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Ecological wildfire recovery

Last updated on January 14, 2025

wildfire land based recovery icon, overlayed on an aerial photo of a fire guard on a natural landscape

Ecological wildfire recovery is the suite of actions undertaken to assess, recuperate, restore, reclaim and/or salvage landscape values that have been disturbed by a wildfire.

Following a wildfire, a landscape can be assessed in terms of impacts to ecological, social, cultural and economic values. Once the impact to values is known, decisions can be made to manage or address any concerns.

To recover a landscape disturbed by wildfire, the desired future condition of the values that were affected must be determined. This is best done at the regional or district level by integrating existing management objectives for ecosystem, resource and socio-cultural values into a planning instrument (e.g., an Ecological Wildfire Recovery Plan) that describes the priority values that have been disturbed by fire, the best uses going forward (e.g., salvage harvesting), the desired future condition for the priority values (objectives) and actions designed to achieve the objectives.

Ecological wildfire recovery takes an ecosystem approach, while also considering strategies to maintain and develop disturbance resilience in an uncertain future. Recovery planning includes cooperative management between relevant First Nations, government, industry, stakeholders and other organizations at the local and regional level, to develop objectives at a landscape scale.

Ecological wildfire recovery picks up where a legislated wildfire suppression rehabilitation plan leaves off. Once all the disturbed landscape values have been assessed and tabled, a working group together determines the priority values and what the landscape level goals and objectives should be, and the strategies and actions that can be implemented to get there. Ecological wildfire recovery planning can include short- and long-term objectives, and recovery effectiveness should be monitored.

Ecological wildfire recovery is NOT:

  • to recover areas to 100% pre-fire conditions
  • to recover communities and businesses impacted by wildfire
  • to recover as much timber value as possible
  • a disaster recovery plan
  • intended to directly address concerns on private lands

Ecological wildfire recovery may address any or all the following values and issues:

  • Access management
  • Biodiversity*
  • Cultural heritage / Archaeology*
  • Fish / Riparian*
  • Forage & associated plant communities*
  • Hydrology
  • Invasive species management
  • Recreation*
  • Resource features*
  • Soils*
  • Terrain stability
  • Timber*
  • Visual quality
  • Water quality*
  • Wildlife*
  • Climate change
  • Other values or issues as identified

(*denotes a FRPA Resource value)

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Access management

Access management in wildfire-affected areas is essential for ensuring public safety, supporting ecosystem recovery and safeguarding cultural and ecological values. By restricting access, risks like falling trees, erosion and the spread of invasive species are minimized, while providing wildlife with undisturbed recovery areas. It also prevents unauthorized resource exploitation and aligns with provincial regulations for sustainable land use. Collaboration with First Nations and local communities ensures access plans respect cultural significance and traditional knowledge while balancing environmental protection with recreational and economic needs.

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Motor vehicle prohibitions

 

Archaeological values

For most of the time that people have lived in B.C., no written records were made. Archaeological sites and oral tradition are the only vestiges of a rich history, and protecting and conserving this fragile legacy and non-renewable natural resource is valuable to First Nations, local communities and the general public. Archaeological sites in B.C. may also be of regional, provincial, national or international significance, and may be as much as 14,000 years old. There are over 55,000 known archaeological sites in B.C. The scientific, cultural and historical study of the physical remains of past human activity is essential to understanding and appreciating B.C.’s rich cultural history. The Province recognizes the importance of archaeological sites through the Heritage Conservation Act. Under this Act, the Archaeology Branch is responsible for maintaining and distributing archaeological information, and deciding if permits can be issued to allow development to take place within protected sites. 

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Archaeology in B.C.

 

Damaged infrastructure

Existing infrastructure may be affected by a wildfire itself and/or wildfire suppression activities. The responsibility for assessment, removal, repair or replacement of affected infrastructure varies depending on the method in which the infrastructure was affected and ownership of the infrastructure. The effects of naturally occurring wildfire on existing infrastructure may or may not be addressed. Typically the Ministry of Forests may address the following:

  • Infrastructure damaged by wildfire suppression activities. This may include damaged culverts, bridges, fence breeches, etc. Contact your local Wildfire Suppression Rehabilitation staff for more information regarding how the Ministry of Forests assesses this damage.
  • Crown Infrastructure such as range fences damaged by wildfire: Contact your local Range Agrologist for more information regarding how B.C. assesses this damage.
 

