Lawrence Hewitt lives on a heavily forested property on the northern outskirts of the city and like many Prince George residents he’s worried about wildfires. Those are real fears after an unprecedented 2.8 million hectares of B.C. forest burned in 2023 and the lingering hangover of extreme drought conditions that have persisted this spring through much of the northern half of the province. Hewitt caught wind of the new FireSmart BC fire mitigation program the provincial government has introduced to encourage people to take charge of making their own homes less likely to burn and he’s been busy doing exactly that. …Hewitt knows there will be costs incurred by thinning the Pidherny Recreation Site forest to reduce the fire hazard and the risk of a crowning fire that moves from treetop to treetop but it’s worth it if it leaves the city less likely to burn like Fort McMurray did in May 2016.