Fire prevention projects carried out around near the city

MERRITT – With the support of close to $250,000 in funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), the Lower Nicola Indian Band (LNIB) completed a couple of fire prevention projects.

“The idea is not to eliminate the risk of wildfire, because that’s impossible, the idea is to minimize the impacts of a fire if a fire does get going,” said Don Gossoo, General Manager with the LNIB Band Development Corporation.

The two projects that were completed were around the Lindley Creek and Fox Farm areas.

When it comes to the actual work completed, Gossoo highlights what exactly they did to clear the areas.

“We go into a forested stand that is relatively dense and thick, a lot of understory, a lot of branches, a lot of crisscross trees, and blow down and we essentially fire proof it. We do that by spacing out the stand, opening it up, pruning it which eliminates what they call ladder fuels.”

In Gossoo’s opinion, projects like this help with more than just fire prevention.

“It also opens up the stand to make a healthier forest with more sunlight getting in, more nutrients or less competition for nutrients and water so it helps the community, but it also helps the ecosystem. It’s also good for employment opportunities and the socioeconomic aspect of it is very important as well.

Gossoo added there is another similar project coming later on in the summer near the community of Logan Lake.