Penticton Indian Band Wildfire Services

For over a decade, Cabin has worked alongside the Penticton Indian Band (PIB) to deliver wildfire planning and mitigation services in their wildland urban interface (WUI) that are technically sound, culturally informed, and community-centered within the PIB traditional territory.

Cabin’s work with PIB has included a broad range of wildfire services, including:

• Grant and funding application support (FNESS, UBCM CRI)
• Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP) updates
• Prescription layout and development
• Fuel mitigation implementation
• Supervision and reporting
• Capacity building and cross-training

We work closely with the PIB Natural Resource Department to ensure that wildfire mitigation planning aligns with Syilx knowledge and values, incorporating food, social, and ceremonial priorities alongside biodiversity, species-at-risk habitat, and other ecological objectives. Prescribed fire and traditional practices remain key considerations within all fuel mitigation strategies.

2023–2025 Highlights

In the 2023–2025 planning years, Cabin supported PIB through two wildfire mitigation initiatives.

1. Fuel Mitigation Implementation behind the PIB Offices. In early 2024, PIB initiated a 10-hectare fuel treatment project directly behind their community offices involving:

• Hand treatments (pile, prune, space)
• Danger tree removal
• Pile burning

Cabin provided field supervision and reporting guidance, working in partnership with PIB’s in-house Registered Forest Technologist (RFT) to build project oversight capacity. The implementation works successfully wrapped up by March 2024. This work was supported through FNESS funding.

2. Fuel Management Prescription (FMP) – TU10. By March 2025, Cabin finalized and submitted an additional small-scale FMP – TU10. This prescription focused on:

• Enhancing habitat for ungulates
• Improving protection along a critical access road
• Supporting future opportunities for prescribed fire or alternative treatment

Cabin’s Wildfire Planning team works closely with the Penticton Indian Band throughout the year. This partnership reflects Cabin’s respect for First Nations’ Rights and Title. We are dedicated to offering professional services that empower First Nations communities, build capacity, and support informed decision-making to support communities in achieving long-term wildfire resilience through a balance of technical expertise, Indigenous knowledge, and intentional collaboration.