Geog 312: Natural Hazards
(return to tutorial assignments)
Wildland fire hazard
Property assessment (work in groups of four)

You’ve been offered a dream job as a teacher on Pender Island, and plan to buy a small rural house. The July 2006 wildfire on Galiano Island, however, raised concerns. So you undertake an assessment of the wildfire risk of the current listings of properties on Pender Island using the information provided in the BC Ministry of Forests “Homeowners FireSmart Manual”. Consider the following criteria in your assessment:

Situation: presence of natural fire breaks, natural sources of water for firefighting, forest type or land use, road access, distance to nearest fire station;
Site: terrain and proximity to forest;
Property: width of defensive zone, character of house and outbuildings

Discussion: Rate this property on a fire-safety scale (e.g. very low risk … very high risk), and defend your assessment. What further information do you require from the realtor in order to complete your assessment?
Role-playing:

Some areas of Pender Island form part of the Gulf Islands National Park. In order to maintain and expand “endangered” ecosystems such as Garry oak meadows and to reduce fuel loads in Douglas-fir forests, Parks Canada proposes a programme of prescribed burning within the park boundaries. They schedule a meeting in the Community Hall to provide information and solicit feedback. You are asked to take on the following roles:
Parks Canada staffers (two)
Property owners in favour of a “natural” burn regimen in park (two)
Antagonistic property owners (at least two)
Interested spectators (the rest of the group!)
Consult the following web sites:

Ecological background, including map of garry oak range

Provincial web site on Garry oak ecosystems

"Garry Oak Recovery Team"

Prescribed burning in the US Gulf Islands