Forest Fuel Management

Forest Fuel Management

WHAT is the Wildfire Resilience Initiative? With Columbia Basin Trust, BC Ministry of Forests and the Duhamel Watershed Society 

• Two year grant by Columbia Basin Trust & BC Ministry of Forest that funds Wildfire Resilience projects to reduce fire risks in the Six Mile communities in case of a wildfire. 

• One of the projects is Forest Fuel Management on selected forested parcels on Crown and RDCK lands:  1) Lower Six Mile parcels and 2) Heddle bench hillside parcels 

• The community is encouraged to volunteer and to learn about the Wildfire Resilience Initiative and the preparedness in case of a wildfire, and to obtain support from the RDCK FireSmart program.

WHY is Forest Fuel Management important?

• Stops big fires: Reduces the size, speed, and heat of wildfires.  

• Keeps people safe: Protects homes, roads, and towns in wildfire zones.

• Helps firefighters: Gives rescue crews space to work and fight the flames more safely.

• Improves forest health: Opens space so that living plants get more water and sunlight.

• Follows the law: Meets safety rules, BC Wildfire Service 

HOW is Forest Fuel Management applied?

• A Forest Professional develops a Fuel Management Prescription that considers the ecosystem, forest fuels, terrain and environmental, social and cultural values to reduce wildfire impacts, while still maintaining appropriate forest and site conditions.

• Forest Protections:

  • Protect ecologically sensitive areas such as very wet or dry, steep slopes, complex broken slopes, shallow soils; wetlands, ephemeral streams and other riparian areas;

  • Protect unique and rare ecosystems, plants / habitats;

  • Maintain high quality snags for habitat and coarse woody debris of sufficient size and distribution to provide habitat diversity and nutrients; and

  • Maintain big old trees — especially fire resistant Douglas fir, Larch and Ponderosa pine and all health deciduous.

• Forest Fuel Treatment:

  • Thin from below to remove small diameter trees and ladder fuels and to leave the oldest,healthiest, fire resistant species.

  • Prune lower branches on residual trees.

  • Native seeds should be used to avoid the spread of invasive species in case of soil disturbance from machinery.

Questions, comments, contact?                      Duhamel CB Wildfire Resilience Initiative