Due to drier than normal conditions, there is an increase in wildfire activity within the Kamloops Fire Centre.

As part of wildfire recovery efforts following the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire, government is partnering with local First Nations to help protect and restore burnt areas and support local First Nations, as they monitor this spring’s mushroom harvest.

Effective at noon on May 15, 2018, the size of open fires will be restricted at elevations below 1,200 metres throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public.

The Government of British Columbia has contributed $500,000 to the Forestry Service Providers Compensation Fund to protect eligible forestry and silviculture contractors, and service providers, in the event of licensee insolvency.

A 300-hectare prescribed burn is being planned on Crown land in the Hat Creek area, to promote ecosystem renewal, reduce accumulations of flammable material and provide important training opportunities for BC Wildfire Service crews in the region.

The Government of British Columbia is providing $861,500 in grants to help manage the spread of invasive plants in the Okanagan and Thompson-Nicola regions, Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development announced.

As warmer weather returns to parts of the province that were affected by last summer’s wildfires, some hotspots could emerge due to what are called “overwintering” fires.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is planning to conduct a 35-hectare prescribed burn on Crown land about 20 kilometres southeast of Ashcroft and about three kilometres northeast of Barnes Lake.

The BC Wildfire Service, in partnership with the Simpcw First Nation, will conduct a 27-hectare prescribed burn in Chu Chua between April 26 and May 14, 2018.

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has been granted $2 million to aid in caribou habitat restoration, Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson announced during his address at the B.C. Wildlife Federation’s annual conference.