Mosaic Encourages Caution in Upcoming Wildfire Season
Nanaimo, BC — Mosaic Forest Management is preparing for the upcoming wildfire season by ensuring personnel are trained, and equipment is certified for wildfire prevention and suppression on Mosaic lands. Every summer, wildfire impacts forests across the province and represents a hazard to neighbouring communities and infrastructure. In 2018, the worst wildfire season in BC since 1950, 13,500 square kilometres burned by wildfire – the equivalent of almost a third of Vancouver Island!
Mosaic’s annual preparation for wildfire season includes readying firefighting equipment, over 100 water trucks and tenders, reviewing key protocols and practices to minimize fire risk, and readiness training. In addition, we have deployed 38 satellite-linked real-time weather stations across Vancouver Island to measure temperature, humidity, and wind as inputs to our in-house modelling expertise to assess fire risk on a continuous basis at a local level.
“The forest is the core of our business and highly important to the communities and indigenous groups in which we operate,” said Mosaic President and CEO Jeff Zweig. “We have invested significantly in our wildfire management capability, together with partners such as the BC Wildfire Service, to do our best to protect the forest. We count on the public to exercise extreme caution in times of elevated fire risk, and to respect the closures when they occur.”
While many fires are caused by lightning, about half of all wildfires in BC are caused by the public and therefore entirely preventable. Restricting access when wildfire risk is high is one of the steps Mosaic takes to protect forest land assets and the safety of neighbouring communities.
The public is an essential partner in helping prevent wildfires in BC. This summer, Mosaic asks everyone to respect fire bans and forest closures, report wildfires immediately, and spread the word – let friends and family know what to do if they see a wildfire.
To report a wildfire or irresponsible behaviour that could start a wildfire, please call 1 800 663-5555 or (*5555 from a cell phone) as soon as possible.
About Mosaic Forest Management Corp.
Mosaic Forest Management is the timberlands manager for TimberWest and Island Timberlands – two affiliated companies that have operated on Vancouver Island for over a century, delivering sustainable forest management within their private forest lands and Crown tenure areas. Mosaic employs several thousand people directly and indirectly striving to achieve the positive economic, social and sustainability outcomes from the working forest. For more information, visit mosaicforests.com.
Media Inquiries
Evelina Lamu
Manager, Communications
Media@MosaicForests.com