2008 Caribou Modified Response Plan: Southeast Fire Centre

With mountain caribou numbers dangerously dwindling, a group called the Species at Risk Coordination Office (SARCO) from the Ministry of Environment (MoE), has created and initiated recovery strategies that require negotiations and cooperation amongst government ministries and other stakeholders. Among these groups is the Protection Branch of the Ministry of Forests (MoF), which is responsible for wildfire suppression on both crown and private land. Because of a lack of resources, some fires are left to naturally burn off if they do not threaten values such as communities, tree plantations, wildlife areas, and parks. These areas are known as modified response; they are monitored and given a Fire Analysis Strategy (FAS) in the event fire suppression is required. With the new initiatives of SARCO to protect areas that have historically been managed as modified response by the Protection Branch, must now be allocated all available fire suppression resources until the fire is declared out. A Mountain Caribou Science Team has identified priority caribou habitat within the SEFC, which allows Fire Protection Officers to make informed decisions as to the type of fire suppression activity required for these newly designated areas. Many of the areas that are treated as modified response in the SEFC are identified from historical knowledge and years of experience within the Protection Branch. Because of heightened activity during fire season, a visual aid was required which would allow Forest Protection Officers the necessary assistance to make quick decisions as to the type of fire suppression required when fire occurs. The product created is the focus of the report, and compiles the work of three different branches of government. The project focuses primarily on the processes used to create the GIS data created for the SEFC, which involved digitizing polygons to represent the modified response areas. The report concludes by explaning the present and future functions of the map products created for the SEFC.