WINLAW AND TROZZO PRESCRIBED BURNS SPRING 2022

SIFCo is continuing to work towards creating landscape scale fuel managed areas in the Winlaw Creek and Trozzo Creek watersheds, as described in the Slocan Valley Strategic Landscape Level Fuel Management Plan (https://www.sifco.ca/wui-management) and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for RDCK Area H South (https://www.sifco.ca/areah-h-south).

Our 2022 plans are to carry out low intensity prescribed burns on two sites, shown on the map below, working in partnership with the BC Wildfire Service.

A prescribed burn is the controlled application of fire to the land to accomplish specific conservation and land management goals. The south aspect slopes in the planned burn areas are dry ecosystems that were historically maintained by fire, and which contain species of plants and animals adapted to and dependent on fire.

Prescribed fire is an effective means of managing these habitats and mitigating the effects of climate change, by helping them return to a more resilient state, better suited to a warmer, dryer climate.

The 2021 Trozzo Creek wildfire provided a graphic illustration of the impact when a wildfire burns fuel rich forests in hot dry weather. The prescribed burns will reduce fuel loads so wildfires will be less intense, have reduced ecosystem impacts, and will be more easily controlled. The prescribed burn will leave behind a vigorous forest ecosystem with live trees and a healthy canopy. The low intensity of a prescribed burn leaves an area hydrologically intact and does not impact water quality.

The picture below was taken in the heart of the 2018 Winlaw prescribed burn area, 3 months after the burn.