Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu is praising the provisions being granted to protect North Okanagan communities from wildfires.
Three prescription development projects and two operational treatments near Lumby (about 77.4 hectares) are getting $667,004 towards protecting people and critical infrastructure from wildfires near the Monashee community forest.
“The Monashee Community Forest is an excellent example of community collaboration, and everyone involved is rightly proud of that work,” Sandhu said in a Thursday (April 1) press release.
“Local knowledge of the forest is an important tool in preventing and mitigating the damage from wildfires, and I’m excited to see that knowledge being put to use by the Splatsin First Nation and Village of Lumby.”
The project is part of roughly $5 million announced by the province for 15 Community Forest Agreement holders across B.C. The funds support 44 wildfire risk reduction projects on Crown lands through the BC Wildfire Service’s Community Investment program.
Community Forest Agreement holders manage forested land near communities in the Okanagan, playing a key role in fuel management treatments while bolstering projects with their expertise and local knowledge.
B.C.’s Economic Recovery Plan provides employment and economic opportunities to support a wide range of projects throughout the province. The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is responsible for economic recovery programs worth more than $100 million.
“This investment in wildfire risk reduction in community forests is one component of that overall recovery strategy,” the press release states.
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