Click here to sign up for our daily newsletter
This map shows areas where wildfire mitigation will occur. (submitted photo/Keaton Cloud)
wildfire mitigation

Trees and brush to be cleared in La Ronge to reduce wildfire risk, crime

Nov 23, 2022 | 3:29 PM

Tree and brush thinning activities are currently underway in La Ronge.

According to La Ronge Regional Fire Department Chief Keaton Cloud, wildfire mitigation work began Nov. 13 and will continue until March. He said the mitigation work is being completed by roughly 30 Lac La Ronge Indian Band employees and an outfit out of British Columbia consisting of 10 to 12 people.

The multi-year project is supported through the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation Fund. It will include more than 23 hectares of land near the fire hall and behind La Ronge Avenue and Louis Road.

“These areas were determined in collaboration with myself, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and Saskatchewan Research Council,” Cloud wrote in a statement.

“The type of fuel, nearby infrastructure, and overall wildfire risk should a fire start in the areas, were all deciding factors. Before officially selecting the areas, we physically walked in the areas back in the spring and used satellite imagery. Areas were also studied for wildlife and environmental assessments,” he said.

Cloud noted the mitigation work is important because it will allow firefighters to have better control if a wildfire should break out. He added wildfires can quickly overwhelm the fire department and SPSA resources.

Brush will also be cleared near the Mel Hegland Uniplex through a partnership between the Town of La Ronge and Northlands College. Back in October, council voted to direct administration to enter into discussions with the college to provide options for free tree thinning in that area in an effort to reduce crime.

Northlands is hosting a chainsaw and brush saw training course on Dec. 8 and 9 and La Ronge Chief Administrative Officer Lyle Hannan confirmed participants will be learning near the Uniplex. He said brush will be targeted, but he’s unsure how much can be cleared in that time frame.

“The brush thinning course is more about clearing the underbrush than the actual trees, which is most of the concern,” Hannan said. “Once we have a sense of what that looks like after they do some work in there, then we can re-access and come up with a game plan as to what we want to do.”

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno