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Hamilton Spectator

Nakusp FireSmart coordinator shares local example of successful wildfire mitigation

Wildfire risk reduction (WRR) work can sometimes be a contentious topic, but the Village of Nakusp's FireSmart Coordinator has seen the benefit firsthand. Noel Ballard, who is also the Emergency Program Coordinator, spoke during a presentation on May 7 about a local example of successful WRR work. Last summer, the Komonko Creek wildfire swept through the Slocan Valley, burning intensely enough in some areas to scorch away the soil. However, one section near the Slocan Lake viewpoint (rest stop) received fuel mitigation treatment prior to the fire. That area burned much less intensely, Ballard told the Valley Voice, leaving soil and tree crowns intact. 'It's going to regenerate quite quickly, and it's actually going to come back healthier because of the fire,' he said. Wildfire risk reduction work can stir up controversy, since it can involve cutting down trees and strategic burning. And the goal is not necessarily to stop fires completely, but to reduce the intensity when one occurs. Less intensity means more of the forest is preserved, speeding up recovery. 'The local example in the Slocan Valley can help people get a better understanding of the point of the work, and its effects,' said Ballard. Ballard said one of the goals of WRR is to get forest ecosystems back into their natural cycles – part of which involves wildfires. BC Wildfire Service's approach in the '80s and '90s was to jump on forest fires and put them out immediately, he said. 'This leads to a build-up of forest fuels… What would naturally burn off during periodic, low-intensity fires has built up, which leads to high-intensity fires further down the road, which ultimately leads to an altered forest ecosystem,' he said. Ballard's FireSmart presentation was sponsored by Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR), which received almost $800,000 at the end of April from the Forestry Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to perform WRR work on a 73-hectare piece of land northeast of Nakusp. NACFOR recently completed phase one in Unit 5, near the Wensley Creek Cross Country Ski Trails. With FESBC's funding, the community forest will proceed to phase two, which includes mechanical and hand-thinning mitigation treatments to clear excess understory and limit a fire's ability to spread between trees. 'I think [NACFOR] has done a good job,' said Ballard, who has over a decade of experience in silviculture and firefighting. 'Coming from my perspective, it's very difficult to make projects happen and to get public buy-in. I'm fully on board with preserving the natural ecosystem and recreational values, but there's a balance. If you don't do [WRR] and then a fire rips through, you're much worse off.' NACFOR's fuel treatment areas around rural Nakusp integrate areas identified in the 2017 Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The goal is a wildfire fuel break around the Village in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) to improve public safety, protect infrastructure, and create a defensible space. Ballard described a past WRR project in the Wensley Creek area on a piece of land owned by the Village with several private water licences. People expressed concern about keeping the ecosystem intact. 'But the reality is that there had been similar fuel management work done on the exact same piece of land years ago. And that's what led to it being this pristine environment that they wanted to protect,' said Ballard. '[WRR] can be done in a way that preserves the ecosystem.' And the people's water sources. If the work isn't completed, a fire could rip through there eventually, he said. And when it does, water sources will be compromised for a long time. But if the work is done ahead of time, a fire will burn less intensely and have less of an impact on water systems. Wildfire resiliency also starts at home, said Ballard. He presented on the seven FireSmart principles and how individuals can take steps to protect their homes and communities. He encourages residents to sign up for a free home assessment, which offers recommendations on how to FireSmart a property. Rebates are available to offset the cost of FireSmart activities. Contact firesmart@ for more information.