Selous Creek Fuel Management

Updated November 15, 2022

The Regional District of Central Kootenay Selous Creek Wildfire Risk Reduction Project has been a collaboration with several project partners, with the outcome of a fuel management project aimed at reducing wildfire risk in Selous Creek near the City of Nelson upslope of the Great Northern Trail on provincial land.

Starting in 2017, this unique project is supported by funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC and is an example of the high level of collaboration between regional and municipal governments, fire services and a local timber licensee.

The main objectives are to reduce the risk of wildfire, enhance infrastructure protection and support future suppression efforts by retaining large, healthy fire-resistant trees, and removing the dense understory fuels.

This video has been released for community education and engagement and includes interviews with project partners and displays work that happened on the project site.

This complex project consists of the following completed phases of treatment:

65 ha of mechanical harvesting by Kalesnikoff Lumber Company;
20 ha of mechanical fuel modification (debris piling);
40 ha of machine-tethered fuel modification to create a debris-free guard around the outer perimeter of the harvested area and around reserve patches;
5.5 ha of understory hand treatment along The Vein bike trail and surrounding areas; and,
7.5 ha of understory hand treatment along the Rail Trail.

Due to weather conditions experienced this fall the final phase of manual hand treatment to complete the fuel-free fire guard around the outer perimeter and around single tree retention will be completed in the spring.

The prescribed burn will be postponed until spring or fall 2023, under the direction of BC Wildfire Service depending on conditions.

If you have questions, please contact project manager John Cathro at cathro@netidea.com or 250.505.3513.