With anticipations of another hot year for the Northwest Woods, the Province sets up some funding for the year ahead

We may only be at the end of the first week of May, but as the summer months get closer the Province of British Columbia has set in motion some early funding for some Northwest Communities to prepare for another hot summer in the woods.

Doug Donaldson, the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development introduced the funding program over the weekend, part of more than 6 million dollars to be directed province wide to municipalities, regional districts and First Nation communities from this first intake for 2019.

“Community resiliency investment funding will help Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities increase their resiliency to wildfire threats  ... The program is designed to support projects at the local level to help keep British Columbians safe.”

The Northwest portion of the funding announced Saturday comes to more than $169,000 and will be provided to the following communities:

Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine: $99,980 to assist with education, planning, inter-agency co-operation, emergency planning, cross-training and FireSmart activities on private land 

Gitanyow Band: $24,628 to assist with education, planning, development and cross-training 

Atlin Improvement District: $45,000 to assist with education, cross-training and FireSmart activities on private land.

Also receiving funding from the program were communities on Haida Gwaii.

Village of Queen Charlotte: $25,000 to assist with planning 

Village of Masset: $25,000 to assist with planning 

Village of Port Clements: $25,000 to assist with planning

One of the key components of the program is that it lets communities apply for funding to cover up to 100% of a wildfire risk reduction project. Eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk can apply for up to $25,000, while applicants facing a demonstrated higher wildfire risk can apply for up to $100,000.

More background on the weekend announcement can be found here.

The funding announcement comes as the Northwest is placed under its first Open Fire Prohibition for the 2019 season, with the BC Wildfire Service implementing a Category 2 open fire prohibition within the Nadina, Bulkley and Skeena fire zones of the Northwest Fire Centre.

The Prohibition goes into effect at Noon today.

 The definition of a Category 2 open fire is: one to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres wide by two metres high; or the burning of stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares.

As officials prepare for the 2019 season and the dangers presented by conditions across the Northwest you can keep up to date on developments, warnings and advisories from the Wildfire Service website here.

Wildfire advisories can also be accessed through the BC Fire Info Twitter feed and Facebook page.

For more items of note from the Legislature see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.