A series of prescribed burns is planned for the Bevel Mountain and Ospika River areas in the Mackenzie Natural Resource District from May 2-20, 2016, weather conditions permitting.

These controlled burns will cover about 12,000 hectares, assist with ecosystem restoration and help meet fuel management objectives in these areas. The burns will occur in several phases, starting at lower elevations in southern areas and proceeding north to higher elevations later this spring.

• The Bevel Mountain burn area covers about 7,754 hectares, about 100 kilometres north of Mackenzie.
• The Ospika River burn area covers about 3,400 hectares over six sites, about 125 kilometres north of Mackenzie.

These prescribed burns will be conducted by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in collaboration with Finlay River Outfitters, Wildlife Infometrics, Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, Society for Ecosystem Restoration in North Central British Columbia and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

BC Wildfire Service personnel will carefully monitor these controlled fires.

The reintroduction of managed fires to these areas is intended to restore and maintain plant communities that are native to these areas. These managed fires will also reduce fuel loads and reduce wildfire risks.

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.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

You can follow the latest wildfire news on:

• Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo 
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Learn More:

More information about planned ecosystem restoration burns in the Omineca Region is available on the Society for Ecosystem Restoration in North Central British Columbia website: http://www.sernbc.ca/sern_programs&activities.html

A factsheet about prescribed burning and ecosystem restoration burning is available online at: https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/prescribed-burns-and-ecosystem-restoration-burns