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Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Committee

Grassland

About the CCERC

The Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Committee (CCERC) has worked since 2008 to identify and restore critical grasslands in the region.

The CCERC is a partnership between provincial and federal government, local First Nations, BC Cattlemen’s Association, various conservation societies and forestry professionals.  FBC offers support as secretariat.

The land base of the Cariboo-Chilcotin region has changed significantly in the last hundred years. Decades of fire suppression in what was naturally a fire-maintained ecosystem has contributed to more frequent and intense wildfires throughout the region, tree encroachment onto natural grasslands, losses in wildlife habitat and forage opportunities, and an in-growth of trees in previously open forests.

Ecosystem restoration — defined as the process of assisting with the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed by re-establishing its structural characteristics, species composition and ecological processes — is being applied in many areas throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin in an effort to help mitigate some of the negative effects to the natural balance of the grasslands and forests.

Ecosystem Restoration Benefits

  • Improves habitat for grassland-dependent native wild species, including wild deer, bighorn sheep, moose and many bird species, and rangeland for domestic cattle, by allowing grasses, shrubs and other native plants to flourish
  • Contributes to the regions rich biodiversity by providing habitat for variety of at-risk species
  • Increases flora important for First Nations cultural use, helping to sustain traditional ways of life
  • Restores forest health and improves timber quality
  • Reduces wildfire risks by removing forest fuels

The process of ecosystem restoration within the Cariboo-Chilcotin region can include a combination of thinning trees with a machine, hand slashing, removing trees, chipping, slash burning and prescribed burning. The treatments vary and depend on the goals of the prescription for each site. Pre and post treatment research and monitoring is also part of every prescription.

Partners

Learn More

To learn more about the initiative, visit the CCERC website including its extensive resource library.

Here are a few helpful resources to learn more about grasslands ecosystem restoration:

Contact Us

Contact the CCERC at:

Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Steering Committee
Jane Wellburn, Regional Manager, Fraser Basin Council (Secretariat)
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About the Fraser Basin Council

The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is a charitable non-profit organization that brings people together to advance sustainability in British Columbia.

Where We Work

We are grateful to live and work on the unceded ancestral territories of the Indigenous Nations of British Columbia.

Our Vision

Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment.

Strategic Priorities

At the Fraser Basin Council, our strategic priorities are to take action on climate change, support healthy watersheds and water resources, and build sustainable and resilient communities.

With our partners, we work on a range of collaborative, multi-sector initiatives, such as those focused on flood management, community wildfire planning, air quality improvement, energy-efficient buildings, green transportation (including the uptake of electric vehicles and expansion of charging infrastructure), watershed planning and youth-driven climate action projects.

FBC Program Sites

Plug in BC:
www.pluginbc.ca

Emotive:
www.emotivebc.ca

ReTooling for Climate Change:
www.retooling.ca

FBC Youth:
fbcyouthprogram.ca

Climate Action Toolkit:
www.toolkit.bc.ca 

Salmon-Safe BC
www.salmonsafe.ca

Realizing UNDRIP Initiative
www.realizingundrip.ca

Contact Us

FBC staff work from our Vancouver, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Prince George offices, and from several other locations.

To reach us, see FBC Offices and FBC Staff or contact our administration office:

Fraser Basin Council
1st Floor, 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5

T: 604 488-5350

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