After the pine-beetle epidemic that swept through much of the province in the past decade, a scattering of dead pine skeletons stand here and there around the town.
100 Mile House Fire-Rescue chief Darrell Blades says fuel mitigation projects to reduce district wildfire risk began in earnest in 2006, and included Centennial Park.
“We did some mitigation five years ago right behind the hospital; we did that ridge.”
There remain some visible dead pines in the area across the creek near the old ski hill, he explains, that looks like it is inside Centennial Park boundaries, but isn’t.
“Most people look at the park and think there needs to be fuel mitigation, but mostly the stuff on the other side of the creek and the majority of that is private property.”
Most of the fuel mitigation has been done by private landowners, he notes, with about 809 hectares (2,000 acres) already logged around the district.
There is still minor work for the District of 100 Mile House to do in the park, but Blades says it is all subject to funding and “isn’t our high priority.”
There are six projects left, if the district gets funding for them, Blades explains.
“We’ve done lots. We have three spots that we want to finish in town, and then we have some more in the fire protection area outside of town to do.”
The remaining areas inside town include some trees near Exeter Road, some near Kingsgate Excavating on Alpine Street and the park, he adds.
The prescription work has already been done for the Alpine Street location, and a BC Forest Service Wildfire Management Branch unit crew will handle that job, but probably not until next year.
In the fire protection district, 55 hectares (136 acres) underwent fuel mitigation in 2009, including areas along Horse Lake Road, and Highway 97 from 94 Mile.
A strip was done from Barnett Road south to near Highway 24, but the fire chief explains the district was fortunate that West Fraser also logged some of it.
An area from Barnett Road to behind Hyra Road remains for mitigation crews to log, and some on the other side of the highway, but he adds the rest is mainly private property where the district has no authority to perform work.
“We hope landowners take care of it, and follow the FireSmart guidelines and the pamphlets for home and personal yards available at the fire hall.
“The onus now is on homeowners protecting it because most of the Crown and municipal land has had some kind of treatment. We’ve done quite well on our fire plan.”
