Bulkley Valley Research Centre - Science in the Public Interest

Forest Management, Historical Disturbances, Prescribed Burning, and Wildfire Risk

Project Reference Number: 2020-01

Project Status: Active

Led by: Evelyn Hamilton, Phil Burton (UNBC), Kira Hoffman, Sam Coggins, Alana Clason, Irene Ronalds, Dawn Hanson

Funder: BC Wildfire Service, Canadian Forest Service

Effects of current forest management activities are being evaluated with the goal of developing guidance for linking stand management activities (e.g., harvesting, stand tending) to improved wildfire risk reduction outcomes. The natural range of fire regime variability are being examined through the construction of long-term datasets that describe past conditions influencing fire activity. Implications of including and excluding the appropriate type, location, and quantity of both natural and prescribed fires on various landscapes historically and under a future climate are also being evaluated.