Aug 27, Pennywise – Trail, Beaver Valley, Rossland

Helping to protect our
communities from wildfires
The welcome arrival of summer and the province’s
announcement about the 2019 wildfire season has
some people wondering and even worrying what the
future wildfire seasons will bring to our local Kootenay
communities.
Kalesnikoff has been doing some work on this issue in
collaboration with the Regional District of Central Kootenay
(RDCK) and other key partners and we agree there’s
good reason for concern about this very real threat. The
Nelson area has been identified as the most vulnerable
BC community to wildfire using a Geographic Information
System (GIS) and provincial fuel type analysis. (The
‘fuel’ in this case being the trees and accumulated deadfall
in the forest.)
There are many measures landowners can take to reduce
the risk of wildfire and these are particularly important
for properties near or adjacent to the natural forest. It’s
important for landowners to familiarize themselves with
some of these steps, including ensuring buildings have
non-combustible material on the roof and siding, safe
storage of highly flammable items on your property and,
importantly, managing high-risk fuel near and in the surrounding
forest.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay has been
creating and updating its Community Wildfire Protection
Plans (CWPP’s) to help mitigate local wildfire risks
by, among other measures, reducing forest fuels in strategic
areas identified as posing the highest risks to adjacent
communities. While there’s funding available for this
work through the Forest Enhancement Society of
BC (FESBC) and other sources, the work tends to be
very labour-intensive and therefore costly, creating a
significant burden on taxpayers, which could delay this
work and limit its overall scope more than most people
would prefer given the significant threat and urgency.
Kalesnikoff has been working closely with the RDCK
on this important issue, offering our expertise in sustainable
forest management and operational planning, in
order to obtain the permits required to carry out forest
fuel reduction treatments. This summer we will be working
with the RDCK in coordination with other experts
and local communities to create harvest plans, where
appropriate, to remove high-risk forest fuels. These
harvest plans generally focus on retention of the larger
drought and fire-resistant species such as Douglas fir,
western larch and Ponderosa pine, which will also provide
shade to keep the forest floor cooler. We will either
mill or sell the trees we remove, significantly reducing
the overall cost to the taxpayer or in some cases generating
a net revenue for the province. Our participation will
help ensure this work can be completed with the timeliness
and urgency the current wildfire threat demands.
You’ll be hearing more about this from us and our partners
as plans and activities evolve and we’ll be meeting
with various communities to discuss their local wildfire
threats and mitigation considerations. If you’re a private
landowner and you’re concerned about wildfire risk on
your property, there are a few resources available to you:
If you have a small property (less than 10 acres), the
Province of BC has shared some wildfire prevention tips
and guidance, and FireSmart Canada is another good
national information resource.
If you have 10 acres or more of trees on your property,
Kalesnikoff may be able help you through our wildfire
risk assessment and management program. You can learn
more here www.kalesnikoff.com/wildfiremanagement/
Let’s keep this important work and conversation moving
forward.
– Tyler Hodgkinson
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PAGE 32 Aug 27, 2019 Pennywise