PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – British Columbia ranchers hit hard by wildfires and drought last summer continue to wait for aid.
The B.C. Cattlemen’s Association asked the province last December to process its request for federal aid through Agri-Stability and Agri- Recovery programs, but little has happened.
“We are now nine months after the fires and we are still struggling,” said rancher Duncan Barnett of the Cariboo- Chilcotin Cattlemen’s Regional Association.
Fires in the Caribou region in 2010 were particularly severe because of hot, dry weather and a plentiful supply of dead trees killed by the mountain pine beetle.
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Fires burned 815, 447 acres of trees and grazing land, said the provincial website www.bcwildfire.ca, mostly in the central interior around Williams Lake, through the Chilcotin and south of Houston, Burns Lake and Fraser Lake.
During their recent annual meeting in Prince George, BCCA members passed a resolution asking the province to compensate landowners and grazing tenure holders for wildfire losses and introduce measures for better prevention and control of fire.
“There are producers who took a really serious economic hit and they are falling through the cracks,” Barnett said.
“If the province doesn’t have an insurance program in place where they can’t put out the fires or they can’t trigger Agri-Recovery, then they need to step up and pay the compensation.”
Newly appointed agriculture minister Don McRae said the province is waiting for the federal government, although requests have been stalled because of the recent election.
“We are ready to go and we are ready to talk to the feds and we want to get their answer. Then I need to talk to the finance minister of British Columbia to get the dollars for the producers,” he said.
“I wish we had more dollars.”
Rancher David Haywood-Farmer, who chairs the association’s land stewardship committee, wants a memo of understanding with the province so a protocol is established on what happens before, during and after a fire.
The forests, lands and natural resource operations ministry will place a wildfire-ranching liaison employee in Kamloops, B.C., to improve communication and deal with the after effects of fire, said assistant deputy minister Gary Townsend.
A report on the Caribou fires has been received and is under review to discuss conclusions and recommendations, he told the meeting.
In addition, money has been made available under the B.C. land base investment strategy for ecosystem restoration, including tree planting, reseeding range and weed control.
About $60 million is spent each year. This year, $600,000 is allocated for weed control and $200,000 for seeding severely burned areas.
A new category added $500,000 for range recovery to cover catastrophic events such as drought, fire and mountain pine beetle damage. About $2.5 million for fence repair and replacement is available, primarily for the Caribou-Chilcotin region.
According to the province, people cause half of B.C.’s 2,000 annual fires and lightning causes the other half.
Last year’s fires cost $220 million, which makes it the third most expensive year in history. The total number of fires was less than average, but the amount of acres burned was the highest in at least 10 years.
The 2009 fire season saw 3,049 fires and cost a record $403 million.
