On July 4, 1999, a big windstorm struck the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

"It was a type of storm that they call a 'derecho,' which means straight-line winds," said Kris Reichenbach of the U.S. Forest Service

Officials say those winds made a 30-mile long dent in the forest--flattening thousands of acres.

"In the forest, it affected nearly 500,000 acres, about 350,000 were inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness," said Reichenbach.

Since the blowdown, officials say both the State of Minnesota and the Forest Service have better training and equipment. Agreements are also in place with Canadian agencies to allow for a quick response, should something similar happen.

"We are so much more prepared for an emergency situation--our fire suppression response," said Reichenbach.

Experts say preparations are critical because the storm created a significant fire hazard.

"We had an increased risk of a big fire starting and also spreading rapidly because of the amount of fuel that was created," said Reichenbach.

The Forest Service says the 2006 Cavity Lake Fire started within a blowdown area. In 2007, experts say the Ham Lake Fire crept into some flattened forest. Right now, officials the Superior National Forest is still healing.

"The blowdown area outside of the wilderness is virtually...all the fuel treatment has been accomplished and it's been replanted or it's...regenerating naturally," Reichenbach said.

The Forest Service reports on its website that the potential still exists for an extreme wildfire as a result of the blowdown.