Alberta Government announces $115 million in funding for wildfire initiatives

Government of Alberta press release

The recently released Alberta Budget 2014 allocates $31 million in 2014-15 and a total of $115 million over the next three years as part of a long-term commitment to address the 21 recommendations of the Flat Top Complex Wildfire Review. Over one third of the dollars will be directed towards FireSmart projects, including tree thinning and removal work around communities.

Other initiatives will include enhancing emergency response planning, hiring additional firefighters for a longer duration and public education efforts in forested regions.

According to Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Robin Campbell “Learning from disasters is important and the knowledge we gained from the Slave Lake wildfire is being put into practice. Our government is taking action to protect both our communities and our forests.”

The $31 million in this year’s budget follows an investment of $18 million to respond to Flat Top Complex Wildfire Review recommendations in 2013-14.

“The FireSmart Program delivers significant benefits to Alberta communities at risk—anything we can do related to wildfire prevention and mitigation is critical,” according to Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) General Manager Todd Nash. In 2013-14, FRIAA administered $4.5 million in grants for 19 municipal FireSmart projects on behalf of the province.

Related links:

Flat Top Complex Wildfire Review Committee Report
Wildfire information
FRIAA FireSmart program
Wildfire season starts March 1
3 Reasons you need a fire permit