B.C.’s network of off-road vehicle-friendly backcountry trails is getting a boost, thanks to a new provincial government fund.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns at sites west and south of Williams Lake between April 1 and May 15, 2017, weather conditions permitting.

The B.C. government is providing a total of $232,000 to two local organizations to help manage invasive plants in the Cariboo region.

Residents of the Williams Lake area will see helicopters in the air this week as the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations implements its treatment plan to minimize the spread of Douglas-fir bark beetles on Crown land through selective heli-logging.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is implementing its Williams Lake Beetle Management Unit 2016 Treatment Plan to minimize the spread of Douglas-fir beetles on Crown land in the Williams Lake area.

Under the BC Rural Dividend, the Province is providing $164,037 in grants to Williams Lake and the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council Society, Parliamentary Secretary and MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin Donna Barnett announced.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns at sites west and south of Williams Lake between Sept. 27 and Nov. 11, 2016, weather conditions permitting.

Effective at noon on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016, Category 3 open fires will once again be allowed throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, due to a decreased wildfire risk in the region.