Photo: BCWS

Prescribed burn in the Penticton fire zone in 2024

BC Wildfire Service has six prescribed burns planned for the Vernon fire zone this year.

A member of the BCWS Vernon Zone was at the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday to talk about cultural and prescribed burns in the area.

BCWS will conduct a cross-training burn with the City of Vernon and District of Lake Country.

Crews will also be doing a burn with BC Parks in Ellison Provincial Park, and have an agreement to do a burn with the Okanagan Indian Band.

In the fall, BCWS will be working with BC Timber Sales to conduct a burn near Seymour Arm.

Members of GVAC asked about other potential burn sites, naming places like Coldstream Ranch or SilverStar Mountain.

Director Brian Guy, a Vernon city councillor, raised the importance of communication.

“Without this work, there absolutely will be catastrophic fires around here. So my preference would be to be bold, but also communicate. Communicate well, but don't plan to death," said Guy.

BCWS said burns often take about two years to conceptualize and then implement – sometimes up to five year if the burn window doesn’t present itself.