The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is planning to conduct a series of prescribed burns in the Pemberton Fire Zone.

These controlled burns are scheduled to start on Wednesday, May 7, 2014, and conclude by Friday, May 30.

The exact timing of the burns will depend on weather and site conditions. They will proceed only if fire behaviour conditions are suitable and will allow for quick smoke dissipation and low to moderate fire intensity.

Smoke will be visible around the communities of D’Arcy and Devine and from the northern portion of the Pemberton Portage Rd. Trained wildfire personnel will carefully monitor the fires at all times. Fire control and suppression actions will meet the objectives of the prescribed burns.

The burns will cover 32 hectares about two kilometres east of D’Arcy, near Pemberton. The Wildfire Management Branch is working with the N’Quatqua Band Council and the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C. to implement this project, with funding provided by the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative.

The B.C. government introduced the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative in 2004 to help local governments and First Nations reduce the risk of interface wildfires, where urban developments border on forests and grasslands.

The prescribed fires near Pemberton will burn the forest understory, while leaving larger trees intact, and will restore open forest conditions to reduce fire behaviour and enhance berry production. The N’Quatqua First Nations historically implemented similar low-intensity burning and this prescribed burn will reintroduce fire into the ecosystem and return the area to a more natural state.

The goal of these burns is to mimic naturally occurring ground fires and reduce the level of dead and combustible material in grassland and open forest areas. Removal of these forest fuels helps reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Fire can also discourage insect infestations and help fire-adapted plant species reproduce, such as grasses that thrive in newly cleared areas or trees whose seeds are released only when exposed to heat.

When they become available, photos of the burns will be posted on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Quick Facts:

• In 2004, the provincial and federal governments announced $37 million to help local governments pay for interface wildfire mitigation through the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative. In April 2011, the provincial government contributed an additional $25 million. The funding is administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.
• Community Wildfire Protection Plans identify areas at risk and prescribe fuel management projects to address those risks. These projects may include: prescribed burning, improving the spacing between live trees; removing dead trees; and cleaning up low branches, needles and wood debris that could potentially fuel a fire.

Media Contacts:

Donna MacPherson
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Coastal Fire Centre
250 951-4209