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PENTICTON – BC Parks will be implementing a forest management project in Ellison Provincial Park commencing Jan. 15 and potentially extending until the end of March 2007. Public access will be restricted during this time to ensure public safety.
Forest management in Ellison Provincial Park is required to reduce the spread of western pine beetle and mountain pine beetle, and for the removal of hazardous forest fuel to reduce the risk of wildfires and increase public safety. Fuel reduction is required because decades of fire control have led to an increase of forest in-growth, resulting in unnatural and hazardous fuel accumulations.
Management actions will include the fall and burn of 673 ponderosa pine trees infested with bark beetles and the thinning, pruning, piling and burning of in-growth and excess fuels in the campground and access road areas.
BC Parks is also conducting similar fuel management activities in other parks in the Okanagan Region, including Fintry Provincial Park, Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and White Lake Grasslands Protected Area. Interface fuel reduction in Fintry Provincial Park will also begin in mid-January. The total cost for the forest management projects at Ellison and Fintry provincial parks is approximately $160,000.
BC Parks is working closely with
the Ministry of Forests and Range to reduce beetle spread and to minimize
interface wildfire risks. As
recommended in the Filmon Report, fuel reduction programs are required to
decrease the risk of wildfire to communities and developments adjacent to parks
and to prevent damage to park ecosystems from high intensity fires.
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For up-to-date
conditions, please consult the BC Parks website at: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/index.html
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contact: |
Mountain Pine Beetle Specialist 250 490-8217 |
BC Parks Area Supervisor 250 490-8266 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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