Northeast BC Prescribed Fire Planning in an Eco-cultural Pyric Herbivory Context

12 May 2025

Project Title: Northeast BC Prescribed Fire Planning in an Eco-cultural Pyric Herbivory Context

Recipient: Shifting Mosaics Corporation

Region: Northeast

Theme(s): “A burn a day can help keep wildfire away”

Awarded Amount: $50,000

Project period: 2025

Description: This project aims to mobilize traditional and local ecological knowledge with western fire science to reignite the cultural and historical practice of applying fire to the land in a good way. The collaborative project team includes Treaty 8 Nations, local stakeholders, scientists, and wildland fire specialists. The main objective of this project is to build and implement up to four prescribed fire burn plans together in Northeast BC where grazing and browsing animals exist.

Halfway Reporting:

The following is based on halfway reporting by the grantee.

July 14, 2025

  • Over the past decade, wildland fire has and continues to dominate the lives and livelihoods of remote and rural people in northern BC all year.  
  • Together with the Peace River Forage Association, North Peace Cattlemen, South Peace Cattlemen, numerous ranchers, guide outfitters, and Indigenous Communities, we have developed a northeast BC Wildland Fire Program which incorporates the strategic and safe application of fire to the land, reigniting traditional and cultural practices of putting good fire on the land, and preparing and supporting neighbours to help neighbours.  
  • Funding from SIP supported several components of our program in the northeast:
    • Planning: final prescribed fire burn planning for Crown and private land including authorization from MOF and BCWS.  The District Manager and two personnel from MOF joined in for our prescribed fire at Bare Mountain and the Wildfire Officers of BCWS offered continued support throughout the course of the implementation of our prescribed fires.  We acknowledge the tremendous support by former District Manager Darius Low and the BCWS Wildfire Officers of the Peace James Bergen and Darren Van Horne.  Without the support and dedication and contributions of these three folks, we would not have achieved the successes in our program this year.
    • Post-fire effects: we are greatly pleased to see the post-fire effects on the prescribed fire units and we plan to develop extension and outreach material with a photographic journey of the program – when the snow flies, in the winter!
    • Prescribed fire (wo)mentorship at the Peace River Ranch and Bare Mountain Community Pasture where burn bosses and ignition crews were trained while conducting prescribed fires on private and Crown Land.
    • Collaboration amongst Indigenous Communities, ranchers, producers, BC Range Program, BC Wildfire Service, rural and long time residents of northeast BC, Northern Fire WoRx, Peace River Forage Association, North Peace Cattlemen, South Peace Cattlemen, Shifting Mosaics
  • One of the greatest signs of success for the program that SIP has supported through funding was in early May when our crew had successfully completed the Bare Mountain Prescribed Fire and were travelling home to Fort Nelson.  For the most part, everyone had changed out of their sweat soaked nomex gear and were just eating lunch when we received the call from one of our Rural Incident Commanders that he needed help fighting a fire on a local ranch.  Fortunately, our crew was at the right place at the right time and we spent the rest of the day and night supporting our Rural Incident Management Team using all of the gear and knowledge we have built over the past few years with our lead partners at the Peace River Forage Association.  This proves that our concept works for neighbours helping neighbours and that we are an important resource that can support wildfire emergency management led by provincial and territorial agencies.   

Challenges: burning in 4th year drought, burning as we enter wildfire time, and the wind!  THE WIND!!!!  Check out the wind turbines in the photo!

Photo: Prescribed fire units (background) and research team with Nadia Mori of the PRFA(right), Mike McConnell (former Range Agrologist with MOF), Judy Madden (heart and soul of the operation), Heather Fossum (second generation rancher and PRFA), and Dr. Sonja Leverkus Burn Boss. Credit: S. Leverkus.

 

Photo: Morning briefing. Credit: B. Gagne

 

Photo: Ignition Specialist-in-Training Donovan Napalm Bertrand leads Larry Fossum through ground ignition operations at the Bear Mountain Community Pasture learn ‘n burn supported by the NFWRx crew and Fastfield production team. Credit: S. Leverkus.

 

Photo: Prescribed fire in an eco-cultural context setting of pyric herbivory with the NFWRx and Peace River Ranch crew in the foreground at the end of the second day of putting good fire on the land with a herd of bison in the background. Bison were inside of the prescribed fire units within hours of completed ignition. Credit: S. Leverkus.

 

Photo: Training discussions. Credit: B. Gagne.

 

Photo: The SIP funding supported training, planning, prescribed fire, and sharing knowledge, as well as support to the culmination of years of hard work establishing a wildland fire research program and northeast BC Rural Incident Management Team. Upon completion of our projects, while heading home to transition into suppression, the NFWRx crew was called upon to support the NEBC RIMT in actioning a wildfire on private ranch land.  Sweat soaked nomex was put back on after having completed final mop-up on a prescribed fire unit and we transitioned into a RIMT for the rest of day and night.  It was our first deployment as a RIMT with our Fire Wagon and trained crew including Incident Commander Jack Thiessen – rancher and head of Thiessen Bros Ranch with his family in the north Cache.  Success comes to those who persevere and collaborate. Credit: S. Leverkus.

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