A 72-hectare prescribed burn will be conducted in the Place Lake area sometime between April 29 and May 17, 2019, if weather and burning conditions are suitable.
This prescribed burn is being conducted for ecosystem restoration purposes west of Place Lake and east of Alkali Lake, about 36 kilometres south of Williams Lake. Smoke may be visible from Alkali Lake and surrounding communities.
A prescribed burn is an intentionally ignited fire that is planned and managed by a certified “burn boss.” The burn boss is responsible for ensuring initial burn conditions are favourable and the fire is fully extinguished once the prescribed burn is completed. This burn will help restore natural grassland ecosystems and will be managed by the ministry’s Ecosystem Restoration Program, with the assistance of the BC Wildfire Service.
Historically, grasslands in the Cariboo-Chilcotin were renewed through frequent, low-intensity ground fires. Such fires prevented tree encroachment, rejuvenated understory plants and helped maintain more open grasslands and forests with large trees. The reintroduction of managed, low-intensity ground fires to these grasslands is intended to restore and maintain traditional grassland plant communities that are native to these areas.
These types of planned fires also reduce accumulations of flammable material, which will help decrease the risk of significant wildfires in this area in the future.
This prescribed burn is part of an ongoing ecosystem restoration program administered by the provincial government through the Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Committee, in consultation with First Nations, local ranchers, forest licensees, outdoors organizations, the Fraser Basin Council, the B.C. Wildlife Federation and the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society.
The Place Lake burn will only proceed if site, weather and venting conditions are suitable. All prescribed burns must comply with the Environment Management Act and the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation. This helps minimize the amount of smoke generated.
Learn More:
A factsheet about prescribed burns and ecosystem restoration burns is available online: http://ow.ly/7RXg304vw2Z
To learn more about the Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Committee, visit: www.ccerc.net
