Kootenay-Boundary Region, B.C. – On April 24, 2025, Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, shared details on newly funded forest enhancement projects throughout the province at the BC First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) Conference in Penticton. The announcement highlighted 64 projects receiving investments from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) for wood waste utilization and wildfire risk reduction, nine of which will occur in the Kootenay-Boundary Region.
These newly funded projects represent nearly $20 million in investments, with nearly $2 million allocated to projects in the Kootenay-Boundary Region that will reduce wildfire risk to better protect communities and important infrastructure. Many projects have additional benefits, such as taking action on climate change and enhancing wildlife habitat, and will help create or sustain good, family-supporting jobs.
“We received so many excellent applications from interested parties across the province looking to invest in the future of B.C.’s forests,” shared Jason Fisher, Executive Director of FESBC. “After careful review, we are pleased to be able to support a portfolio of projects that will make forests more resilient and communities safer, while unlocking the value of wood waste generated through forest management activities.”
In total, wildfire risk reduction projects in the Kootenay-Boundary Region will allow for the treatment of 238 hectares of forest and prescriptions, or planning, for future wildfire risk reduction work in 319 hectares.
Wildfire Risk Reduction Projects
- Fuel Break Treatments: Kaslo Community Forest will receive funding to implement a 20-hectare landscape-level fire break above the communities of Kaslo and Shutty Bench. This work will provide an access route for firefighters in the event of a wildfire. Wood fibre resulting from thinning understory trees will go to a pulp mill, where possible, as well as some pile burning.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Creston Valley Forest Corporation will receive funding to implement fuel reduction treatments in the Wildland Urban Interface area near Creston with a plan developed for future cultural and prescribed burns.
- Fuel Break Treatment: Nakusp and Area Community Forest will receive funding for the continuation of a landscape-level fuel break around the communities of Nakusp and Brouse, situated within the community forest. Treatments of the understory will involve hand and mechanical thinning, pruning, piling and/or burning.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Harrop-Procter Community Co-operative will receive funding to mechanically treat three areas near the community of Harrop, in addition to manually treating one other area, as well as completing a fuel management prescription. This work will be similar to previously funded fuel reduction treatments and is in high-priority Wildland Urban Interface areas.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative will receive funding for a project that builds on and enhances the value of previous investments in wildfire preparedness and fuel mitigation work in the central Slocan Valley through thinning the forest and doing post-harvest cleanup. The work is aligned with high-priority fuel management locations identified in the 2020 Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the areas are all a part of a landscape-level fuel break.
- Fuel Break Treatment: The City of Kimberley will receive funding for a project that targets six areas within a larger landscape-level fuel break along the west side of Kimberley. The areas will be treated manually to remove all ladder fuels (low branches that can facilitate a fire moving from the ground up into the canopy), thin all dead-standing trees, and pile and burn wood waste.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Kaslo and District Community Forest Society will receive funding for a project area identified in the Kaslo & Area Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. The work will be comprised of manual treatments to thin and prune the stand and reduce surface fuels, while the mechanical treatment will focus on crown canopy separation.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Kaslo and District Community Forest Society will receive funding for a project area that was identified in the Kaslo & Area Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan north of the community. This project will deliver a fuel management prescription and a fully laid-out fuel reduction treatment area for future fuel reduction work.
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Treatments: Kaslo and District Community Forest Society will receive funding to continue the implementation of a fuel management prescription for three areas near Kaslo and will involve manual fuel reduction work.
Of the 64 total new projects to receive investments from FESBC throughout the province, 31 projects are led by Indigenous organizations and an additional 14 projects have significant Indigenous participation.
“The BC First Nations Forestry Council would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Province of BC and FESBC for providing the funding needed to get boots on the ground and support critical work. Mitigating wildfire risk and creating a more fire-ready landscape is essential,” said Lennard Joe, CEO, BC First Nations Forestry Council. “I am grateful for our First Nations contractors, whose capacity and readiness, position them to lead this important work and help move the province forward in a good way.” To learn more about some of the innovative and collaborative projects invested in by FESBC that have been led by local project proponents throughout the province, you are invited to take a look at the Spring 2025 Accomplishments Update.
For an interview with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, contact:
Aleece Laird, Communications Liaison, communications@fesbc.ca | 250.574.0221
ADDITIONAL QUOTES:
Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director, BC Community Forest Association: “FESBC has played a vital role in supporting community forests across the province to complete work that prioritizes local values, including wildfire risk reduction, utilizing wood waste, 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.”
Gord Chipman, Executive Director, Woodlots BC: “Every year, between 5,000 to 10,000 hectares of woodlots are impacted by wildfire. 20% of woodlots are located in a Wildland Urban Interface and have a high or extreme wildfire risk. With FESBC’s investments for new wildfire risk reduction projects, woodlots will have the opportunity to be proactive and take greater strategic action to better protect communities and people. These projects will be innovative and evolve with the involvement of BC Wildfire Service and local Forest Districts.”
FESBC would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests.