Most campfires will be banned across coastal British Columbia beginning later this week as the BC Wildfire Service expands fire restrictions in response to changing weather conditions. Effective at 12 p.m. July 16, Category 1, 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre. However, Category 1 campfires will still be allowed in the Campbell River Forest District, North Island Central Coast Forest District, Haida Gwaii Forest District and Sunshine Coast Forest District …The BC Wildfire Service says the expanded prohibition is intended to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and protect public safety as fire danger increases in many coastal regions. The restrictions apply to all areas outside municipal boundaries within the Coastal Fire Centre, as well as provincial parks, recreation sites, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas and private managed forest lands. Municipalities may have their own fire restrictions, and residents are encouraged to check with their local government before lighting any fire.

Parksville council has endorsed a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan — the first step towards integrating its recommendations into city plans and policies. Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans include wildfire threat mapping and follow the BC FireSmart framework and provincial wildfire risk reduction objectives, according to a report by Fire Chief Marc Norris, of Parksville Fire Rescue. The city hired Frontera Forest Solutions to develop the plan, using FireSmart grant funding. The plan found Parksville “is at an overall low risk of devastating wildfire igniting within the city, however pockets of medium and high-risk locations do exist within the city’s wildland urban interface.” The biggest risk was wildfires burning in “high-risk areas” could carry smoke or embers into Parksville. Vulnerabilities identified were seasonal increases in fire-related activity linked to human behaviour, including deliberate ignitions and an increased risk near people and infrastructure, potentially in areas in which ignitions are harder to access or detect.

A resident of Nanaimo’s Rock City neighbourhood in north Nanaimo is speaking out against a development project she says threatens a unique wetland that is a “crown jewel” of the city. Tamara Brown has lived in the area for about six years and says she has extensively studied both the wetland and the proposed four-storey, 102-unit rental development, which would also have two storeys of parking. The heavily forested, sloped 1.52-hectare property at 3400 Barrington Rd. was rezoned for medium-density residential use four years ago. The current project was approved by the city in early January, although work has not yet begun. Critics are concerned that the removal of trees, bedrock blasting and excavation expected during construction would disturb the water flows of a rare ecosystem. …At a council meeting this week in Nanaimo, Brown raised other concerns, including the potential impact on the Garry oak ecosystem and breeding habitat for birds and amphibians.

Residents in Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford and surrounding areas are invited to share their input about the development of the Cranbrook Forest Landscape Plan, to guide forest-management decisions in the area. The plan focuses on improving forest management for the 1.2-million-hectare Cranbrook Timber Supply Area. “Everyone deserves a say in how our forests are managed, and when we’re all at the table, we can deliver forest landscape plans with clarity and predictability for our workforce and for our environment,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Forests are the foundation of creating opportunity at home and abroad. Over the last few months, we’ve made real progress on forest landscape plans throughout B.C. We need your feedback to ensure we get the Cranbrook Forest Landscape Plan right.” People can share their thoughts through a survey that will run from Monday, July 13 to Sept. 25, 2026. 

Approximately 45,000 hectares of Crown land in northeastern British Columbia has been protected for the next 10 years to help safeguard ecologically and culturally significant land within Treaty 8 territory. The interim measure is intended to safeguard the area’s ecological and cultural values while long-term land-use planning and protection discussions continue. On Friday, July 10, 2026, the B.C. government established the K’ih t̲s̲aaʔd̲z̲e Protection Area under the Environment and Land Use Act (ELUA), supported by a Forest Act (Part 13) designated area. The protection area will help conserve caribou habitat and boreal ecosystems and encourage ecological restoration while supporting ongoing collaborative land-use planning with Doig River First Nation. The ELUA designation will protect the area from new land and resource dispositions and industrial activity while allowing existing lawful activities to continue, provided no new disturbance of the land surface occurs. Forestry activities will be restricted in the same area for four years.

We’ve captured the 2026 BC First Nations Forestry Conference highlights, key takeaways, and memorable moments in our 2026 Proceedings Report, we invite you to explore and revisit the conversations that made this year’s event so impactful. The 2026 BC First Nations Forestry Conference was hosted on the traditional, unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation in Kelowna, BC. This year’s conference was guided by the theme Forest Nations Rising: From Strong Roots to Global Horizons, bringing together First Nations, industry, government, sponsors, and partners to shape the future of forestry in British Columbia. This year’s event reflected both the growing strength of First Nations leadership and the deepening relationships transforming how forests are stewarded, managed, and shared. The continued support of industry leaders, program partners, sponsors, and educational institutions, alongside the dedication of Nations and government, made this gathering possible and underscored a shared commitment to advancing the sector together.