Large-Scale Wildfire Rehabilitation Project

Founded in 2017 and located in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) is a joint venture company owned by the Tŝideldel First Nation and the Tl’etinqox Government that carries out large-scale forest rehabilitation work. They focus on coordinating and implementing large-scale forestry programs and initiatives within their traditional territories to provide economic opportunities for their communities and ensure the long-term sustainability of their traditional forest land base.

In 2017, the Elephant Hill wildfire burned over 190,000 hectares in B.C. Over six years later, on November 12, 2023, CCR embarked on the first phase of its largest wildfire rehabilitation project. The Pressy Lake Pilot Project’s objective was to recover fibre from fire-affected areas, rehabilitate the land base by removing the fire-impacted trees and bolster future fire resiliency through the planting of resilient tree species. This first phase was concluded with 285 hectares of moderate to severely burned wood, once considered an uneconomic fuel that previously was left behind as potential wildfire fuel, being transformed into various biomass products. In addition, removing this material helps better protect Pressy Lake and local communities from wildfires in the future.

The Pressy Lake Project was about more than just immediate economic benefits. It was a testament to innovation and sustainability. The project created 25 jobs and impacted the surrounding communities as workers utilized local services like fuel depots, hotels, and restaurants. It also supplied fibre to secondary manufacturers such as Kruger Inc.’s Kamloops mill, Caribou pulp, Atlantic power and DRAX pellets, which benefited the biomass industry during a period of fibre scarcity. However, the true innovation was transforming the wildfire-damaged wasteland of burned trees into a suite of value-added products, including paper and siding for houses, while supporting wildfire mitigation efforts and promoting healthy forests.

Healthy forests are not just resources but crucial for carbon capture and ecosystems. The Pressy Lake Pilot took significant steps to protect and enhance these ecosystems. It removed dead vegetation and dry fuels, which are prone to ignite and burn more easily while utilizing retention techniques to protect everything alive. This included maintaining the areas with relatively homogeneous trees, which are more fire resistant and mitigate fire intensity, being intentional when deploying their equipment to protect seedlings, and leaving the coarse wood and wood debris to support reforestation and biodiversity. CCR has now replanted the area to ensure the ecological balance is restored to the devastated region. This approach helps better prevent future fires and promotes reforestation and, consequently, carbon capture, thereby contributing to the project’s sustainability goals.

This project exemplifies how sustainability and economic growth can go hand in hand. The project’s success highlights the potential for such projects to be replicated. Large-scale wildfire rehabilitation projects can become sustainable drivers toward greening the economy while supporting wildfire mitigation in B.C. and maintaining the health of the land, which is priceless.