Fish and wildlife

Wildfire can have short-term and long-term effects on wildlife populations. During or after a fire, animals may have to leave their preferred habitats for areas where survival is more difficult, while smaller or less mobile animals may die in the fires. In some cases, the relocations are temporary and the plant life that grows back after the fire may improve the animals’ ability to forage, but when damage is more severe or the land is disturbed many times, some species may experience higher-than-normal mortality rates. The Ministry of Forests is working with Indigenous governments and area partners to assess impacts on wildlife populations in areas severely affected by wildfire. Post-wildfire reforestation and wildfire rehabilitation activities also help wildlife habitat recover. Wildlife habitat is taken into consideration when planning forest treatments and land management activities.

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Wildlife and wildlife habitats

 

Invasive plants and grass seeding

Invasive plants are non-native species whose introduction into B.C. cause, or are likely to cause, significant economic, social, cultural and environmental damage. Free from the natural pests and pathogens that keep them in balance in their native ranges, invasive plants spread rapidly, outcompeting native and desirable species, altering biological communities, reducing biodiversity and disrupting ecosystem functions. The risk of introduction and spread of invasive plants increases substantially in areas disturbed by fire. In some regions of B.C., one or more species of invasive plants are well established, and could prevent the recovery of the native or desirable vegetation after a fire. The link between fire and invasive plants highlights the need to integrate invasive plant management into Wildfire Land-Based Recovery decisions.

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Invasive species 

 

Morel mushrooms

When a wildfire moves through a forested area, a significant amount of tree cover and other vegetation can be burned away, leaving the soil exposed. Under these conditions, wild mushrooms (including fire morels) may be among the first organisms to reappear in fire-damaged areas.

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Range values

Crown range includes grasslands, forests and wetlands that provide forage for livestock, as well as habitat and forage for wildlife. To give natural vegetation time to recover, grazing on burned rangelands may be delayed. The rate at which plant life recovers depends on several factors, including: burn severity; soil moisture the following fall and spring; and how the affected land has been managed in the past. 

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Reforestation

Replanting burned areas has many benefits, including recovering wildlife habitat and providing future timber supply. Tree planting will also help stabilize soils, reducing runoff and erosion that can lead to watershed impacts. Reforestation can be a long process, with tree planting activities taking up to two years while larger fires may take longer. Not all areas burned by wildfires will be replanted. In areas that were less affected by the fires, the forest may regenerate on its own over time. Early tree planting efforts will target landscapes where suitable natural regrowth is unlikely, including areas that were severely burned and stands that were made up of very young trees.

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Salvage, tenures and pricing

Following a wildfire, it’s important to harvest marketable timber in the affected area before the quality of the wood deteriorates. Burned Douglas-fir can be harvested for lumber for two to three years after a wildfire occurs. The window of opportunity for wood salvaged for its fibre (not lumber) is longer. Options are explored for trees that were cut down to create fire guards to be salvaged and sold. The Ministry of Forests' goal is to see burned timber utilized in a way that optimizes its value, while collecting appropriate stumpage for British Columbians and balancing other land use concerns such as the preservation of wildlife habitat.

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Wildfire Salvage Opportunity Agreements

 

Wildfire risk reduction

In British Columbia, creating or maintaining fire resilient ecosystems and communities that are fire adapted is fundamental to ensuring the long-term sustainability and health of our forests while also reducing the impacts of wildfire to those who live within the wildland urban interface. Fuel management, or wildfire risk reduction activities, can aid in achieving the above through the manipulation or reduction of living or dead vegetation in the various components of the forest and grassland fuel strata. Fuel management is an important part of wildfire prevention; if done correctly and maintained over time, its impact on potential fire behaviour can be significant. Proper planning now will allow for more seamless integration of fuel management activities into various community and land management planning processes in the future. Wildfire risk reduction principles may also be taken into account when planning for recovery.

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Tools for wildfire risk reduction and fuel management

 

 

Wildfire Land-Based Recovery: WildfireLandBasedRecovery@gov.bc.ca