way’, Hello. The summer of 2023 will be memorable from the perspective of wildfire and its effect on our Community Forest. In June, we had a 33-hectare wildfire just south of the Connector and west of Peachland. In August the McDougall Creek wildfire impacted approximately 8,000 hectares of the Community Forest above West Kelowna. Currently, the Glen Lake wildfire west of Peachland is threatening to move in that area.
The McDougall Creek wildfire was catastrophic and, in some areas, burned everything right to mineral soil or rock. There are many factors contributing to the number and intensity of these wildfires such the exclusion of controlled burns from the ecosystem for the past century, forest management practices, and climate change among others.
Ntityix Resources is implementing strategies to help reduce the impacts of wildfires by conducting fire mitigation projects near communities to reduce the volume of combustible fuels, reducing the density of our younger stands through spacing and pruning treatments. We are developing fuel treatment areas at the landscape level to help slow wildfire, including planting deciduous trees which are less flammable than coniferous trees and encouraging mixed stands in our younger forests, and re-introducing controlled burning.
We must work at building more fire resilient ecosystems before they are impacted by more catastrophic wildfires. Though disheartening to see the impacts of these wildfires we will continue our work, seek advice, and adapt our practices to improve the health of the land and all the values which depend on it.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. limlǝmt, Dave Gill. Cell 250-215-4872
Ntityix Resources suppression crew on the fire line.