WINLAW PRESCRIBED BURN - A SUCCESS!

On Thursday May 3rd, the prescribed burn in the Winlaw watershed that had been planned over the last year, happened. SIFCo and the BC Wildfire Service are very pleased with the results. Everything went according to plan. The site is a south facing slope and is a fire dependent ecosystem. Due to fire suppression, fire has not travelled through the area in decades creating high levels of fuel. In preparation for this burn, the Winlaw Creek area underwent an $80,000 treatment last spring by reducing accumulated fuels in strategic areas. A day before the burn, the BC Wildfire service crew created a 'Black Line' around the site using drip torches to ensure that once aerial ignition began, the fire could not travel further than the prescribed area. Once this was complete, Aerial ignition was carried out using an ignition speres system. All safety measures were met to ensure that the burn was a success and did not pose a threat to the Winlaw community. Venting during the day was ideal, and although Winlaw experienced some smoke in the late evening and early morning following the burn, it was minor compared to summer smoke due to wildfires. Given the hot summers we have been experiencing over the past decade, and the site's proximity to Winlaw, the prescribed burn carried out on Thursday, May 4th was necessary, a great success, and a huge step towards protecting our community from the potentially devastating effects of wildfires.