Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe across British Columbia, and Prince George is no exception. We’ve made significant progress since our last Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) in 2018, but evolving wildfire risk, changing land use, and climate trends mean it’s time to set new priorities.

A current and robust CWRP helps us:

• Protect homes, infrastructure, and natural areas from wildfire
• Access funding for wildfire mitigation projects and FireSmart initiatives
• Plan proactive wildfire risk reduction across City and private lands
• Engage and empower residents to take action on their properties

Maintaining an up-to-date CWRP also enables the City to apply for grants that fund fuel management, vegetation treatments, and other priority actions.

The CWRP outlines practical strategies and actions across seven key FireSmart disciplines:

1. Education
2. Emergency Planning
3. Vegetation Management
4. Cross-training
5. Interagency Cooperation
6. Legislation & Planning
7. Development Considerations

It also includes wildfire threat mapping, treatment recommendations, and prioritization of at-risk areas.

Since the last Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) in 2018, the City of Prince George has made strong progress on wildfire preparedness and mitigation, including:

• Fuel management and vegetation treatment in key high-risk areas (Malaspina, Broddy Road, currently planning work for Shane Lake)
• Expanding FireSmart staff capacity and public outreach
• Increasing firefighting resources and training
• Collaborating with provincial agencies to improve wildfire response coordination
• Integrating wildfire risk into municipal planning and development policies

We’ve already actioned many of the high-priority recommendations from the 2018 plan. Now, we’re using new data, fieldwork, and community input to update the plan and guide our next steps.