A $1.6 million wildfire mitigation project across East Kelowna is well underway. 

''What we see today are some methods of removing fuels from the forests and decreasing risk and increasing public safety," said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. 

"Currently, crews are doing a mechanical thinning which is one way to reduce risk. Prescribed burning is another.

''We have allocated in this budget $10 million to create a prescribed burning strategy and that is what we will be working on this year and we intend to have the strategy completed by late spring." 

A number of projects have already been implemented across the province. 

''In the local Okanagan area right now there is an area around Mission Creek, up in Joe Rich, Black Mountain Irrigation District and on the Westbank there are a number of areas as well. We are currently working up by Monroe, Garnett Valley, in behind Summerland and Peachland, and in behind the Westbank First Nation community forest area,'' said David Conly, operations manager. 

In addition prescriptions and plans are set for communities around ski resorts. 

''We will be here for as long as we can. Once the fire risk gets too high and we are not allowed to operate in the forests anymore then we will stop, but we will try to get everything done we can,'' said Julius Huhs, land and resource co-ordinator. 

The project in East Kelowna is expected to take three years.