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Prescribed Burn planned for Mission Wycliffe area
To help reduce the risk of wildfires, the BC Wildfire Service is supporting the ʔaq̓am community in partnership with the City of Cranbrook in conducting a prescribed burn north of Mission Wycliffe Road, approximately nine kilometres north of Cranbrook.
The burn area contains multiple treatment units (TU) covering a total of 141 hectares to support wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem restoration on the landscape. Burning will happen in multiple stages as conditions allow, starting with TU 4 which covers up to 44 ha.
The exact timing of this burn will depend on weather and site conditions, but it could begin as early as Tuesday, September 22.
Smoke may impact residents near the burn area and will be highly visible from Cranbrook and surrounding communities, and to motorists travelling along Highway 95A and Mission Wycliffe Road.
Key goals of this prescribed burn include:
Enhance wildlife habitat / forage and native plant communities;
Decrease the risk and impacts of future wildfires in the area;
Provide cross-training opportunities for the expanded use of prescribed fire as a tool for wildfire risk reduction, ecosystem restoration and stewardship.
Burning will only proceed if conditions are suitable to achieve objectives and allow for appropriate smoke dispersal, though smoke may linger in the following days, particularly the morning after burn operations.
Despite all smoke management precautions, unintended smoke impacts are possible after any burn. For more information on wildfire smoke impacts and how you can protect yourself, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Fire is a normal and natural process in many of B.C.’s ecosystems. The BC Wildfire Service works regularly with land managers to undertake fuel management activities (including the use of prescribed fire), to help achieve land management objectives, reduce the severity of future wildfires and increase ecosystem and wildfire resilience.
Learn more about prescribed burning online at prescribedfire.ca.
BC Wildfire Service file photo
