Northern Communities Urged To Be Fire-Ready

Northern Communities Urged To Be Fire-Ready

Thursday, July 13, 2006 at 13:44

The director of the Saskatchewan Forest Centre says it would be in the best interests of northern communities to develop community wildfire protection plans.

Robin Woodward says the measure has already been done with the community of Pinehouse.

Last year, the centre ranked 100 communities in the North based on their wildfire risk.

Woodward says prior planning is essential to reducing damage done by fires.

However, he says it’s impossible to know how effective the plans are until they’re put to the test.

Woodward notes 58 per cent of communities ranked by the forest centre were considered to be at a “high” or “very high” risk of being damaged by forest fires.