City of Kimberly begins targeted wildfire risk reduction project in WUI

July 11, 2024, Kimberly, B.C. — The city of Kimberly in British Columbia is introducing a targeted wildfire risk reduction project in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) southwest of the community.

The goal of the project is to reduce the amount of wildfire fuel present in the WUI, with manual treatments thinning the forest to create gaps between trees, cutting low-hanging branches, and overall reducing the amount of woody fuel through pile burning.

The city has additionally created a guidebook through funding from the Columbia Basin Trust on how to balance wildfire risk reduction with wildlife habitat management.

The 102 hectares of land in the WUI where the treatment is being applied was identified 15 years ago as an area needing support but was deprioritized until it was established as a habitat for Williamson’s sapsucker, a species of woodpeckers important for the biodiversity and forest ecosystem health, the city reported in a press release.

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC, an organization which aims to advance the environmental and resource stewardship of B.C.’s forests, is supporting efforts with funding.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.