The province is committing over $147,000 to wildfire risk reduction projects within the qathet Regional District.
From that funding, $140,000 will go to an operational fuel treatment, to mitigate wildfire concerns on 14 hectares of crown land in the Penticton Trails area.
That piece of land stretches from the municipal boundary to behind the gun range and Augusta Recyclers.
Another $7,200 is earmarked for developing a wildfire mitigation prescription for Mount Pocahontas on Texada Island.
In 2019, the province announced up to $25 million in funding through the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (WRR) program to increase resiliency to wildfire in communities across B.C.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development will now take the lead in fuel management planning and treatment activities on provincial Crown lands with the goal of protecting communities and critical infrastructure from damaging wildfires.
Manager of emergency services, Ryan Thoms, said community wildfire protection is a strategic priority for the district.
He added that the qRD “thanks the province for leading fire mitigation on provincial Crown lands and for supporting local FireSmart initiatives that improve public safety throughout our region.”
For more information on provincial wildfire prevention efforts, click here.
To learn how you can reduce wildfire risk in your community, or to learn
more about qRD wildfire prevention strategies, visit qathet.ca.
