Sunflower Hill Prescribed Burn ( April 2008)

On April 17th, approximately 50 hectares of Sunflower Hill was burned to reduce wildfire fuels, eliminate forest ingrowth and rejuvenate shrubs and grasses across the hillside. Crews from the Ministry of Forests, the Kimberley Fire Department and private contractors, carried out the burn and the necessary protective measures. Members of the KNPS were invited to attend as observers and we learned a lot about how fire behaves under spring conditions. In the coming weeks we will be assessing the effects of the fire on the soils and vegetation and will determine if more hand treatment of ingrowth is required. You can download a copy of the burn plan in .pdf format here.

Using drip torches to ignite the burn.

Fire burns through ceanothus thickets under young ponderosa pine.

The day after the burn, fires were still smouldering on Sunflower Hill.

This map shows the prescribed burn boundary, water sources, control points, staging areas and escape routes.