Yellowhead County Fireguard Program 2024

Multiple catastrophic forest fires burned across Yellowhead County over the past few years which overwhelmed municipal and provincial wildfire forces. Over 20 primary residences were destroyed and tens of thousands of residents evacuated. In some cases, multiple times. Yellowhead County (the “County” or “YHC”) through a Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) grant is looking to hire a contractor(s) to develop a plan to construct community fireguards to enhance wildfire protection. YHC contains seven hamlets and numerous rural subdivisions that will require consideration. The majority of the county is enveloped by the Alberta Forest Protection Area (FPA). There is a mix of agricultural land in the eastern part of the County and treed foothills in the western part of the County. YHC works closely with Agriculture and Forestry to develop fuel mitigation projects within the FPA. There is a relatively small area outside of the forest protection that contains the hamlet of Evansburg and other built-up areas that will also be considered.