
As wildfire season begins to take hold in the Southern Interior, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District is encouraging residents to take proactive steps to protect their properties from potential fire hazards—with free Chipping Day events scheduled over the next two weeks.
The TNRD’s FireSmart program will host upcoming chipping events in four rural communities:
- Lac Le Jeune: June 16, 2025
- Rivershore Estates: June 17, 2025
- Upper Clearwater: June 22, 2025
- Paul Lake: June 23, 2025
The initiative allows residents to clean up yard debris such as branches, brush, and deadfall, and have it chipped and hauled away at no cost. The program is funded through provincial grants and is designed to help reduce the buildup of wildfire fuels in residential areas. “It’s a great situation,” said Colton Davies, TNRD spokesperson. “It’s free for residents, it reduces fire risk across entire communities, and it saves people from having to haul truckloads of material themselves.”
To participate, residents must pile their woody debris at the end of their driveways the night before the scheduled pickup. Brush should be clean, free of rocks and dirt, and no larger than five inches in diameter. For easier pickup, the TNRD recommends stacking wood neatly with the cut (or “butt”) ends facing the road.
Davies says the FireSmart team works with communities on a request basis to schedule events when there’s enough local interest. “There’s no set route or rotation,” Davies explained. “We encourage residents or community groups to reach out to us. If there’s interest and it works with our contractors’ schedules, we’ll do our best to bring a Chipping Day to your area.”
The TNRD has already held eight similar events this year and is seeing growing interest as temperatures rise. A recent stretch of unseasonably hot weather has led to drying conditions in parts of the Thompson-Nicola region, bringing wildfire concerns to the forefront earlier than usual. “We always say spring is the time to start fireproofing your home, but with the heat wave we’ve had, it’s even more urgent,” Davies added.
In addition to Chipping Days, the FireSmart program also offers free home assessments, educational materials, and a rebate program to support residents doing wildfire mitigation work on their own properties.
Residents or community groups interested in organizing a Chipping Day in their area can contact the TNRD FireSmart team at 250-377-6326 or firesmart@tnrd.ca. More information is available at tnrd.ca/firesmart.