Prescribed burn continues near Tom Lacey Trail

Q101 has been informed that prescribed burning is scheduled to continue all week in the Nicola Valley.

The Merritt Fire Department is alerting Merritt residents that smoke may be visible in the Tom Lacey Trail area (above Mountain Drive near Allen Road).

This is part of a 100% grant-funded prescribed fuel management project; which includes some burning to reduce our wildfire risk by slowing fire spread.

(Provided by the City of Merritt)

What does “reducing the wildfire risk” look like?

By removing stands of trees (creating space between trees) and clearing the surface vegetation (twigs, needles, and dead leaves) we can reduce the speed and intensity at which fire moves through the area. This project will also focus on removing ladder fuels (fuels that bring fire from the ground up to the crown of a tree). This is done by burning the vegetation (which is a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem in our fire-dependent forests) and/or removing/chipping the fuels and bringing them elsewhere.