White Lake Fuel Mitigation

Cabin worked with Snpink’tn Forestry and Snpink’tn Natural Resources to develop a 58ha fuel management prescription in White Lake, BC. The goal of the project was to enhance wildlife habitat and support water quality objectives while reducing fuel load density and associated potential fire behaviour within the akɬʔ skelt (White Lake) project area. The area was of important cultural significance and multiple site visits with PIB Natural Resources and syilx elders were completed.

Working together, field data was collected, treatment units were delineated, maps were generated, and a prescription was developed that blended sylix traditional knowledge and Cabin’s western methodology. Cabin’s responsibility was to develop a prescription that supported the cultural prescription which was required to attain necessary permitting (Forest License to Cut – FLC).

Data collection included assessing site topography, vegetation, canopy, and soil layers. Soil data was also cross-referenced with the BC Soil Information Finder Tool to confirm findings. It also included 30m line transects and collecting the number of surface fuels to determine the volume of the fuel load which directly relates to the potential fire risk of the treatment area. This information was key in building the prescription.

Cabin learned a lot while collaborating with First Nations and during site visits with sylix elders.