WHEREAS existing federal and provincial funding programs that assist communities in reducing wildland-urban interface fire hazards are inadequate to address the estimated 1.7 million hectares of interface fire hazard lands throughout the province; AND WHEREAS the ability for local communities to independently manage their adjacent interface hazard zones would support and encourage innovative and effective utilization of the associated forest resources: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM encourage the Province to amend existing forest tenure arrangements to enable the creation of Community Forest Management Zones for Wildfire Hazard Reduction in order to accelerate wildfire hazard reduction in forests surrounding BC communities; diversify and increase local forest-based economic and employment opportunities; and support the establishment of a viable bioenergy sector for rural BC communities and the province as a whole.
Ministry of Forests, Lands Natural Resource Operations The Ministry of Forest, Land and Natural Resource Operations recognizes and supports the need to proactively manage fuel sources around communities to reduce the risk of wildfire impacts. The Ministry is working towards landscape-level fire management planning with three pilot projects in the Cascades and the Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and the Sea-to-Sky Resource Districts to assess high wildfire threats. The Ministry aims to identify strategies to improve the fire resiliency of the land, safeguard communities and protect critical infrastructure. Using bioenergy to reduce wildfire risks to communities is an attractive option; however, reallocation of fibre, timber volume or establishment of specific management areas would require extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders. The Ministry believes that the most effective long-term and sustainable solution involves supporting innovation through policy and legislation and building partnerships with the forest industry, the bioenergy sector, BC Timber Sales, local governments, community forest associations, First Nations and other stakeholders.