The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has instituted a fuels management treatment project in the Birkenhead Lake area of the Pemberton Fire Zone.

Trees and brush have been thinned and pruned, and the resulting wood piles are being burnt from now until Oct. 30.

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

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 overall area of the project is 36.2 hectares. The Pemberton Fire Zone expects to continue the fuel treatment over the next couple of years.

The purpose of the treatment is to lower potential fire intensity and risk of “crown” fire in a stand of trees near Birkenhead Lake Estates. If a wildfire were to enter this area, the treatment is expected to slow the rate of spread, and reduce the fire intensity, allowing direct attack by ground crews while minimizing the potential for spot fires and ensuring public safety.Part of this project is to provide a 50-metre buffer on the main access road to the estates to reduce fire behaviour and also maintain a safe evacuation route for resident.

For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions, visit the BC Wildfire Service website at: www.bcwildfire.ca

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range north of the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

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