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The Puntzi Lake Fuel Management Project Areas have been designated as an Interface Fuel Break (IFB) and an Interface Fuel Treatment (IFT) in the Eniyud Community Forest and are embedded in areas with high structure density including residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and properties.

The main objective of the Puntzi Lake Fuel Management Project is to reduce the potential crown fire initiation, fire intensity and crown fire spread adjacent to areas with infrastructure and provide safe access and egress routes for local residents.

Other objectives include: 

• Providing a safe location for suppression activities to be initiated;
• Providing a buffer that will cause wildfires to transition from crown fires to the ground;
• Improving access and firefighter safety in the event of wildfire suppression activities;
• Improving the effectiveness of aerial and ground-based fire control actions;
• Improving natural barriers that reduce the continuity of fuel loads, fire behaviour and wildfire risk;
• Reducing the Head Fire Intensity to less than 4000kW/m through surface fuel reduction; and
• Increasing public safety within the community.

The Fuel Management project objectives above will be achieved through a combination of methods which include: 

• Removing dead and danger trees;
• Thinning and spacing of conifer stems;
• Pruning all retained conifer stems;
• Maintaining deciduous trees and shrubs;
• Piling and burning and/or chipping debris.

The Puntzi Lake Fuel Management Project is made up of four project areas. All project areas and prescribed fuel management treatments were developed in accordance with all legislative requirements and best management practices. 

Fuel Management treatments have now been completed along the Puntzi Lake Road. Pile burning remains incomplete and will be completed this fall. The Eniyud Community Forest encourages all residents and interested parties to view the areas as an example of completed results of hand treatments.

May 21, 2024 – Tsi Del Del Cultural Center – 3pm -5PM

The Eniyud Community Forest (ECF) will be hosting a community meeting to provide updates of ongoing activities. See you there!

The Tatla Primary Fuel Break (the Tatla PFB) was wrapped up in the spring of 2022 after approximately three years of planning, consultation, field work and implementation.

The Tatla PFB was carried out through funding provided by Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) and the BC Community Forests association. The funding source was directed to complete Wildfire Hazard Reduction treatments in three distinct areas near the community of Tatla Lake:

• East from Patterson Lake Provincial Park to Tatlayoko Road along the Old Bluff Lake Road.
• North-east from Tatlayoko Road to Rifle Range Road and Highway 20.
• North from Highway 20, along the Smokey Lake FSR to the south end of Marten Lake.

The goal of the Tatla PFB was to reduce wildfire risk on a large landscape-level primary fuel break west, south and east of the community of Tatla Lake. Post harvest mechanical and manual fuel treatments created a fuel break that will significantly alter fire behaviour and intensity and reduce the risk of a wildfire spreading to other resource values. Fuel treatments have reduced potential crown fire initiation, fire intensity and crown fire spread on areas near the community and near roads important for ingress and egress.

Throughout the Tatla PFB, a combination of strategies and methods were utilized to achieve the goals of the fuel treatments. These strategies and methods included: 

• Modifying stand structure to reduce fuels available in the event of a wildfire;
• Creating or improving crown separation; 
• Falling and treating dead stems;
• Removing all thickets of regeneration;
• Retaining deciduous stems in all layers;
• Reducing surface fuel material by debris piling and burning.

The Eniyud Community Forest has successfully collaborated with the BC Wildfire Service, First Nations, the Cariboo-Chilcotin Natural Resource District and the community of Tatla Lake to mitigate wildfire risks in this area.