Prescribed burn set for Syringa Park this month
By Nelson Daily Staff
If you spot a fire in Syringa Provincial Park this month, it’s likely due to a prescribed burn.
The Ministry of Natural Resource Operations and BC Parks are planning a 20-hectare prescribed burn near the campground and day-use area to reduce the wildfire risk and maintain local ecosystems.
Smoke and flame may be visible from some locations, and traffic along Deer Park Road could be interrupted or reduced to a single lane for short periods. Trained wildfire crews will be on site to carefully monitor the fire’s progress.
The burn will proceed only if weather conditions are ideal for quick smoke dissipation and a low-intensity fire.
The goal is to mimic a naturally occurring wildfire to remove dead material, discourage insect infestations, prevent disease outbreaks and help fire-adapted species thrive. Reducing forest fuels also limits the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Syringa Provincial Park is located near the southeast end of Lower Arrow Lake, west of Castlegar. The park protects provincially significant Interior Douglas-fir forests, and preserves one of the few remaining examples of a grassland ecosystem in the Kootenays.
Video footage of the burn will also be posted to Facebook at www.facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo when available.
