Effective at 12 noon Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, all open burning, including campfires and fireworks, will be prohibited across the Merritt and Lillooet fire zones within the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Woodlot licensees Alistair Schroff and Earl Ingram - the best in the province this year - are recipients of the Minister's Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management, Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad announced on behalf of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson.

The Cariboo Fire Centre is urging the public to be cautious with fire use as conditions become increasingly hot and dry.

There is currently a restriction on open burning within the Cariboo Fire Centre region. Specifically, this restriction prohibits:

As fire activity levels remain low in B.C., the Wildfire Management Branch continues to be able to deploy crews to Ontario.

Warm, dry weather is expected throughout the Prince George Fire Centre into the weekend, bringing the fire danger rating to moderate to high and increasing the risk of wildfire.

Ontario has requested further firefighting assistance from British Columbia, with an expected increase in lightning activity and ongoing hot and dry conditions.

Comments are being accepted until Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 on a discussion paper released today as part of a comprehensive review of the Sunshine Coast timber supply area.

Effective immediately, the new allowable annual cut for the Revelstoke timber supply area will be 225,000 cubic metres, chief forester Jim Snetsinger announced today.

British Columbia is deploying additional forest fire personnel to Ontario, while another group returns home.

As 101 firefighters currently in Ontario reach their maximum amount of deployment days and return to B.C., five 20-person unit crews and an agency representative will depart for Ontario to replace them.

British Columbia is sending an additional 74 forest fire personnel to Ontario to assist with a continuing increase in fire activity.