Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Strategic Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Wetzin’kwa Community Forest (WCF) is in close proximity to the Town of Smithers and Village of Telkwa, and has been impacted by mountain pine beetle. The beetle-killed pine created variable levels of dry fuel hazard, both in mature stands and in recent salvage logging blocks. With the right conditions, a fire could result and put community values and property at risk. Potential high-hazard areas were identified based on available inventory information and field data collection was conducted in various stand types to allow for an analysis of the level of fuel loads and subsequent recommended potential treatments to reduce wildfire threat. This project created a Strategic Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Plan (SWHMP) that will be used to guide the identification and prioritization of treatment areas that pose significant wildfire risk due to the composition, distribution, and/or continuity between forest fuels. The SWHMP is intended to guide the development, implementation, and maintenance of fuel management prescriptions as well as the development of alternative forest management practices promoting fire resiliency.