Salt Spring Wildfire Ready: Homes, Forests, Community

See current fire hazard rating and burn restrictions for salt spring island

94% of wildfires on salt spring are human-caused

Which means almost every local wildfire is preventable.
This page brings together simple, practical tools to help you protect your home and property from wildfire — no expertise required. Since 80% of Salt Spring is privately owned, the small steps each of us takes at home add up to real protection for the whole island.
Explore the resources below to protect your home, property, and community. Every bit of prep helps.
2026 - WILDFIRE WEBSITE - HUB - 1

Be wildfire ready:

START TODAY with easy steps

Most Salt Spring Wildfires Are Human-Caused

Get a Free Firesmart Assessment from Salt Spring Fire Rescue

Move Firewood 10 meters From all Structures

Clean Gutters and Roofs

Sign Up for CRD Emergency Alerts

Have Your Grab-and-Go Bag Ready

Above: CRD Emergency Dashboard

MORE LOCAL RESOURCES:

LOCAL Wildfire RESEARCH AND Resources

Salt Spring Island sits within the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) ecosystem, one of BC's rarest and most endangered forest eco-regions. While wildfires here are historically less frequent than elsewhere in the province, a changing climate combined with decades of clearcut logging and human development is altering forest structure and shifting the island's wildfire regime. Healthy, intact forests are a critical buffer, influencing fire behaviour and helping protect our communities.

Most of Salt Spring is privately owned and sits within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), where homes and forests are closely interwoven. This makes regionally specific guidance essential: effective wildfire risk management here must account for local conditions while supporting the ecological resilience of our CDF forests.
The Firesmart BC Begins With You Guide

Featured Resources:

  • Reducing Wildfire Risk on Your Property: Practical Forest Stewardship for Landowners
    Reducing Wildfire Risk on Your Property: Practical Forest Stewardship for Landowners

    From CARL Society: A research-backed guide for Gulf Islands residents living in forested environments, covering how to assess your land for fire risk, manage woody debris, increase forest moisture, and support native plant communities, with the goal of building healthier, more fire-resilient forests.

    READ FULL GUIDE

    Reducing Wildfire Risk on Your Property: Practical Forest Stewardship for Landowners
  • The Firesmart BC Begins With You Guide

    Wildfires can affect everyone - urban or rural, owner or renter. Being prepared is essential for safety. This guide outlines simple, actionable steps you can take to improve the fire resiliency of your home

    READ FULL GUIDE

  • Wildfire Preparedness Guide

    On average there are more than 1,600 wildfires in British Columbia every year. Sometimes they burn in areas away from homes or infrastructure, with ecological benefits to the landscape. Other times, they can threaten peoples’ homes and livelihoods. The probability of damaging wildfires has increased in recent years, due in part to the effects of climate change. If you live in a risk area, it’s important that you take time to get ready. This guide will help you prepare your home, protect your property and understand what to do if a wildfire is close to your community.

    READ FULL GUIDE

Thank you to the local organizations & SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WHO HELPED with this project:

CRD, Salt Spring Island Fire and Rescue, Salt Spring Island Emergency Program, Salt Spring Island Water Preservation Society, CARL Society, Salt Spring Island Conservancy, Salt Spring Garden Club, Briony Penn, Ruth Waldick, Erik Piikkila, Brandon Bauer, and Tal Engel

Funding provided by the Cereus Fund through the Victoria Foundation.

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