From educating residents on how to lower the risk of wildfire, to reducing the amount of vegetation that could fuel a fire, there are many ways a community can act to keep the threat of wildfire at bay. Now, 10 communities in the Columbia Basin are undertaking such projects with support of nearly $1.8 million provided through a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and Columbia Basin Trust. Tailored specifically to the Basin, this program is one aspect of the Province of BC’s Community Resiliency Investment Program. Partners include the Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Service and Columbia Basin Trust, which is administering the funding. …The program supports a range of projects. For example, actions may include hiring a FireSmart coordinator, developing plans to treat wildfire fuels, carrying out innovative fuel management activities or providing training on how to do FireSmart assessments. In the program’s first intake in winter 2023, 20 projects received $2.5 million.