Stuartburn Prescribed Burn Association launches, hopes more municipalities will join

Manitoba’s first prescribed burn association hopes to fill a need and set an example for preventative wildfire measures across the province, organizers say.

On Sept. 18, The RM of Stuartburn launched its prescribed burn association in Vita and hosted an information session to educate other municipalities and officials who may want to start their own.

Periodic and controlled burns are needed to maintain healthy forests and reduce the risk of wildfires getting out of control, said Bert Baumgartner, Stuartburn native and the association’s president.

“We conduct smaller fires during optimal weather conditions with enough people, and that helps burn back all that built up vegetation that’s accumulated over the years during wet years, he said.

The assocation received $116,500 in funding from insurance company Intact Financial in August, along with $3,000 from enviromental group Nature Manitoba. The association has already used that funding to purchase equipment like drip torches, hand tools and an all-terrain vehicle.

Michelle Gawronsky, reeve of the RM of Stuartburn, said the new group comes at an important time when wildfires are becoming more severe across Manitoba.

“Watching what our province has gone through, I feel even stronger that this is the wave of the future,” she said.

In 2012, Stuartburn had its own fire that tore through the community and destroyed a bridge and two homes. While most of the town was “lucky,” Gawronsky said the fire still sticks with her.

“For the people that did lose everything, all their memories, their photos, everything that they had from their children, it was all gone in seconds,” she said.

She sees the prescribed burns as a way to protect communities and prevent future fires from happening or cause serious damange.

“Without the fire to be able to protect and give us a fire guard around your community, then you’re sitting duck waiting for a wildfire to come through,” she said. “When you’ve got burnt out trees and you’ve dead brush all over and tall dead grass everywhere, you have the prefect scenario for fires to happen.”

She hopes to see more community members get trained and volunteer with the group. Bringing the group’s model to other municipalities could help the province as a whole, Gawronsky said. The groups are needed across the province, she added.

At least 10 municipalities expressed interest in the association, and representatives from Steinbach were also in attendance at the launch event. The group will be heading to the Manitoba Legislative Building to meet with provinical ministers and explain the project, Gawronsky said.