A new report by B.C.’s Forest Practices Board is calling for urgent action by the provincial government to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in British Columbia.

“The key is there’s an urgency to this,” said B.C. Forest Practices Board chair Keith Atkinson.

“We’re obviously experiencing, maybe, our most severe year in front of us.”

The report highlights an urgent need to change how B.C.’s forests and landscapes are managed.

Provincial government data indicates that 45% of public land in BC is at high or extreme threat of wildfire.

Catastrophic wildfire impacts human health and safety, housing and infrastructure, wildlife, climate, and the economy.

The direct cost of suppressing wildfire is rising and now averages $1 billion annually in Western Canada.

Atkinson says the government, along with First Nations, need to lead the development of a vision and action plan that will align provincial priorities and actions to restore landscape resilience and coexistence with fire.

He says landscape fire management can proactively reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and restore resilience through forest-fuel reduction strategies, such as creating fuel breaks, increasing the diversity of tree species, densities, and ages, and the use of cultural and prescribed burning.