Mitigate before the fires

Re: Forests 'waiting to go off'

BC forests are bonfires waiting to go off – are more fires the solution?

The short answer is most likely YES, and the good news are that the BC government has the talent needed to design and implement the policies to accommodate that.

An unanticipated super hot heat bubble surprised everybody, including the BC government.

There is little doubt the Forest Ministry has been tardy in getting involved with developing and implementing controlled burn programs that will protect our precious forest as we face a more challenging climate.

The Ministry should also be reminded that whenever it is looking outside the Ministry for expertise, it has a statutory obligation to consult all British Columbians, not just a select 4% of the population.

The UNDRIP protocol does not exclude the other 96% from being consulted on any of the issues being entertained by the BC government.

Looking at all those fires raging all over the province, it is obvious there has been very little fire mitigation anywhere, including reserve lands, despite claims to possess such expertise.

A big part of the program should also include a comprehensive long-term plan to selectively harvest our forests to help mitigate those wildfires.

Andy Thomsen, Kelowna