North Cowichan will be restricting public motorized vehicle access into its 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve to help mitigate the potential of forest fires due to the recent and forecasted warm and dry weather.
Mount Prevost, Mount Sicker, and Grace Road forestry gates will be locked as of June 8 until further notice.
Forestry gates on Maple Mountain, Mount Tzouhalem, and Mount Richards are closed year-round.
The municipal forest reserve will remain open for non-motorized recreational use, such as hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking.
Shaun Mason, North Cowichan’s municipal forester, said the municipality encourages the public to continue visiting the MFR as recreational users are extra eyes and ears in the forest and are often the first to detect a wildfire which can provide quicker reporting for North Cowichan’s emergency service crews to be able to respond to a wildfire.
Overnight camping, campfires, and fireworks are not permitted in the MFR at any time.
To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 (*5555 from a cell phone) or 911.
