Wildfire mitigation work underway near Pine Ridge

Over the coming weeks, you may notice crews working on a District-owned parcel of land near Pine Ridge. The BC Wildfire Service is carrying out wildfire mitigation work to help reduce fire risk in the area, and the District is glad to support it.

What is happening

Crews will be hand clearing brush and removing ladder fuels, the smaller trees and low branches that can let a fire climb up into the treetops. Clearing this growth helps slow the spread of wildfire and makes our community more resilient. The branches will be gathered into piles within the work area.

The work will happen gradually through the summer as crews are available, so you may see activity on and off over the season. Part of this is also interagency cooperation, so at times you may notice more than one crew on site.

No burning at this stage

There is no burning taking place during this summer work. The brush piles will be left to dry and are planned for controlled pile burning over the winter, when conditions are safest. This is the same approach used recently on 12th Avenue. We will share more information before any burning takes place.

Questions

If you have any questions, please reach out to our FireSmart Coordinator, Cass Dearlove, at firesmart@invermere.net or 250-342-3200 ext. 1303.