Akisqnuk slashing, piling and burning 2018-2019
This project will undertake fire-maintained ecosystem restoration on the Akisqnuk First Nation Reserve, as part of the efforts to compensate for habitat losses. Activities may include the development of Ecosystem Restoration Plans, site-specific prescriptions, burn plans, pre-burn slashing, slash pile burning, prescribed burning and mastication.
Update: 130 ha of restoration carried out to-date
The FWCP and the Akisqnuk First Nation developed a partnership to undertake fire-maintained ecosystem restoration on the Akisqnuk First Nation Reserve, as part of the efforts to compensate for habitat losses. This is the 7th year of funding towards on-the-ground treatments. Todate, approximately 130 ha of restoration has been successfully carried out. Project objectives are to: a) re-establish historic stand structure and ecological processes to enhance the health and vigour of the ecosystem; b) ensure that wildlife habitat, especially critical ungulate winter range, is maintained in a healthy condition; ensure critical habitat for known Red- and Blue-listed species, which were historically present, are maintained/restored; c) reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and associated danger to human values (that is, to ensure any wildfire is within the range of historic variability); and d) promote the production of tall, large diameter conifers for both stand structure and wildlife habitat, current and future. In 2018, burning was completed on 10 ha of previously thinned forest of units OR2B1(b), along with 8.4 ha of slashing, pilling, and pruning of unit OR2B1(c), all in accordance with the Wildlife Habitat Restoration Plan.
Final report: executive summary
The purpose of this final report is to update the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Board of slashing, piling and burning done between October 2018 and March, 2019 on the Akisqnuk First Nation as part of Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program project no. COL-F19-W-2739.
Loss of valley bottom wildlife habitat from BC Hydro dams in the Columbia system has elevated the importance of maintaining productivity of remaining low elevation habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) works with Land management agencies and stakeholders to co-ordinate and implement dry forest and grassland habitat restoration on conservation lands and crown land, including both Federal and Provincial in the Rocky Mountain Forest District. These opportunities are operational in nature and may include the development of Ecosystem Restoration Plans, site specific prescriptions, Burn Plans, Pre-Burn Slashing, Slash pile burning, Prescribed Burning and Mastication. The FWCP and the Akisqnuk First Nation developed a partnership to undertake fire-maintained ecosystem restoration on the Akisqnuk First Nation Reserve, as part of the efforts to compensate for habitat losses. The development of the Akisqnuk Wildlife Habitat Restoration Plan in 2011 marked the initiation of the process.
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.