Forest Fuel Treatment Efficacy in BC

This project was initiated by BC Wildlife Services (BCWS) in 2019 to evaluate the degree to which fuel treatments have been effective in changing wildfire behavior. Two fuel treatments were studies: 1) manual treatment of older stands involving stand thinning, debris disposal + pruning, and 2) broadcast burning after timber harvesting. Ten thinning treatment sites and five broadcast burning treatment sites were evaluated. Findings suggest that thinning, debris removal, and ladder fuel reduction affect wildfire behavior positively, and they are feasible at a larger scale. In contrast, broadcast burns were less effective in influencing wildfire behavior.