Wildfire hazard assessment and abatement
Last updated on July 4, 2025Fire hazard assessments and hazard abatement are key activities in reducing the potential threat of wildfires arising from fuels left on the land base following industrial activities. Under the Wildfire Act a person carrying out an industrial activity or prescribed activity is required to assess and abate fire hazards as necessary.
In conjunction with Natural Resources Canada, the BC Wildfire Service has developed A Guide to Fuel Hazard Assessment and Abatement in British Columbia to assist those carrying out industrial activities determine whether or not fuel hazard abatement is necessary, and if so, the threshold necessary to comply with the legislated obligations.
The guide provides a procedure to determine fuel hazards created by an industrial or prescribed activity on forest land and contains a straightforward step by step instruction to enable a person to determine when fuel hazard abatement is needed in relation to the fire risk, proximity to interface, and, fuel loading and arrangement.
- A Guide to Fuel Hazard Assessment and Abatement in British Columbia (PDF, 1.7MB) Updated 2025
- Fire Hazard Assessment Form Matrix (PDF, 62KB)
- Fire Hazard Assessment Form 1 (PDF, 649KB)
- Fire Hazard Assessment Form 2 (PDF, 378KB)
- Fire Hazard Assessment Form 3 (PDF, 125KB)
- Fire Hazard Assessment Form 4 (PDF, 950KB)
- Accompanying Industrial Woody Debris Management BMP (PDF, 5MB)
- Fire Hazard Assessment and Abatement Q+A (PDF, 1.6MB) about hazard assessment and abatement in B.C. Updated 2024
- Fuel Hazard Assessment and Abatement Roadmap: 2024 - 2027 (PDF, 1.6MB)
Tools to help determine fire risk
Photo guides and other useful information
- Photo fuel plots
- Photo guide for quantifying forest stands in British Columbia photo guide #501 – forest stands
- Photo guide for quantifying forest stands in British Columbia photo guide #502 – modified forest stands
- Photo Guide to Quantifying Forest Stands in British Columbia Photo Guide #601 - Nelson Forest Region (PDF, 6.5MB)
- Field Sampling Procedures for Photo Series – Natural Stands (PDF, 190KB)
- Coarse Woody Debris (PDF, 270KB)
- Coastal Slash Assessment Guide (PDF, 5MB)
- Douglas-Fir-Hemlock, Size Class 3, Partial Cut, A Series of 6 Levels (PDF, 5.6MB)
- Douglas Fir Hemlock, Size Class 1 – Precommercial Thinning – A Series of 4 Levels – pp. 15-24
- Douglas Fir Hardwood, Size Class 4 – Clearcut – A Series of 7 Levels – pp. 25-40
- Douglas Fire Hardwood, Size Class 4 – Partial Cut – A Series of 6 Levels – pp. 41-53
- Down and Dead Woody Fuel Loading (PDF, 665KB)
- Guide to Rating Fuel Loading - Vancouver Region 1984 (PDF, 4.5MB)
Photo guide for quantifying forest stands in British Columbia photo guide #501 – forest stands
| Part | Page number (as it appears in document) | PDF document page number | Description |
| Part 1 (PDF, 1.9MB) | i | 2 | Table of Contents |
| ii | 3 | Acknowledgements | |
| iii | 4 | Abstract | |
| iv | 5 | Trees - Latin, Common Name & Abbreviations | |
| v | 6 | Brush and Shrubs - Latin and Common Name | |
| vi | 7 | Herbs - Latin and Common Name | |
| vii | 8 | Definition of Fuel Types | |
| viii | 9 | Key Words | |
| Blank - C3-8 | 10 - 27 | Fuel Type C-3 – Mature Jack or Lodgepole Pine | |
| Part 2 (PDF, 2.9MB) | C3-9 - C3-16 | 1 - 15 | Fuel Type C-3 – Mature Jack or Lodgepole Pine (cont'd) |
