Skip to content

Province planning prescribed burn in Syringa Provincial Park

If you spot a fire in Syringa Provincial Park this month, it’s  likely due to a prescribed burn.

The Ministry of Natural Resource Operations and BC Parks are planning a 20-hectare prescribed burn near the campground and day-use area to reduce the wildfire risk and maintain local ecosystems.

Smoke and flame may be visible from some locations, and traffic along Deer Park Road could be interrupted or reduced to a single lane for short periods.

Trained wildfire crews will be on site to carefully monitor the fire’s  progress.

The burn will proceed only if weather conditions are ideal for quick smoke  dissipation and a low-intensity fire. The goal is to mimic a naturally  occurring wildfire to remove dead material, discourage insect  infestations, prevent disease outbreaks and help fire-adapted species  thrive.

Reducing forest fuels also limits the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Syringa Provincial Park is located near the southeast end of Lower Arrow  Lake, west of Castlegar. The park protects provincially significant  Interior Douglas-fir forests, and preserves one of the few remaining  examples of a grassland ecosystem in the Kootenays.