The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) and its Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program partners will be conducting an ecosystem restoration burn in the Lakit Ridge area on Friday, April 1, weather permitting.

Lakit Ridge is located about four kilometres northeast of Fort Steele.

Smoke from this controlled burn will be visible from the communities of Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fort Steele and surrounding areas. Trained BC Wildfire Service personnel will carefully monitor the fire at all times.

This 110-hectare controlled burn on Lakit Ridge will be conducted next to the site of the Brewery Ridge controlled burn that occurred in spring 2014 (pictured above).

These burn projects help create landscape-level fuel breaks, reduce accumulations of forest fuels, mitigate the severity of future wildfires, and decrease wildfire risks for nearby communities, MFLNRO reported in a media release.

Prescribed fire projects such as these also help maintain wildlife habitat and will specifically help increase forage range for bighorn sheep in the Lakit Ridge area.

Fire is a natural, normal process in many ecosystems and is beneficial for maintaining a healthy forest and a diversity of plant and animal life. Many plants and animals have adapted to fire and some actually depend on it to reproduce.

All prescribed burns must comply with the Environmental Management Act and the open burning smoke control regulation. This helps minimize the amount of smoke generated, MFLNRO stated.

To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

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