Article by Jason Fisher, Executive Director, FESBC
With the growing threat of climate change and wildfire risk, ‘Fire Week’ presents a timely opportunity to raise awareness and highlight successful projects led by partners throughout British Columbia who are working hard to promote fire resilience. I think it’s important though, to begin by taking a closer look and recognize that successful landscape-level wildfire risk reduction starts right in our own backyard. In fact, making changes to the area closest to your home, and to your home itself, can have a significant impact to reduce risk in the face of a wildfire.
This isn’t to downplay the valuable work already done or the success of hundreds of projects we’ve invested in but rather to emphasize the opportunity for even greater impact through improved coordination between programs such as FireSmart™, the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of BC, and the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction Program. As a coordinator between the Ministry of Forests and the private sector, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has a unique role in helping facilitate these efforts. It takes the participation of everyone – First Nations, government, industry, and communities – to strengthen the chain of wildfire resilience and maximize the positive impact on enhanced community safety. By working together, we can better protect the resources and assets that matter most, building a safer and more resilient future for all British Columbians.
Wildfire risk reduction is not a one-time effort. It requires a sustained commitment from everyone to coordinate efforts and plan for the future. This consistent and proactive approach opens the door to necessary maintenance treatments on our initial fuel-reduction investments, including cultural and prescribed burns, which can play a critical role to maintain low forest fuels in Wildland Urban Interface areas, which in turn help to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires entering communities.
In addition to improving wildfire resilience, these efforts bring numerous other benefits. From protecting vital natural assets like watersheds and enhancing recreational values like hiking and biking trails to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing wood waste to take action on climate change, creating local employment, and improving wildlife habitat, the positive outcomes extend far beyond solely fire prevention. As an example, in the summer of 2019, FESBC supported a collaborative approach to wildfire risk reduction in four adjoining Okanagan watersheds. This project helped better protect the Okanagan basin’s water quality, safeguard important wildlife habitat and critical infrastructure, and create opportunities to enhance the utilization of woody debris left behind by fuel management treatments.
FESBC’s work with community forests has also demonstrated the power of collaboration and how we can have a bigger impact by working together. Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director of the BC Community Forest Association shares, “FESBC has played a vital role in supporting community forests across the province to complete work that prioritizes local values, including wildfire risk reduction and enhancing forest resiliency in rural areas. By partnering with local stakeholders such as community forest managers, they help ensure that their initiatives align with the unique needs and priorities of each community. This collaborative approach not only promotes sustainable forest management but also creates important economic and social opportunities.” In 2022, the Logan Lake Community Forest undertook a project with funding investments from FESBC to complete the planning and preparation required to complete treatments along a corridor by the Coquihalla Highway to reduce the risk of human-caused fires along the highway. More recently, we’ve also seen the work of the Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS), where they successfully reduced the amount of excess dead wood or debris in the forests within a high-use recreation area. In doing so, they have enhanced both wildlife habitat and recreational values and exemplified the additional benefits of this work. “Coarse woody debris, wildlife trees and some patches of regeneration were factored into the prescription and implementation of the project to ensure biodiversity and wildlife habitat values were recognized. Additionally, crews salvaged good quality sawlogs and firewood that would have otherwise been burned,” Jeff Reyden, RPF, Manager of KDCFS shared in an article.
Indigenous leadership also plays a crucial role in these efforts. A powerful example is the work of the Westbank First Nation’s Ntityix Resources LP, that have effectively integrated cultural practices and traditional knowledge into their wildfire mitigation strategies. Their work emphasizes the significance of ongoing wildfire risk reduction efforts and highlights the benefit of incorporating Indigenous leadership and traditional cultural practices in forest management.
I believe it is fair to say that becoming fire resilient is about individual actions that add up to a larger collective impact, which are all connected. When FireSmarting your own backyard can be connected to municipal wildfire risk reduction, which can be connected to activities on Crown land, which can be connected to activities in other communities, individual actions are amplified. By working together, sharing knowledge, and supporting initiatives like those invested in by FESBC and our partners, we are building toward a more fire-resilient future for British Columbia. Let’s commit to taking action for the long-term health of our forests and communities, together.