Smoke and flames from burning piles of waste wood may be visible next to the Castlegar Golf Club as early as next week.

The burning will be limited to small piles and will be compliant with air quality venting regulations. The fires will be monitored at all times.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Regional District of Central Kootenay will restart work on a fuel treatment project in the Ootischenia area that began in the spring of 2012. Work will continue on the 14-hectare project periodically until the fall.

This multi-year project will reduce forest fuels (e.g., waste wood, brush, accumulations of needles) to minimize wildfire risks, especially to the new Tower Ridge subdivision. This will be accomplished by reducing surface fuels, thinning and pruning.

The project will:

• Reduce overall fuel loading in interface areas.
• Reduce the potential for wildfire ignitions.
• Reduce potential fire intensity if an ignition occurs.
• Improve first responder access to the area if a fire occurs.

This project is part of the Regional District of Central Kootenay's Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the community of Ootischenia. The objectives are to retain healthy trees and other plant species while reducing forest fuel loads and ultimately decreasing the threat of wildfire.

A factsheet about wildfire prevention, including information about Community Wildfire Protection Plans, is available online at: http://ow.ly/jWvPn

Media Contact:

Karlie Shaughnessy
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Southeast Fire Centre
250 365-4014