WINLAW PRESCRIBED BURN
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 on the following page, 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 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 of when a wildfire burns fuel rich forests in hot dry weather. The prescribed burn will reduce fuel loads so wildfires are less intense, have reduced ecosystem impacts, and are more easily controlled. The prescribed burn will leave behind a vigorous forest ecosystem with live trees. The picture below was taken in the heart of the 2018 Winlaw prescribed burn area, 3 months after the burn.