Section 2 - Wildland Fire

Question 1

What is a wildland fire?

Answer 1

Any non structure fire that occurs in the wildland, including:
- wildfire
- wildland fire use
- prescribed fires

Question 2

What is BC Wildfire mandated by the BC Government to do?

Answer 2

• Deliver effective wildfire management and emergency response support on behalf of the Government of BC
• protect lives and values at risk
• encourage sustainable, healthy, and resilient ecosystems

Question 3

What is the goal of the BC Wildfire Service?

Answer 3

Achieve excellence in wildfire management and response services. Wildfire response and prevention is primarily focused on protecting lives, property and critical infrastructure, and government forest assets (timber)

Question 4

What is fire management?

Answer 4

A holistic approach that incorporates land management with the integration of fire regimes and fire effects, with values at risk, and multiple resources use activities.
- includes fuel management treatments

Question 5

Where in policy and legislation is wildland fire managed?

Answer 5

Wildfire Act, Wildfire Regulation

Question 6

What is a forest professional’s role in relation to wildland fire management?

Answer 6

• Operating at a time and in a manner that does not contribute to the start or spread of fire
• Planning and scheduling harvest/silv activities to mitigate the impacts of wildfire on adjacent areas in the timber supply
• Assessing and abating a fire hazard created during industrial or high risk activities
• Addressing forest health issues where practicable
• Planning to mitigate the impacts of fire in areas that are close to communities
• Having adequate emergency procedures in place
• Implementing fire prevention measures

Question 7

What is the BC Wildfire Service Strategic Plan 2012-2017

Answer 7

Sets out the mandate, vision, mission and values of the organization as well as providing strategic goals and priorities for wildfire management

Question 8

What is fuel management?

Answer 8

Mechanical biomass removal and site preparation (e.g. thinning) of forest stands in order to modify potential fire behavior in fire prone stands.
- Treatments might involve thinning, pile and burning, mulching, use of prescribed fire, stimulating the growth of less flammable species

Question 9

What is the goal of the Wildland Fire Management Strategy (WFMS)?

Answer 9

Balance social, economic, and ecological interests with the need to restore ecosystem paradigm resiliency in areas with a recurring fire disturbance regime.
- Implementation of this strategy will result in healthier forest and range ecosystems, communities that are less at risk from wildfire impacts, and a more cost-effective fire suppression program

Question 10

How will WFMS achieve its goal?

Answer 10

By adopting a proactive approach to:
1) reduce fire hazards and risks
2) carefully use controlled burning where the benefits are clearly defined and the risks can be cost-effectively managed
3) monitor and manage, rather than suppress, fires that are of minimal risk to communities, infrastructure or resource values
4) implement land, natural resource and community planning that incorporates management of wildland fire at all appropriate scales
5) develop a high level of public awareness and support for wildland fire management

Question 11

Why do forests need fire?

Answer 11

Help rejuvenate forest species, reduce the risk of insects and disease, and remove accumulations of vegetation.

Question 12

What happened with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) in 2004?

Answer 12

They agreed a new risk management-based approach to wildland fire is required. Based on improving and implementing well developed and emerging techniques and technologies from Canada and other countries. This includes public education, a nation FireSmart program, fuel management through strategic fire use, and investment in training, infrastructure and technology

Question 13

What is the key objective of the Wildfire Act?

Answer 13

Clearly define the specific responsibilities of all users of forest lands and grass lands with respect to wildfire management including fire use, prevention, control operations and rehabilitation.

Question 14

What does the Wildfire Act establish?

Answer 14

• The minister to establish policies and priorities for the efficient use of fire-fighting resources of the government.
• Establishes a results-based approach to fire prevention and limits prescriptive regulations for industrial activities.

Question 15

Explain the Wildfire Regulation

Answer 15

Provides interpretation, prescribes fire prevention and control responsibilities, and provides direction on the use of fire, including exemptions and prescribed criteria for cost recovery and remedies, for the achievement of the goals of the Wildfire Act

Question 16

What does the Wildfire Act and regulation apply to?

