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In the northernmost parts of the greater Robson Valley sits the Walker Creek watershed, a lush land with countless species of flora and fauna. …The area is also at the heart of a conflict between advocacy group Conservation North and BC Timber Sales (BCTS). In May, Conservation North found out BC Timber Sales is proposing cutblocks in the area, which would be auctioned off to forestry companies. The group held a letter-writing night in Prince George, where they encouraged attendees to contact the Ministry of Forests expressing opposition to the proposed auction cutblocks. …The area is one of the last untouched forests in the province, says Conservation North Director Michelle Connolly. “There are virtually no roads, mines or cutblocks. [Walker Creek] represents a place where mother nature makes the rules: it’s self-managing, self-maintaining, it’s a wild valley,” Connolly told a crowd of dozens during the letter-writing night.

Coulson Aviation is joining the firefight in B.C.’s forests, bringing its night-vision technology to battle wildfires. The Port Alberni-based company, whose pilots use night-vision goggles to battle fires in Australia and the United States, has signed a 70-day contract with the B.C. Wildfire Service to provide one of its Sikorsky S-61 Type 1 helitankers that are equipped for night-time operations. The deal marks the first time Coulson will conduct night-vision aerial firefighting missions on Canadian soil. …Coulson Aviation Canada has logged thousands of night-vision flight hours and dropped tens of millions of gallons at night on urban wildfires in California and through parts of Australia. The company earned the world’s first night-vision firefighting certification from Transport Canada in 2011, followed by the first approvals in Australia and the United States. …Coulson Aviation employs a two-aircraft team, including a Sikorsky S-61 firefighting helicopter and a Sikorsky S-76 supervision helicopter.

Read the Coulson Aviation Press Release

A Kamloops city councillor is pitching the idea of a community forest as a way to generate revenue for local amenities and projects while reducing wildfire risk for the region. During Wednesday’s livability and sustainability select committee meeting, Coun. Stephen Karpuk said he’d like to see the City of Kamloops strike a working group to get more information about pursuing a provincial community forest agreement. “There’s an opportunity for all parties to gain some economic value, some certainty on the land base, and some safety and security and some benefits economically that we can bring back to our communities,” Karpuk said. He said surrounding communities of Barriere, Clearwater, Valemount, Clinton and Logan Lake all have community forests — a tract of land set aside for the municipality to manage.

Attending the McBride Community Forest Corporation Open House on May 24, I was both surprised and delighted to hear Chair Mike Monroe announce that the Articles of Incorporation of the MCFC have been permanently amended to guarantee that, starting with the 2026 Board elections, the majority of members will be elected by voters throughout the area of the forest, rather than only McBride Village Council! …This is how the CF was proposed to be structured in the first place, and is exactly what Mike and I and many others unsuccessfully fought for back in 2010 through the community group Take Back Our Forest! …The new arrangement by no means automatically solves every issue the CF will have to deal with, as there naturally will be differing opinions on how it should operate.

Wildfire recovery work on the Okanagan Indian Band is being subjected to acts of vandalism. According to a post on the OKIB website, equipment used in the Bradley Creek Wildfire Salvage Project is being repeatedly vandalized. “These illegal actions are putting a stop to critical recovery work and placing our community and lands at further risk,” said the OKIB in a community notice. The salvage project is working with Tolko Industries to remove dead standing (fire-killed) timber to support ecological recovery and reduce wildfire risks in the Bradley Creek area which was impacted by the 2021 White Rock Lake Wildfire. …OKIB said the project is essential to reduce wildfire risk, and restore watershed through erosion control and soil stabilization. The project also supports the return of traditional plants and medicines, creates local employment opportunities and generates revenue through the OKIB forest license.

In 2023, a wildfire ripped through the Downton Lake area of the Upper Bridge River Valley (BRV), destroying more than 40 homes, threatening some 270 properties and consuming an area of about 9,600 hectares before being put out. Now, a partnership between the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), Cariboo Carbon Solutions (CCS) and Tree Canada is looking to plant 80,000 seedlings on private lands in Electoral Area A in 2026 at no cost to participating landowners. …The replanting initiative is part of a broader recovery effort led by the Land-Based Recovery Table, which ensures local representation as ecological restoration in the BRV moves forward. The group includes community leaders, Indigenous partners, the SLRD, provincial ministries, industry partners like CCS and local organizations including the Gun Lake Ratepayers Association. …The seedlings, currently being cultivated at Arbutus Grove Nursery, are a mix of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, hybrid spruce and western larch.

The Okanagan Indian Band is continuing efforts to clean up after the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire. The OKIB is currently working with Tolko Industries on salvage harvesting operations in the Bradley Creek area, which was heavily impacted by the fire. The White Rock Lake fire destroyed thousands of hectares of land and numerous structures as it raged through the region. According to the OKIB June online newsletter, the “salvage work focuses on removing dead standing (fire-killed) timber to support ecological recovery and reduce wildfire risks, while protecting Syilx values and environmental standards.” …This salvage harvesting is part of OKIB’s long-term recovery plan for fire-affected areas. Removing fire-killed trees and replanting the area will help stabilize soils and reduce erosion, support water quality and wildlife habitat recovery and contribute to a healthier, more resilient forest ecosystem.

As wildfire seasons seem to grow longer and more intense year after year, many B.C. First Nations are looking to the past for solutions to make their communities more fire resilient. In the northwest corner of the province, the Cheslatta First Nation has come under threat multiple times in recent years. “Almost half of Cheslatta’s territory has been burnt since 2010,” said Cheslatta forestry manager Logan Wilson. …Many First Nations utilizing cultural burns are working in collaboration with researchers at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry, who received a USD$780,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to study Indigenous practices of wildfire management and forest restoration. …The BCWS said it participated in 48 prescribed burns in 2024, altering more than 3,400 hectares of land, an area more than eight times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Twenty-three of those burns were conducted in collaboration with First Nations.