Williams Lake & Area Community Wildfire Roundtable

Background

In late 2018 the City of Williams Lake, in cooperation with Cariboo Regional District, Williams Lake Indian Band and Xat’sull, completed and endorsed a new Community Wildfire Protection Plan  (CWPP), updated to April 2020.

The CWPP was developed through collaboration with emergency services, BC Wildfire Service, the forest industry, BC Timber Sales, woodlot licensees, the community forest, the provincial government and various interest groups. The Fraser Basin Council supported this collaboration, with assistance from local forestry consultants.

In June 2019 a Williams Lake & Area Community Wildfire Roundtable was created to support the CWPP by facilitating coordination and communication of organizations responsible for wildfire preparedness and risk reduction in the region.

The area covered by the Williams Lake & Area CWPP is shown on this  Area of Interest map. The area extends from Soda Creek in the northwest, parallels the Fraser River south to English Road, to Knife Creek in the southeast, and to Miocene and Rose Lake in the northeast.

Williams Lake & Area CWPP Maps

Williams Lake & Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan - Area of Interest Map

(Click image to open Area of Interest Map - PDF)

Here is the set of maps (PDF) that support the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

• Map 1 - AOI
• Map 2 - Values at Risk
• Map 3 - Fire Regime
• Map 4A - Threat Rating
• Map 4B - Spotting Impact
• Map 4C - Head Fire Intensity
• Map 4D - Historical Fire Density
• Map 5 - Fire History
• Map 6 - Updated Fuel Type
• Map 6B - Original Fuel Type
• Map 7A - Modifications to Fuel Hazard
• Map 7B - Local Fire Risk
• Map 8 - Fuel Treatment

Forsite Maps

Forsite Consultants Ltd. has developed an interactive mapping tool with natural resource management and forest tenure holder information for the Cariboo region. Proposed fuel management treatment areas under the CWPP can be viewed  Layers > Other Treatments > Williams Lake CWPP treatments.

• Forsite interactive map

The following map shows completed and planned wildfire risk reduction treatments, including interface fuel treatments, landscape scale fuel breaks and prescribed fire treatments:

• Wildfire Risk Reduction treatments in Williams Lake Area (PDF)

Roundtable Composition

The following governments and organizations are part of the Roundtable:

• City of Williams Lake
• Cariboo Regional District
• T’exelc (Williams Lake First Nation)
• Xat’sull (Soda Creek Indian Band)
• Stswecemc Xget’tem (Dog Creek/Canoe Creek)
• Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
• Esketemc
• Alkali Resource Management
• Ministry of Forests
• Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
• BC Wildfire Service
• Forest industry – Tolko, West Fraser, Williams Lake Community Forest, BC Timber Sales, various woodlot licensees
• UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest
• Volunteer fire departments – Big Lake, Miocene, Horsefly, Tyee Lake, Wildwood, Chimney/Felker, 150 Mile
• Other organizations, individuals or businesses that have infrastructure to protect, or resources or capacity to provide, including Atlantic Power, Pinnacle Pellet, BC Hydro, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Shaw, ranchers and others.

Terms of Reference

These are the Roundtable’s Terms of Reference.

Meeting Summaries

Here are summaries of Roundtable meetings

• Meeting of November 17, 2023: Summary
• Meeting of January 30, 2023: Summary
• Meeting of October 18, 2022: Summary
• Meeting of May 17, 2022: Summary
• Meeting of February 15, 2022: Summary
• Meeting of November 15, 2021: Summary
• Meeting of May 4, 2021: Summary
• Meeting of February 10, 2021: Summary
• Meeting of January 27, 2020: Summary
• Meeting of October 28, 2019: Summary
• Meeting of June 20, 2019: Summary

Presentations and Planning Documents

• February 2024 Meeting Presentation Slides:
  • Williams Lake Tactical Plan (Ministry of Forests)
  • Wildfire Risk in Stswecem’c Xget’tem Territory: Barriers and SXFN Solutions (Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation and Tree Ring Lab (UBC))
  • Fire regimes from past to future in dry Douglas-fir forests: Fire behaviour and effects Preliminary results (M. Stefanuk)
• January 2023 Meeting Presentation Slides:
  • Tactical Plan for Wildfire Risk Reduction: Williams Lake Area (Forsite)

Contact Us

You can reach the Williams Lake & Area Community Wildfire Roundtable by contacting Mike Simpson, contractor for the Fraser Basin Council, which serves as secretariat:

Mike Simpson
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