Let’s face it, we all like burning. There is some instinctual need to light up a pile and bask in its warmth. Nothing beats sitting around a campfire, cooking food and feeling the radiant heat of the fire, while your back freezes.
And then add a drip torch full of your own special blend of gas, diesel and secret sauce with a couple km of roads full of piles to burn. Sometimes those are the best days in the bush. For one, there is a built road and second, the blowdown is all in the pile instead of something to crawl over.
Every fall and early winter piles light up all over the province in a bid to reduce fuel loading on cutblocks. Sometimes it doesn’t quite work out as planned and there is an overachievement. In this case, don’t be an overachiever!
As a portion of the province is in a drought, and there has been very little snow loading over the winter, it is imperative that you check the piles you burned last fall. Make sure they are out! We’ve already had piles light back up and burn some of the surrounding area, and that was in March. Once we start to get some heat off the sun and the nights warm up, your piles might decide they aren’t quite as extinguished as originally thought.
If your piles light up and the BC Wildfire Service moves in to extinguish, the Wildfire Act allows the government to bill you for the cost of extinguishing the fire, repair any damage and/or value of the lost timber. That is not a bill you want to receive.
Your first line of defence is always: “I did my best”. To show this, you need to record and document. Here are some things to document:
- Have a Burning Reference Number prior to burning (remember it’s only good for two weeks, so renew as applicable). Call 1-888-797-1717 to get a Burning Reference Number. Have your coordinates of where you are burning and approximate number of piles handy when you phone. Make sure you know where to find your venting index information.
- Check your piles this spring and record your field assessment. Take some pictures. Keep your documentation on file.
- If your area enters a summer with a high fire hazard, you may want to check those piles throughout the summer, especially ones that are near an area with a heavy fuel load or you think you smell smoldering!
- If you have piles to burn, but couldn’t due to drought or venting restrictions, note that as well. If a fire burns over your piles, you can be held liable for adding fuel to the fire as you didn’t abate your fuel.
Fuel Hazard Abatement Assessments
And that brings up the Fuel Hazard Abatement Assessment requirements. This is where one piece of legislation goes left and another goes right and woodlots are left in the middle without a good solution.
If you are audited by the Forest Practices Board, they will request a copy of your Fuel Hazard Abatement Forms. The existing forms, however, don’t necessarily align with the Wildfire Act. I’d suggest you fill them out as a means of assessing what you need to do and keep them on file in the event of a Forest Practices Board Audit.
The BC Wildfire Service offers information on why and when you need to assess for fuel abate, but no form on how to tally your debris to identify the Inherent Fire Hazard Rating. Until your harvest is complete, you need to reassess your fuel hazard as per the chart in the Fire Hazard Assessment & Abatement Q&A document updated in January 2024. For your convenience, the link is below.
Here is the guide to Fuel Hazard Assessment and Abatement in British Columbia. It doesn’t include a form, but BCTS has a nice little Fire Hazard Assessment Field Form, and if you can find a copy of that (HINT: Google can find it for you), it may give you something to help you assess your risk and keep on file for a Forest Practices Board Audit.
Tips and Tricks
Once you light up a pile, there is always a risk of spread, but there are some things you can do to reduce your risk.
- Don’t put your pile on top of a large stump, especially those large old growth stumps. They have deep roots that smolder through the winter, lighting up in the summer to cause you grief. Pile your debris away from those large stumps.
- If you bury stumps (and other debris) in your right of way, don’t put a pile on the buried debris. This is the same concept as above; the debris begins to burn and smolders under the soil for months.
- You are required to have a fire guard around your piles prior to burning (yes, this is new!). Snow can be considered a fire guard as is dirt or rock. This is Policy 9.12-Open Fire.
We had our first wildfire evacuation order in BC issued on April 21, 2024, a week earlier than the first order issued last year. Check your piles – make sure they are out!