The Fraser Valley Regional District budgeted funds to complete independent FireSmart assessments on some individual communities in 2022. Its aim is to provide an effective management approach for preserving wildland living aesthetics within the FVRD while reducing community ignition potential and subsequent spread of fire during a wildland urban interface fire. In Area C, Hemlock Valley was one of only two locations to be chosen for this assessment.
B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. dispatched their Forest Technician, Monica Nederend to the village this past spring to explore the residential areas while considering Hemlock’s risks from wildfires. She looked at what homeowners are doing well to reduce those threats and how we all can do better.
Assisting Monica with her Hemlock reconnaissance was FVRD FireSmart Coordinator, Andrew Schellenberg. Their village guide was yours truly, HVHA director Jason Vance.
The finished report acknowledges Hemlock Valley’s unique topography, transient population and increasing popularity in the summer months. These basic truths all increase the potential of human caused ignitions and the prospects of wildfires.
The report refers to the ubiquitous presence of densely wooded mature conifer trees mixed with an understory of smaller trees and some deciduous shrubs bordering and within the community. This vegetation provides a near constant fuel source for wildfires and it poses a significant threat of intense fire behaviour potential.
Fire behavior potential is a combination of fuel, topography, and climate. With our steep slopes, high fuel loads and strong mountain winds, Hemlock Valley’s potential should give us all the incentive we need to take actions that prevent the start or spread of fires in and around the village. The FireSmart Assessment says, “The only way residents can directly affect the fire behaviour potential under their control is through the application of FireSmart principles, which creates a separation – or defensible space – where radiant heat produced by wildfires is dissipated.”
Right now, “Hemlock Valley primarily has intermixed residences (Smaller, more isolated developments that are embedded within the forest are referred to as intermixed areas) where connected strips of remnant forest stands occur along and between residential streets. Along the westernmost and easternmost edges of the built community, interface zones exist where structures back onto continuous forested areas near the base of the surrounding forested slopes. Regardless of which scenario occurs, there will be consequences for the community and this will have an impact on the way in which the community plans and prepares for interface fires.”
Ultimately, the assessment’s recommendations for Hemlock Valley include:
- Enhance protection of critical infrastructure from wildfire; and
- Encourage private homeowners to voluntarily adopt FireSmart principles on their properties.
Download the Hemlock Valley Neighbourhood FireSmart Assessment to learn more about Hemlock Valley’s risks from wildfires and what we can all do to help mitigate them.
For more information on best FireSmart practices, home assessments and more, visit British Columbia FireSmart today!