A pair of proposed important prescribed burns – one at the Canadian Rockies International Airport and one in the community watershed area in Phillips North around Gold Creek can now be undertaken, thanks to a $190,000 grant from the Columbia Basin Trust through their Columbia Basin Wildfire Resilience Initiative (CBWRI), a partnership between the Columbia Basin Trust and the province.

These proposed prescribed burns are planned using wildfire risk studies, input from fire agencies and Indigenous partners, and feedback from the community. By removing excess vegetation in high-risk areas, the burns help slow the spread of wildfire, protect important infrastructure, and support healthy forests.

This proactive work helps Cranbrook be better prepared for future wildfire seasons and reduces the need for emergency response.

“These projects are to build on the work we’ve done to date to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience, and focus on areas that have historically faced higher wildfire threats and protect important assets like homes, the community watershed, the airport, transportation routes and power lines,” said Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services Chief Scott Driver.

“This is an important part of a broader, long-term wildfire management approach that prioritizes prevention and risk reduction.”

The Columbia Basin Wildfire Resiliency Initiative is designed to help communities like Cranbrook across the Basin reduce wildfire risk by building local capacity in a seven FireSmart disciplines: education, vegetation management, planning, development, interagency cooperation, cross-training, and emergency planning.

“On behalf of council and the City of Cranbrook, I want to thank the Columbia Basin Trust, the Province of BC, the Ministry of Forests and the BC Wildfire Service for this important funding and for their continued support of our ongoing efforts locally to reduce our wildfire risk and improve the safety of the public and important infrastructure,” said Mayor Wayne Price.

“Projects like these help communities act proactively and adapt to the realities of a changing climate,” said Will Nixon, Director, Delivery of Benefits & Special Initiatives with the Columbia Basin Trust. “Cranbrook’s work to mitigate risk when it comes to wildfire will increase community resiliency, enhance watershed protection and help safeguard critical community assets.”

The prescribed burns will be implemented as early as this fall, weather and conditions permitting.

You can learn more about the Columbia Basin Wildfire Resiliency Initiative online.

City of Cranbrook photo

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