| Blank - C4-5 | 16 - 26 | Fuel Type C-4 – Immature Jack or Lodgepole Pine | |
| Blank - C7-3 | 27 - 34 | Fuel Type C-7 – Ponderosa Pine – Douglas fir | |
| Part 3 (PDF, 4.2MB) | C7-4 - C7-20 | 1 - 34 | Fuel Type C-7 – Ponderosa Pine – Douglas fir (cont’d) |
| Part 4 (PDF, 5.6MB) | C7-21 - C7-28 | 1 - 15 | Fuel Type C-7 – Ponderosa Pine – Douglas fir (cont’d) |
| Blank - M2-24 | 16 - 64 | Fuel Type M-2 – Spruce Balsam | |
| Blank - O1-1 | 65 - 67 | Fuel Type O-1 – Open Range - Sagebrush |
Photo guide for quantifying forest stands in British Columbia photo guide #502 – modified forest stands
| Part | Page number (as it appears in document) | PDF document page number | Description |
| Part 1 (PDF, 2.5MB) | i | 2 | Table of Contents |
| ii | 3 | Acknowledgements | |
| iii | 4 | Abstract | |
| iv | 5 | Trees - Latin, Common Names and Abbreviations | |
| Blank | 6 | Blank Page | |
| v | 7 | Brush and Shrubs - Latin and Common Name | |
| vi | 8 | Herbs - Latin and Common Name | |
| vii | 9 | Definition of Fuel Types | |
| viii | 10 | Key Words | |
| Blank - C3-4 | 11 - 19 | Fuel Type C-3 – Mature Jack or Lodgepole Pine | |
| Blank - C4-6 | 20 - 33 | Fuel Type C-4 – Immature Jack or Lodgepole Pine | |
| Part 2 (PDF, 2.7MB) | C4-7 - C4-21 | 1 - 29 | Fuel Type C-4 – Immature Jack or Lodgepole Pine (cont'd) |
| Part 3 (PDF, 5.5MB) | Blank - C7-21 | 1 - 44 | Fuel Type C-7 – Ponderosa Pine – Douglas fir |
| Part 4 (PDF, 2.6MB) | C7-22 - C7-36 | 1 - 29 | Fuel Type C-7 – Ponderosa Pine – Douglas fir (cont'd) |
| Blank | 30 - 31 | Fuel Type M-2 – Spruce Balsam | |
| Part 5 (PDF, 2.8MB) | M2-1 - M2-3 | 1 - 5 | Fuel Type M-2 – Spruce Balsam (cont’d) |
| Blank - S1-7 | 6 - 20 | Fuel Type S-1 – Jack or Lodgepole Pine Slash | |
| Blank - S1-7 | 21 - 36 | Fuel Type S-2 – Spruce Balsam Slash | |
| Part 6 (PDF, 3.1MB) | S2-8 - S2-24 | 1 - 33 | Fuel Type S-2 – Spruce Balsam Slash (cont’d) |
| Blank - S3-2 | 34 - 39 | Fuel Type S-3 – Coastal Cedar – Hemlock – Douglas fir Slash | |
| Part 7 (PDF, 2.MB) | S3-3 - S3-17 | 1 - 39 | Fuel Type S-3 – Coastal Cedar – Hemlock – Douglas fir Slash (cont’d) |
Disclaimer
Warranty disclaimer
This information is provided as a public service by the Government of British Columbia, Box 9502, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 9C1.
This guidance document, two versions of the risk map and all of the information it contains are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied. All implied warranties, including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, are hereby expressly disclaimed. Links and references to any other websites are provided for information only and listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. The Government of British Columbia is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites, including Google Earth, and does not endorse the content, products, services or views expressed within them.
Limitation of liabilities
Under no circumstances will the Government of British Columbia be liable to any person or business entity for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages based on any use of this website or any other website to which this site is linked, including, without limitation, any lost profits, business interruption, or loss of programs or information, even if the Government of British Columbia has been specifically advised of the possibility of such damages.