Whereas the Province of British Columbia needs to review its policy for backcountry closures during periods of extreme wildfire risk; And whereas Regional Districts have no ability to mitigate the considerable risks associated with Crown land hazards nor respond to emergencies on Crown land under the Regional District service area model; And whereas Regional District electoral area lands have the largest Crown to community exposure to these hazard areas: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province to aggressively pursue strategic proactive messaging strategies about restricting access to vulnerable areas during periods of extreme wildfire risk to mitigate human-caused wildfires on Crown land; And be it further resolved that UBCM request the Province to update their policy for backcountry closures to ensure proactive closures are a priority during periods of wildfire risk and in advance of conditions reaching unacceptable risk levels and include a process that ensures access by First Nations who use forest service roads to travel to and from their residences and territorial areas, as well as businesses who require access to Crown land.
Ministry of Forests Any decision to implement a backcountry restriction is not made lightly. Public safety is the BC Wildfire Services top priority. If conditions fire activity level, response resource levels, present and forecasted weather reach a heightened risk level, a backcountry restriction may be considered. Backcountry closures are also very challenging to enforce and draw on resources that may be better directed toward active fire suppression efforts. The amount of backcountry in B.C. is extensive, and enforcing a widespread closure takes a significant number of resources. The BC Wildfire Service also relies on responsible backcountry users to report fires in these areas that may otherwise not be detected. During this period of heightened fire activity, the BC Wildfire Service continues to prioritize wildfire response. This is why the BC Wildfire Services chooses to strategically prohibit access to areas rather than attempt to enforce a blanket restriction. The BC Wildfire Service is confident in how and where Area Restriction Orders have been implemented. If implemented, closures can be in a specific area, or over large parts of the province. To protect the well- being of people and communities, specific areas of BCs backcountry may be formally closed to public access due to wildfires and firefighting activity, in accordance with the Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation. Certain activities such as using open fire and operating off-road vehicles may also be restricted. Rather than frequently restricting access to the backcountry, the BC Wildfire Service prohibits the activities that are most likely to start wildfires in the backcountry, such as using open fire and operating off-road vehicles. The Forest Service Road Use Regulation, enabling the district manager to close a forest service road, is intended to address imminent threats to public safety andor the environment and is typically applied specific to inherent conditions or uses and sometimes in conjunction with other related orders. Local seasonal tourism and businesses rely on access to the backcountry, and risks to the public are constantly being evaluated. Backcountry closures and wildfire conditions are constantly monitored by BC Parks and the BC Wildfire Service, including weather forecasts, fire danger ratings, fuel moisture conditions, modelling, observed and forecasted fire behaviour and regional and provincial fire activity. Fire Centres engage in proactive communication throughout the season to inform residents and visitors to BC of the current wildfire risk. These communications can be found on social media, the BCWS app and dashboard, Information Bulletins, and partner communications with local governments and the tourism sector.