Up to 60 piles of woody debris will be burned within the Antlers Saddle Conservation Land area of Garnet Valley over the next few months to help reduce wildfire risk in the area.

The piles are on Crown conservation lands near Garnet Lake, about 10 kilometres north of Summerland at the end of Garnet Valley Road. Smoke may be visible in Summerland, Peachland, Penticton and surrounding areas.

The pile burning could start in the latter half of December 2020 and be completed by March 2021. The exact timing will depend on weather, site conditions, venting conditions and snowfall. It will proceed only if conditions are suitable and will allow smoke to dissipate.

This burn project is being directed by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. BC Wildfire Service personnel will carefully prepare, control and monitor these fires at all times.

This pile burning is part of an ongoing fuel management project undertaken by the ministry. Activities such as this help reduce wildfire hazards by reducing accumulations of fuels (e.g., dead wood or brush) on the landscape.

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