term asset, even as FireSmart requirements increase maintenance complexity and cost.

Why it matters

The proposed overhaul of public landscaping comes as Banff simultaneously moves toward stronger wildfire safety rules for private property owners.

As previously reported by Bow Valley Insider, the town is drafting its first wildfire safety bylaw that would make it illegal to store combustible materials, including firewood, bark mulch and dead vegetation, within 10 metres of a building. If passed, the bylaw would give the town authority to issue fines, though specific penalty amounts have not yet been determined.

Taken together, the initiatives signal a broader shift in Banff’s wildfire strategy, pairing enforceable expectations for homeowners with equivalent FireSmart standards on town-owned land.

By extending FireSmart principles beyond buildings and into everyday public spaces, the town is signalling that wildfire resilience is no longer a niche infrastructure issue, but a defining factor in how Banff’s streetscapes and parks are designed and maintained.