Photo: Contributed

The City of Nelson is piloting a new remote-controlled technology to reduce wildfire fuels west of Gyro Park.

The area, which has been identified as a high-risk location for fuel mitigation, has a steep slope and is challenging to access.

The pilot project is necessary because it would be unfeasible and inefficient to use larger conventional chipping equipment on the complex terrain at Gyro Park.

Conventional pile-and-burn techniques were also deemed inappropriate in the majority of the area due to the potential for smoke generation in close proximity to Kootenay Lake Hospital.

The small-scale forestry machine the city is piloting is capable of accessing steep terrain, chipping woody materials in place and transporting the chips out of the treatment area for disposal off site.

The new technology will allow for the removal of heavy fuel loads while minimizing the impact to the site. Pre and post treatment data will be collected to determine effectiveness and the potential future application of this technology.

The treatment area below Gyro Park had already been identified for mitigation when it became the target of arson in the summer of 2024. While the fire was contained, the incident reinforced the critical need to treat fuel loads within core urban areas.

“We’re fortunate to live in a city with many green spaces and forested areas throughout the community, but this presents a number of challenges when it comes to wildfire mitigation,” said Nelson’s fire chief, Jeff Hebert. “Because of this, we often need to take an innovative approach and consider new technology when it makes sense.”

The fuel mitigation work at Gyro Park is part of a larger grant-funded wildfire risk reduction project the City is conducting on parcels of municipally-owned land this fall. This work is supported through the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) program, administered by Columbia Basin Trust.

For more information on the City of Nelson’s wildfire resilience efforts, click here.