The Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District(CCNRD) will start a 26.3-hectare Wildfire Risk Reduction project north of Williams Lake today [May 15].
The project includes five treatment locations near private properties near Mile 168 Road. The project will be worked on until March 20, 2026.
“This is so if there is a wildfire, BC Wildfire Crews have defendable ground to keep the fire from going any lower on the mountain,” says Shelly Harnden, Land and Resource Coordinator for CCNRD.
“While the crews are working on site, please be respectful of their space. Stay out of the area. They’ll have active signs for the areas they are working in.
Residents and visitors of the area should expect to see and hear crews working with chainsaws and pole saws to create gaps between the larger mature trees and smaller understory trees.
Understory trees will also be thinned out, and have their lower branches pruned up to 3 metres or 50 per cent of their height, whichever is less.
Coarse woody debris, deciduous trees, and wildlife trees that pose high risks will be retained to protect the local wildlife.
The boundary of the treatment area will be marked with orange ribbons on trees, branches, and fences.
The Ministry of Forests has completed several wildfire risk reduction projects around Williams Lake, including Fox Mountain, Airport Road, South Lakeside, Dog Creek, Chimney Valley, and Lower Comer.
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