Important work to keep people safe by reducing the size and intensity of future wildfires is about to begin in two Williams Lake neighbourhoods.

A $1-million grant from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. will increase use of waste wood fibre, bring more wood products to market and support forestry jobs in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region.

Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) grants are supporting the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) as it creates jobs, fights climate change and reduces wildfire risk near its community.

A fourth year of helicopter logging in the Williams Lake area is expected to start next week to help minimize the spread of Douglas fir beetles on Crown land. 

Two public information meetings will be held in the Williams Lake area to provide details about wildfire risk reduction projects that will be completed over the next two years in areas where urban development borders on forested areas.

A series of wildfire risk-reduction projects will be completed in the Williams Lake area over the next two years in interface areas where urban development borders on grasslands or forested areas.

Piles of woody debris will be burned near the site of the 2017 Kleena Kleene wildfire to help reduce wildfire risks in the area.

Staff from the BC Wildfire Service and the Williams Lake Community Forest are planning to burn piles of woody debris west of Williams Lake to help reduce wildfire risks and enhance wildlife habitat in the area.

Piles of woody debris will be burned along the perimeter of the 2017 Hanceville wildfire site to help reduce wildfire risks in the region.

BC Wildfire Service crews plan to burn piles of woody debris near Williams Lake over the next eight weeks as part of an ongoing project to reduce wildfire risks in the area.