The Cariboo Fire Centre is advising the public that prescribed burns are planned for the Becher’s Prairie area west of Williams Lake between April 23 and May 4, weather conditions permitting.
The burns are for ecosystem restoration purposes and will cover an area of more than 200 hectares. The largest burn will be about 110 hectares. Historically, grasslands in the Cariboo-Chilcotin were renewed through frequent, low-intensity ground fires that prevented tree encroachment, rejuvenated understory plants and maintained more open grasslands and forests with large trees.
The reintroduction of managed, low-intensity ground fires to these grasslands is intended to restore and maintain the traditional grassland plant communities that naturally occur in these areas.
These fires are part of an ongoing ecosystem restoration program administered by the provincial government in consultation with First Nations, local ranchers, the B.C. Wildlife Federation and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society.