Today, I’m joined by Tony Pesklevits, Manager of Wildfire Prevention, Cultural and Prescribed Fire at the BC Wildfire Service. In this conversation, we explore how wildfire management in British Columbia (BC) is evolving to reflect a changing climate, forest ecosystems, communities in the wild-urban interface, and the resurgence of Indigenous fire management. Tony shares how fire has always shaped BC’s forests and how reintroducing “good fire” through cultural and prescribed burning is key to resilience. We cover what makes for an effective forest manager from a wildfire risk lens, the importance of collaboration across sectors, and how investors should think about fire. Not as a risk to fear, but as a force to understand and manage.

“Fire has been a part of forest ecosystems for as long as photosynthesis has been a part of forest ecosystems. They are two parts of the same cycle.”

"Fire is a fact. It’s not a mystical risk. It can be understood and it can be managed. If you remove fire from those ecosystems, you can actually create risk for the asset."

Useful Resources

The ForestLink newsletter signup

Wildfire Service, Province of British Columbia

Cultural Burning & Prescribed Fire

FireSmart BC

Tony Pesklevits (LinkedIn)

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

Production Team

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Chapters

[00:00 ] Introduction & Guest Welcome

[01:05 ] Tony’s Favorite Tree & Background

[03:18 ] From Conservation to Wildfire Management

[04:44 ] Overview of Tony’s Current Role

[05:20 ] The Role & Mandate of the BC Wildfire Service

[07:17 ] Cultural vs. Prescribed Fire

[10:06 ] Building Partnerships with First Nations

[11:02 ] Monitoring & Measuring Fire Outcomes

[13:36 ] Adaptive Management in Fire Practices

[13:56 ] Community Perceptions & Communication

[16:08 ] The Williams Lake Burn Case Study

[17:34 ] Forest Management Without Fire

[20:11 ] Forest Practices to Reduce Wildfire Risk

[22:16 ] Collaboration with the Forest Industry

[24:16 ] Fire Surveillance Techniques

[27:48 ] Emerging Technologies in Fire Detection

[28:17 ] Funding & Responsibility for Wildfire Response

[29:46 ] Cross-Border & Interagency Cooperation

[32:29 ] Lessons Learned Since 2017

[34:07 ] FireSmart & Community-Level Actions

[35:35 ] The Role of Forest Managers

[37:02 ] Actionable Advice for Forest Investors

[40:06 ] Where to Learn More

[41:09 ] Outro & Closing Remarks

Sound Library

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)

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