Witnessing Wildfire Forest Recovery: My Visit to the Cariboo Chilcotin Region
I recently had the opportunity to see firsthand how Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR), a joint venture of three First Nations, is transforming stands of burned trees just outside Williams Lake, BC, into a fibre source for wood pellet and pulp & paper production. We recorded the visit so that others could experience what we saw.
Standing in the forest impacted by the 2017 Palmer Lake fire, I could see the devastation of the wildfire in the charred, dead trees stretched across the landscape. But there were clear signs of renewal. A layer of green lodgepole pine seedlings formed a layer across the ground, demonstrating the forest’s natural ability to regenerate.