The City of Kamloops is nearing completion on several dozen wildfire mitigation projects that have happened over many years.

Natural Resources crew lead Kirsten Wourms says the city has treated 74 sites since 2008, totalling more than 95 hectares.

“Which leaves us with one site in (Kenna Cartwright Park), which is on the backside of tower so not threatening any homes or those types of things, and we have three small sites… two of which we may actually bring internally,” Wourms says.

The three smaller sites are in Juniper, above Skeena Drive, in Erin Valley behind, Pratt Road, in and Barnhartvale, next to Barnhartvale Road and Shumway Road.

Those four total sites, which combined cover 45 hectares, would be treated by next year, and the city is applying for just under $295,000 in grant funding to do that work. If successful, the city will also use $100,000 in reserve funds, making the total project cost just under $395,000.

Meanwhile, the city has contracted out three other fire fuel mitigation projects that will happen this year. Starting this month, crews will be treating land in Pineview Valley until March. And in the fall, crews will also treat land behind Juniper and in Rose Hill.

The sites being treated have been identified in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

“So really looking at, this coming year and the year after, we’ll have all of our sites identified in the CWPP treated at least once,” Wourms says.

“And then we’re going to update our CWPP and look at how we’re going to start maintaining those sites that were treated 10 years ago, 15 years ago.”

(Photo: City of Kamloops)