Prince George wildfire preparedness faces uncertain funding future

And that focus on individual properties is becoming increasingly important.

“What we’re hearing from federal information, provincial information, the research that’s happening in wildfire, is as hard as we work on fuel mitigation in our forests, it’s even more important to work on our homes,” said Tanya Spooner, the City’s Manager of Emergency Programs.

“Most of the property in Prince George is privately owned. If we can get individuals to make sure that their property is ready for a wildfire and resilient in a wildfire, we’re going to fare much better if and when a fire happens in Prince George.”

The city has been formally planning for wildfire risk for more than two decades.

Its first Community Wildfire Protection Plan was developed in 2005, with the city working on its recommendations for the next seven years.

The plan was updated in 2018 as Prince George dealt with changing conditions including the impacts of the pine beetle and Douglas fir beetle, warmer temperatures and drier summers.

The updated plan led to several major initiatives, including four fuel-management prescriptions, the hiring of a FireSmart educator, a series of full Emergency Operations Centre tabletop exercises and fuel treatments covering 9.71 hectares at Parkridge Creek Park and 17.1 hectares at Broddy Road.

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan was used to guide wildfire-related work through 2025. Work on its replacement, a new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan, began that year following a successful application for Community Resiliency Investment funding.

But the city’s ability to conduct fuel treatments has limits.

The city can carry out those projects only on land it owns. Fuel treatments on Crown land fall under the provincial Ministry of Forests, while work on private property is the landowner’s responsibility.

That makes education and FireSmart initiatives an important part of the city’s strategy.

Prince George had its second year of a dedicated FireSmart position in 2026, according to Spooner. The grant-funded position runs for roughly six months through the spring and summer, with the 2026 position ending in October.

The program focuses heavily on teaching homeowners what they can do to reduce the risk of their homes igniting during a wildfire.

Prince George has also received FireSmart neighbourhood recognition for one community where property owners worked collectively to improve their wildfire resilience. A second neighbourhood has been put forward for recognition.

But the money underpinning some of that work is less certain than it once was.

City emergency officials brought that message before council in September.

“We are hearing from the provincial government that we might not see these grants last a lot longer,” Spooner said. “Really making sure that our council was aware of that, that they were aware of how much we rely on them and the need for advocacy.”

Prince George uses two streams of funding for the work, including the Community Resiliency Investment program, which has supported wildfire mitigation and FireSmart initiatives.

Councillor-elect Cori Ramsay says investing before disaster strikes can produce significant savings afterward.

“Every dollar of preventative spending saves about seven to 13 dollars in post-recovery expenses,” Ramsay said.

“The FireSmart program is providing FireSmart coordinators across the province to help educate residents about things that they can do in order to mitigate wildfire concerns. This is really important work.”

Ramsay said the funding model changed with the 2026 budget.

Prior to that, she said, the program operated through an open intake process where applicants received funding. More than 280 communities, including municipalities, regional districts and First Nations, used the fund.

It has since moved to a competitive intake process.

“Not everyone is getting funds that they apply for,” Ramsay said. “But we know that these funds are needed across the province.”

She said the Union of B.C. Municipalities has been pushing for a sustainable funding source, an effort Prince George has supported.

“We’re trying to figure out how can we ensure that we get these funds in our communities,” Ramsay said.

For Prince George, the issue isn’t theoretical. Grant funding pays for the city’s seasonal FireSmart position and enables programs including public education, property assessments and some rebates for wildfire mitigation work on private property.

At the same time, work continues on the ground.

One of the city’s significant upcoming fuel-management projects is planned for the Shane Lake area at Forests for the World.

Spooner said the project encompasses approximately 29.3 hectares and will involve thinning similar to the work previously undertaken at Broddy Road.

“It’s a huge project, and we’re really excited about the impact it’ll have,” Spooner said, adding it will also provide benefits to the ecology of the area.

The combination of projects reflects a broader shift in how communities prepare for wildfire. Forest fuel reduction remains part of the strategy, but Prince George officials say ensuring individual properties can withstand wildfire is just as critical.

For a city whose approach to emergency management was profoundly influenced by the fires of 2017, the next challenge may be ensuring there is stable funding to keep that prevention work going.

by Cheryl Jahn

Prince George wildfire preparedness faces uncertain funding future

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