The Provincial Government is investing over $5 million to help reduce the risk of wildfires in community forests, $1.5 million of which is coming to the Cariboo.
The BC Community Forest Association will distribute the money to 15 community forests around the province, providing funds for 44 Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (CLWRR) projects. There are three community forests in the Cariboo receiving a share of $1,479,824:
Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development Roly Russell says the province is excited to have the injection of funds into community forest partnerships. “It’s going to fund a whole array of projects all around reducing wildfire risk,” Russell says, “there’s a whole breadth of projects including more traditional fuel management, planning and treatment in crown lands forests around communities, as well as things like prescribed fires and planning and operating those, as well as risk reduction activity around critical infrastructure. That might be things like a radio repeater or a weather station or an air tanker base.”
There are three community forests in the Cariboo receiving a share of $1,479,824 for various projects:
- $486,374 to Esk’etemc Community Forest for three operational treatment projects and one prescribed fire project (covering around 293.5 hectares)
- $589,200 to Eniyud Community Forest Ltd. for one treatment prescription development and two operational treatment projects (around 174 hectares)
- $404,250 to Williams Lake Community Forest Limited Partnership for one operational treatment (around 70 hectares)