Prescribed burning of logging slash for ecological restoration of edible berries and grizzly bear forage near Mt. Horetzky

The project involved pre-burn monitoring of fuels, grizzly bear forage and berries on a proposed slashburn at CP633-1 near Mt. Horetzky in the Nilkitkwa Valley north of Babine Lake. This is a collaborative initiative between West Fraser (PIR), Lake Babine First Nation, BC Wildfire Service and SERNbc. BVRC was contracted to carry out scientific monitoring to determine whether prescribed burning of logging slash will meet the objectives of enhancing production of grizzly bear forage and edible wild berries. The project also provided an opportunity for sharing traditional knowledge regarding prescribed fire for wildlife and berry management and for training local First Nations participants in the execution, mop-up and monitoring of a slashburn. Due to unfavorable weather, the burn was deferred to 2016, but pre-burn monitoring was completed as scheduled.

The objective of this project is to assess the role and value of broadcast burning for stimulating berry growth and consequently providing Grizzly Bear habitat. The expectation of the project is that broadcast burning of a cutblock (CP633-1) after harvest will help to stimulate berry growth and work towards restoring the ecosystem that was impacted by logging activities.