The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is undertaking a fuels management treatment project within the City of Powell River to reduce forest fuels near the Penticton Trails.

Trees and brush in the popular trail network will be thinned and pruned, starting Monday, March 21, 2016. The resulting piles of debris will be chipped for disposal.

This collaborative project between the BC Wildfire Service and the City of Powell River will help reduce the likelihood of a high-intensity wildfire in this forested area, which is right next to a residential subdivision. It will slow the spread of any future wildfire by reducing the number of embers that would be carried aloft and it will create a more easily defended space where firefighters could work.

When this project is completed, it will serve as a demonstration of effective fuel treatments that local homeowners can apply to their own properties to reduce wildfire threats locally. The Powell River project is also a good example of how communities can partner with BC Wildfire Service crews to undertake fuel management treatments.

Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility of the B.C. government, industry stakeholders, local governments, First Nations and private landowners. Private landowners can learn more about reducing wildfire risks by visiting: www.bcwildfire.ca/Prevention/ or www.FireSmartCanada.ca

The newly updated FireSmart Homeowner’s Manual is available online at: http://bcwildfire.ca/Prevention/firesmart.htm

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

You can also follow the latest wildfire news:

• On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• On Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo