Headlines News Wildfire Week
Planning ahead to prevent wildfires in B.C.

March 21, 2023, Appledale, B.C. – Twenty communities and organizations around the Columbia Basin are increasing their capacity to prepare for and reduce the chances a wildfire will occur, spread, and cause damage. To do so, they’re receiving $2.5 million through a partnership between the province and the Columbia Basin Trust.

Tailored specifically to the Basin, this program is one aspect of British Columbia’s Community Resiliency Investment Program.

The program supports a range of projects, including hiring a FireSmart coordinator, developing plans to do prescribed burns, carrying out innovative fuel management activities or providing training on how to do FireSmart assessments.

The program builds on a previous partnership between the Trust and the province, which aimed to help Basin communities build wildfire resiliency while recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic. Through it, 29 projects in the Basin received $3.1 million and created 293 jobs.