The Kaslo and District Community Forest Society is helping the community increase its wildfire resiliency through risk reduction projects.
With funding support from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), it completed a 10-hectare project – eight hectares of the Kaslo society's tenure, and two on Crown land – just north of the municipal boundary in the wildland urban interface – the place where human development meets the natural environment.
“Given the increasing number and severity of wildfires, this type of wildfire risk reduction work is becoming vital in and around communities in British Columbia,” said Jeff Reyden, registered professional forester and manager of the Kaslo society (KDCFS).
The $96,900 project began in the spring of 2023 with pre-treatment surveys, followed by a fuel management prescription that summer. KDCFS hired John Cathro, resident of Kaslo and a forester with a background in wildfire risk reduction, to prepare the planning document guiding the mitigation work.
In the fall of 2023, KDCFS held community field tours of the area and corresponded with local trail groups. Feedback on the project was positive, said Reyden.
Boots-on-the-ground work began that December. KDCFS worked with contractors to remove smaller trees suppressed by the upper canopy and ground debris, as per the prescription. Usable lumber was salvaged where possible.
“The thinning process removed hazardous forest fuels, which help better protect the community from wildfires,” said Craig Barschel, a local contractor who worked on the project. “By selectively removing trees, the project allowed remaining trees more access to sunlight and nutrients, promoting a healthier and more resilient forest.”
The result is almost park-like. Already a popular area for recreation activities, groups like the Kaslo Mountain Bike Society and the Kaslo Outdoor Recreation and Trails Society are considering building additional trails.
The mature stand of Douglas fir, larch, and cedar was identified as a priority treatment area in the Village of Kaslo’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. It was also the last area in a swath of land extending up from the lake to the KDCFS’s highest road system – an area that KDCFS has been working in for six years.
With the work completed, there is now an easily defensible zone in the wildland urban interface. Reyden said KDCFS has been liaising with BC Wildfire Service and other agencies in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season.
“The last few years, there have been wildfires fairly close to home, with Keen Creek threatening the municipality in 2022, and Argenta Creek wildfire last year,” said Reyden.
Projects like these are essential for increasing a community’s wildfire resiliency.
“The work that the community forest has been able to do in the wildland urban interface is a really valuable contribution that’s outside of what the municipality can do – but still complementary,” said Jessie Lay, Village of Kaslo’s FireSmart program co-ordinator.
FireSmart programming is limited to wildfire mitigation on residential and municipally owned properties only; Crown land and forestry tenures aren’t included, said Lay. KDCFS’s work bridges the gap.
“By implementing projects like this one, KDCFS is helping contribute to community resilience in a time of more extreme wildfire threats and creating conditions that may enable ground crews to safely action wildfires in the future,” said FESBC in a Jan. 28 press release.
“A big thanks to [FESBC],” said Reyden. “Without the funds, projects like this would not be possible.”
Reyden also expressed thanks to private landowners who allowed use of their driveways for access to the site. Funding for the project also helped support jobs for local contractors.
