I put a lot of thought and time into trying to create an interesting and thought-provoking board, so it was very disheartening to be attacked and criticized so many times in a short period,. It got so I was getting stressed out just by the thought of looking at new posts. But after due consideration, I decided to give this board another try. (BTW, in case you haven't noticed I was able to get the Bombastic Boor Who Shall Not Be Named banned. Not having to deal with him is a great stress reliever.)
As predicted we have our first major wildfires in BC very early this season, with two large enough to cause evacuations. But on the bright side, I think BC is already better prepared, and will become much better prepared over the next few years.
A university course in professional wild fire fighting has been established, and soon will start producing graduates who will help staff the many new firefighting services being set up around the province. And communities are putting a lot of effort into preparations, with brush clearing programmes and evacuation rehearsals like the one the Whistler ski resort held last week. And First Nations are being empowered around the province, including increasing the use of traditional prescribed burns like those that have been carried out in BC for thousands of years. As well, communities are organized for as many people as possible to receive at least some form of fire fighting training. According to a report I just heard on the radio, at one of the villages that was burned out last year, pretty well everyone has signed up.
And given so much of BC is still covered by forests, there is a real emphasis on reducing the risk by changing planting practises. It is now recognized the the single species plantation model of tree farming must be replaced as soon as possible.
It is still expected, due to the ongoing droughts and very low snow packs combined with ever increasing temperatures, that 2024 is going to be a very bad year for wild fires in BC, but at least there is hope that we are getting better at dealing with the ever increasing threat.
LC |
