The Wildfire Management Branch is working with the Lytton First Nation to burn approximately 50 hectares of land next to the Village of Lytton, on the west side of the Fraser River.

This ecosystem restoration and community wildfire protection burn will be ignited on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

The low-intensity fire will travel through grass, pine needles and open timber to help revitalize the local ecosystem. It will also reduce the build-up of forest fuels and enhance community safety.

Smoke may be visible from Lytton, Highway 1 and surrounding areas.

Trained wildfire personnel will carefully monitor the fire at all times. Fire control and suppression actions will be taken to meet the objectives of the prescribed burn.

The goal of an ecosystem restoration burn is to mimic naturally occurring ground fires and reduce the amount 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 only released when exposed to heat.

A factsheet follows.

Media Contacts:

Kayla Pepper
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5532

FACTSHEET

Prescribed burning used as ecosystem management tool

• Fire is a normal, natural process in many of British Columbia’s ecosystems. Many species of plants, birds, insects and other animals depend on fire for its regenerative properties.
• Fire helps control insects and the spread of disease in forests. It also contributes to forest regeneration, as younger trees replace older trees. Having trees of various ages in a forest helps create biodiversity.
• Prescribed burning is one of the tools used by forest professionals to achieve land management objectives. For example, fire can be used to enhance habitat and improve forage for cattle, deer, bighorn sheep and moose. A controlled burn also can reduce fuel loads (combustible material such as underbrush and dead wood) and reduce the risk of wildfire in interface areas (where urban development borders on rural areas).
• The size and intensity of prescribed burns are carefully planned and controlled to meet management objectives for fire-maintained ecosystems. Prescribed burns are only ignited when weather conditions are favourable and when the fire will not create excessive smoke. Important factors that are used to determine the date of a burn include the venting index, temperature, humidity and wind conditions.
• The venting index is a measure of how quickly smoke will disperse under specific conditions. Prescribed fires may only be ignited on days when the forecast for the venting index is “good”.
• All prescribed burns must comply with the Environmental Management Act and the open burning smoke control regulation. This helps minimize the amount of smoke generated.
• A prescribed burn is ignited and continuously monitored by trained firefighting crews to ensure that the fire does not get out of control. The fire crew supervisor (the “burn boss”) is responsible for ensuring that the initial burn conditions are favourable and that the fire is extinguished once the prescribed burn is completed.

Media Contacts:

Kayla Pepper
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5532