Two areas affected by wildfires in the Thompson region will be off-limits to motorized vehicles for two years.

The province has announced that the Elephant Hill and Allie Lake areas will be off limits while restoration work takes place.

The area restriction for Allie Lake will begin on Jan. 1, covering about 2,700 hectares.

The Elephant Hill restriction blocks off more than 191,000 hectares and is already in place. The restriction was set to expire on Dec. 31 but has been extended by two years.

The ban means no motorized or other off-road vehicles will be allowed in those areas, except on existing roads.

The board chair of Thompson-Nicola Regional District Ken Gillis says the ban makes sense for several reasons.

“It seems to me that there’s a tremendous potential for off-road vehicles to tear up that terrain. It’s in a pretty vulnerable condition right now,” Gillis says.

The TNRD will be spending $990,000 over three years for plant rehabilitation in the Elephant Hill area specifically, after receiving a grant from the Red Cross which was announced earlier this month.

“I think that’s vitally important,” Gillis says. “And we have to give those burned areas an opportunity to recover.”

The Ministry of Forests says the closure is meant to “support wildfire-recovery management strategies and mitigate unauthorized off-road vehicle use that may have negative effects.” Those affects can include soil compaction and erosion, as well as an increase in invasive plants.

The area restriction map can be found here.