Answer 16

• Crown land, including provincial parks and protected areas
• Private lands that are not regulated by local government bylaws with respect to the use of open fire
• All industrial operations including forest industry, utility transmission, mining and railway operations

Question 17

Describe Wildfire Act sec. 7

Answer 17

Defines a requirement for a person carrying out an industrial activity to both assess and abate fire hazards that have been created by the industrial activity
- Wildfire regulation sec. 11, 12, 12.1 and 12.2 define the prescribed activities, prescribed circumstances, and prescribed intervals for which the fire hazard must be assessed and abated for specified categories if persons

Question 18

Who is relieved from having to abate an area?

Answer 18

If there is a Residue Forestry Licence to Cut or a Fibre Recovery Permit issued to a secondary harvester on a portion of the same tenure area

Question 19

What sections of the Wildfire Regulation require both industry and government to rehabilitate areas affected by wildfire control activities?

Answer 19

Secs. 16 and 17

Question 20

Describe rehabilitation

Answer 20

Includes the requirement to conduct a fire hazard assessment, prepare a site rehabilitation plan and implement the measures identified in the plan
- this type of work may also require consideration of drainage patterns and reforestation or grass seeding affected areas to promote natural vegetation stabilization
- rehabilitation planning is a forest management activity and a forest professional would be expected to provide a rehabilitation plan that meets the requirements of the regulation as well as ensures long term environmental values are maintained

Question 21

List wildfire control activities

Answer 21

• Establishment of temporary access roads
• Fuel and fire breaks
• Land disturbance and forest harvesting to accommodate these activities

Question 22

What does rehabilitation following fire control activities do?

Answer 22

• Stabilize and re-vegetate soil disturbed or exposed by heavy equipment
• Stabilize stream channels and stream beds at stream crossings
• Stabilize stump and dam locations for the purposes of fire control to prevent long term environmental impacts to the affected area or areas downslope of the fire

Question 23

What are the three main strategies for reducing human exposure to smoke?

Answer 23

• reducing emissions of smoke from biomass burning
• ensuring that emissions of smoke from biomass burning occur in times and places where dispersion is good so that high concentrations of smoke are not transported to populated areas
• warning citizens of high levels of smoke and other pollution when they occur, and advising appropriate actions to minimize exposure

Question 24

What is the Environmental Management Act (EMA)?

Answer 24

Governs the ability to introduce waste into the environment
- EMA secs. 6(2) and 6(3) prohibit the discharge of waste to the environment from prescribed activities such as burning of vegetative debris

Question 25

What is OBSCR? Describe “open burning” and “debris”

Answer 25

The Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation

Open burning: combustion of material with or without control of the combustion air and without a stack or chimney to vent the emitted products of combustion to the atmosphere

Debris: disturbed or undisturbed vegetative matter targeted for management or disposal by open burning

Question 26

What is the ventilation index (VI)?

Answer 26

A measure of the atmosphere’s ability to disperse smoke emissions and is available either from Environment Canada or from the provincial government.
- VI must be forecast as good for the day any open burn is initiated and good or fair for the second day of smoke release

Question 27

How can weather conditions change to affect open burning and what can be done about it?

Answer 27

• ventilation index becomes poor
• local winds make the dispersion of smoke inadequate
• an inversion forms trapping smoke near the surface

if this happens then more debris must not be added to the open burning

Question 28

What is the authority of a director under OBSCR?

Answer 28

Sec. 4 of OBSCR allows a director to effectively prohibit further open burning in an area for a period of up to one month if, in the opinion of the director, the open burning is causing pollution as defined in EMA

Question 29

Give some examples of best management practices that go beyond the current regulatory requirements of OBSCR

Answer 29

1. Burning only dry seasoned vegetative debris (rapid ignition, high temperature combustion)
2. Pile construction
3. Rapid ignition
4. Restacking piles
5. Consideration of wind direction