It's going to get smoky at Salmon Arm's Little Mountain Park.
The city announced Wednesday, Nov. 13, that the burning of wood piles located in the park could begin that day, and would continue throughout the month. This work is being done by the city in conjunction with its FireSmart Contractor, and is a continuation of a fuels management project in the park.
"This is to complete the FireSmart work started earlier this spring, to help protect the park and surrounding homes from the risk of wildfire damage," said the city via social media, explaining "activities like pile burning help reduce wildfire hazards by removing fuel accumulations (e.g., dead wood or brush) from the landscape."
The burning will proceed only if conditions are favourable.
"Personnel will carefully prepare, control, and monitor these fires," said the city.
The Shuswap Naturalist Club counted more than 100 piles in the park, and raised concern the burns would have on wildlife.
"Burning the piles right before winter could decimate the small animal population by killing them outright and/or destroying the winter food supply they’ve spent months gathering, cruelly leading to their starvation," said the club's Glenda Hanna in a recent column published in the Observer.
