A recently formed fuel management committee needs to act quickly.
This, said mayor Bernice Magee is because the wildfire season is fast approaching.
Mayor Magee spoke to councillors during a special meeting last week informing them of the new committee and adding that there is funding available for communities to use for fuel mitigation work.
She went on to say that the committee is comprised of local stakeholders, municipal government representatives and local forestry officials.
Mayor Magee said the community needs dollars for wildfire mitigation now, however they are still waiting for funding criteria, which is expected to be released soon.
According to Cliff Manning forest protection technician for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Wildfire Management branch, who is heading up the committee, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) has set up $25 million for the fuel management program.
Communities with an active Community Wildfire Protection Plan may apply for the funding to treat forest fuels adjacent to communities, in order to reduce fuel loading and reduce the potential impact from wildfire.
According to Manning, the Burns Lake community wildfire protection plan, which was implemented in 2008, identified areas adjacent to the community that should be treated.
"Areas designated high and extreme for treatment is where we need to focus our treatments with this funding. These areas are along the south shore of Burns Lake, adjacent to subdivisions where there are a significant concentration of homes," Manning said, adding that they would like to have funding in place to start some form of fuel management treatment for September this year.
He said the committee was formed prior to a visit to the community by Bruce Blackwell an independent forester and biologist who, during a recent public meeting said that Burns Lake could potentially be looking at the possibility of the town going up in flames, similar to the situation in Slave Lake, Alberta.
Blackwell said that there is an increasing wildfire hazard caused by large amounts of dead pine left in the forest surrounding the community. [As reported in the Lakes District News edition of May 25, 2011]
"He [Blackwell] reinforced what we already knew," Manning said.
He added that the committee was formed when the UBCM funding was announced earlier this year.
"With the announcement by the provincial government of dollars being available and after seeing the results of the Slave Lake fire, we recognize the importance of this type of treatment and the value of being proactive in reducing forest fuels adjacent to communities, more so in light of the mountain pine beetle killed stands."
Manning went on to say that the funding percentage has not yet been determined by UBCM, but that any contribution that is expected to be made by the community will be in-kind rather than monetary.
"Just turning up for a meeting contributes towards an in-kind donation," he said, adding that any mapping work or other contributions made towards the project also counts as in-kind donations.
Manning also said that it is the responsibility of home owners to fire-proof their homes by removing dead tress and under story fuels.
Previously fuel mitigation work was also conducted in the forested area behind the Wanakena Motel. The fuel mitigation program was initiated by two grants of $100,000 from the Natural Resources Canada Mountain Pine Beetle Program.
The removal of dead pine trees began in the Saul Creek area in November of 2007 and was completed in March of 2008. Fuel mitigation was also carried out behind the Wanakena Motel with funding from the second grant, during the winter months of 2008 which was completed in March 2009.
Further treatment, in the heights area was also carried out during the spring of 2009 under a provincial Job Opportunities Grant under the leadership of Burns Lake Community Forest.
For more information on preparing your home for wildfire season go to www.bcwildfire.ca/Prevention/fire smart.