Prescribed burning planned south of Merritt

NEWS – Prescribed burning will be carried out in the Lundbom Lake area south of Merritt between April 10 and May 16.

The controlled burn will take place in several phases, says fire information officer Kayla Pepper of the Kamloops Fire Centre.

The burn will be conducted by Wildfire Management Branch personnel and Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations staff from the Cascades Natural Resource District.

The Lundbom Lake burn area covers an estimated 78 hectares about 13 kilometres south of Merritt and four kilometres east of Highway 97C.

“Historically, grasslands and open forests in the Nicola Valley have been renewed through frequent, low-intensity ground fires,” said Pepper.

“Such fires limit tree encroachment, rejuvenate understory plants (trees and shrubs that grow beneath the forest canopy, but above ground-cover plants) and maintain open grassland and open forests containing large trees.”

The reintroduction of managed, low-intensity ground fires to the grasslands and open forests is intended to restore and maintain plant communities that are native to these areas, she said.

Managed fires also reduce the amount of combustible material, leading to a decreased risk of wildfires. The prescribed burns are carried out in cooperation with local ranches, forest licensees, First Nations and other groups.