BC Wildfire Service crews will be conducting a series of fuel management burns in the Northwest Fire Centre in September and October to remove accumulated woody debris and reduce the wildfire hazard in the region.

These fires will adhere to clearly defined burn plans and will only be lit if the weather, site conditions and venting conditions are suitable. BC Wildfire Service firefighters and ignition specialists will conduct and carefully monitor these burns.

Mount Horetzky area:

• A 100-hectare prescribed burn is planned for the Mount Horetzky area about 40 kilometres north of Fort Babine.
• This collaborative project, involving Pacific Inland Resources, Lake Babine Nation and the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, will reduce the amount of forest fuels in two harvested cutblocks.
• This project will also be used to assess whether such burns help stimulate berry growth and enhance grizzly bear habitat.

Rosswood area:

• Controlled pile burning is planned in the Rosswood area about 35 kilometres north of Terrace.
• This planned burn is part of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and will reduce the wildfire hazard around the community.  
• Smoke from these fires will be visible from the community of Rosswood.

Nadina Fire Zone:

• Controlled pile burning will be done in the Nadina Fire Zone in collaboration with the Forests for Tomorrow program.
• These burns will remove slash and dead trees in the following five areas and help prepare them for reforestation:
  • Haney Lake
  • the 21-kilometre mark on the Maxan Forest Service Road to the 12-kilometre mark on the Fischer Forest Service Road
  • Heading Creek Forest Service Road and the China Nose Mountain area
  • Snowflake Lake
  • Co-op Lake
• Smoke from these fires may be visible from the communities of Houston, Topley, Takysie Lake, Ootsa Lake, Burns Lake and Endako.

These types of resource management burns are done under the authority of the Wildfire Act. The resulting reduction in the amount of forest fuels will help decrease the risk of high-intensity wildfires in the future.

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: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo 
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Learn More:

A Factsheet about prescribed burns and ecosystem restoration burns is available online at: http://ow.ly/RTiN303JR6T