Notice to all residents regarding wildfire mitigation work

This notice was sent out to some residents via email.

---

To All Residents of Lac Le Jeune
Re: Lac le Jeune Ski Hill Wildfire Mitigation Works

As many of you are aware, harvesting equipment has been moved to the ski hill area in the past week and you may be wondering what is going on. The owners of the ski hill and Lac le Jeune Resort have put together a plan to reduce the risk of wildfire to both their private lands and the community of Lac le Jeune as a whole. After the recent wildfire season and the two biggest fire years in 2017 and 2018 in BC’s history, this is a welcome development. Forests within the ski hill lands and adjacent Crown lands are considered to have some of the highest wildfire hazards in the Kamloops region due to the very high, natural densities of pine with approximately 10-20% of the pine infested with mountain pine beetle in 2006 and 2007 which is now dead and dry. This dead timber is now falling out and contributing to significant surface fuel loading that is the key ingredient to intense and fast moving wildfires.  

The first phase of this plan is to strategically harvest timber from the area that will remove the majority of the fuel. The plan is not to clear cut the whole area but to cut patches and strips and to leave enough timber to maintain some of the aesthetics of the area. The stream that drains north to the small lake on the west side of the ski hill will also have a significant no-harvest buffer to protect this feature.  

The second phase will consist of machine raking and piling residual fuels after the harvesting is complete as well as spacing and pruning other sites where the timber is too small to be harvested. This work may start in conjunction with the harvesting, depending on snow levels, and will continue next summer and fall and to be completed prior to next winter.

All residents are asked to refrain from entering or using these private lands while harvesting activities are ongoing. Operations involving heavy equipment are inherently dangerous and you will put yourself at severe risk by being in proximity of the equipment. Information will be posted at the main entrance and other signage will be posted at all known access locations/trails. Please see attached map.
Work is scheduled to begin Dec 14, 2021 and will run to at least Dec 24, 2021 and possibly longer.  A notice will be sent out informing residents when operations are complete.

Thank you for your cooperation.