Support for community forests seen as key to wildfire prevention efforts

A new study is calling for more stable funding and expanded resources to support community forest organizations to keep their communities safer from forest fires. University of BC researchers interviewed two dozen community forest managers. Their goal was to better understand community forest approaches to wildfire management, including the factors that enable innovation and the ongoing challenges they face. And they found that while many community forests are taking the lead with wildfire management, they face significant challenges as the threat of wildfire grows due to climate change. …However, to date the emphasis has mostly been on fuel management – clearing areas and reducing floor fuels. The report says as the risk of wildfire grows, managing the issue is going to take cross-jurisdictional and collaborative planning. …As climate change makes the likelihood of larger and more severe fires, the community managers said forests have to be managed with a ‘fire lens.’