FAQs

FireSmart treatments not only help reduce the opportunities of a wildfire starting and spreading, they help wildfire fighting crews fight wildfires effectively and safely. A treatment can also open up access to new areas for recreation. FireSmart treatments involve Vegetation Management: 

• Fuel Reduction 
  • Thinning - increasing the space between trees by selectively removing flammable species (spruce, pine, fir) and shrubs mechanically by mulching or harvesting the trees or by selectively removing the trees by hand. 
  • Pruning - Removal of low lying branches to 2 metres high tor educe the spread of ground fire into the tops of trees. Fire is much harder to control in the tree tops. 
  • Removal of dead and downed woody material - Removal of dead surface and low level shrubs, trees, logs to reduce the possibility of wildfire ignition. 
• Fuel Removal: Removing all flammable species to create fuel breaks (fireguards) on the landscape. These fuel free areas are used for firefighting operations and to slow the approach of fire. This is achieved through mulching, mowing, or prescribed burning programs. 
• Species Conversion: This is the alteration of a forest area from conifer trees (spruce, pine, fir) to a less combustible and more fire resistant deciduous tree species (aspen, birch, poplar). This strategy is used to help reduce the wildfire hazard around communities while still maintaining the trees on the landscape. This also involves maintaining grassy or deciduous areas around structures. 
• Prescribed Fire: FireSmart recognizes the benefit of introducing the controlled application of fire to sensitive and protected areas of the forest. It can help reduce hazardous buildups of forest fuels. Prescribed fire is used to maintain the overall health of the forest, plants, and animals.
• Hazard Reduction Burning: By burning dry grass annually we can reduce the hazard of dry grasses and return nutrients back to the soil.