Lumby group receives forest protection funding

The B.C. government is investing over $5 million to help Community Forest Agreement holders complete wildfire risk reduction projects as part of the Province’s economic recovery plan to create jobs and help communities deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

One of the grants will be for wildfire protection and mitigation to protect people and critical infrastructure near the Monashee community forest.

“The Monashee Community Forest is an excellent example of community collaboration, and everyone involved is rightly proud of that work,” Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu. “Local knowledge of the forest is an important tool in preventing and mitigating the damage from wildfires, and I’m excited to see that knowledge being put to use by the Splatsin First Nation and Village of Lumby.”

This local project is part of the approximately $5 million announced by the province to 15 holders of Community Forest Agreements around B.C. to fund 44 Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (CLWRR) projects. The CLWRR funding stream is part of the Community Resiliency Investment program administered by the BC Wildfire Service. It supports wildfire risk reduction treatments on provincial Crown land near communities, around critical infrastructure, and in areas facing a higher wildfire risk.