The east side of Kager Lake area, where hundreds of recreation site users congregate to camp, picnic and enjoy the trails, has a heavy concentration of beetle-killed pine.

Since large areas of dead pine stands represent a potential fire hazard, an intergovernmental initiative is now in place to reduce the fire hazard in the area.

Crews from the 亚洲天堂 Lake fire attack base, operated by the Wildfire Management Branch, are assisting the 亚洲天堂 Lake Mountain Biking Association (BLMBA) and Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. with a fuel mitigation project.

The so-called Kager Lake fuel management prescription involves removing dead pine and infested spruce, as well as reducing the amount of blowdown/deadfall on the recreational sites and along the trail networks.

鈥淭his work is critical to reduce the fire hazard in the Boer Mountain recreation site,鈥� said Dawn Stronstad, BLMBA Director.

According to Stronstad, the wood removed will be bucked and piled for future firewood use and the branches/debris piled for burning later in the fall.

Crews from the Wildfire Management Branch have been felling trees in the Boer Mountain recreation site over the last few years to make the trails and sites safer for the public. Although this project has been ongoing for several years, it is now at a much bigger scale, explained Stronstad.

鈥淭he BLMBA volunteers are not certified fallers, so work done by the Wildfire Management Branch is very important to the BLMBA,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Wildfire Management Branch is providing an invaluable service by reducing the fire hazard and making the sites and trails safer.鈥�

In order to keep the risk of wildfire to a minimum, campers are reminded to be vigilant in their use of campfires. Campers should never leave a campfire unattended and should always ensure fire is completely extinguished prior to leaving the site.

Stronstad said signs will be posted along the trails when the crews are working. Recreation site users are asked to obey these signs as the trails may be closed for short periods during falling work.

The mountain pine beetle infestation in British Columbia peaked in 2005. The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations estimates the mountain pine beetle has killed a cumulative total of 723 million cubic metres of timber since the current infestation began.