Wildfire plans and tree clearing in British Columbia: the Wildfire Regulation and BC Hydro's vegetation plan
What British Columbia's Wildfire Regulation says about utility transmission operations and high risk activities near forest and grass land, and the vegetation cycles and fire-risk statements in BC Hydro's Integrated Vegetation Management Plan.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 10, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It restates three documents as read on October 10, 2026: the Wildfire Regulation (B.C. Reg. 38/2005) on the BC Laws site, consolidated to October 6, 2026 and last amended April 20, 2026 by B.C. Reg. 61/2026, BC Hydro's Integrated Vegetation Management Plan for transmission and distribution power line corridors, and a Forest Practices Board news release of November 6, 2013. The rule is a regulation under the Wildfire Act that applies to industrial activity, and the utility's own plan describes how it meets it. The side by side with other regions is on the guide to utility wildfire plans and tree clearing.
What the Wildfire Regulation says
Section 10 of the regulation is headed Utility transmission operations. It says a person carrying out an industrial activity that is a utility transmission operation, on or within 300 m of forest land or grass land, must maintain utility transmission equipment, apparatus and materials in a way that reduces the likelihood of producing an ignition source, and must maintain the site in a way that prevents any fire from spreading from it. The definitions section describes a utility transmission operation as work to operate, transmit, build, set up, maintain and repair electrical, oil, gas, radio, microwave and telephone service.
The regulation also defines high risk activities. The list includes mechanical brushing, using fire- or spark-producing tools including cutting tools, grinding, mechanical land clearing, and clearing and maintaining rights of way including grass mowing. Section 6 covers a person carrying out a high risk activity on or within 300 m of forest or grass land between March 1 and November 1, unless the area is snow covered. The person must determine the Fire Danger Class for the location, and when there is a risk of a fire starting or spreading must follow the restriction in Schedule 3 and keep fire fighting hand tools and an adequate fire suppression system at the site.
| Fire Danger Class | Schedule 3 restriction as worded | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| III (moderate) | After 3 consecutive days at class III or greater, a fire watcher for a minimum of one hour after the activity ends | Until the class falls below III |
| IV (high) | A fire watcher for a minimum of 2 hours after the activity ends; after 3 consecutive days, activity ceases between 1 p.m. local time and sunset | Until the class is III for 2 consecutive days or lower |
| V (extreme) | Activity ceases between 1 p.m. and sunset and a fire watcher stays 2 hours; after 3 consecutive days, activity ceases all day | Until the class falls below IV for 2 or more days; all day cessation until IV for 3 or more days |
Section 8 of the regulation covers operating an engine on or within 300 m of forest or grass land when there is a risk of a fire starting or spreading. It lists precautions that include a spark arresting device in good repair, an exhaust system and muffler within the manufacturer's specifications, and a fuel break around a stationary engine over 7.5 kW. Section 11 sets fire hazard assessments at 3 month intervals within 2 km of a local government or fire protection district boundary and 6 month intervals elsewhere, for industrial activities that create or increase a fire hazard.
What BC Hydro's plan says
The Integrated Vegetation Management Plan carries the identifier 105-0988-22-27, expires on November 2, 2027, and is shown as version 1.1 dated October 31, 2023. It lists reducing the risk of fires caused by trees contacting the lines among its aims. It states that BC Hydro is subject to the Wildfire Act and Regulation, which requires it to maintain power line corridors in a condition that would not start or cause a fire to spread, and that chainsaw tree cutting and brushing can build up debris and raise the fuel load.
On cycles, the plan says the length of the transmission cycle depends mostly on growth rates and generally ranges from 4 to 12 years, with areas of very high growth rates or low clearance that may require a shorter two or three year cycle. It says distribution cycles typically vary from 3 to 7 years around the province. It says that within 300 m of forested and grassland areas, section 10 of the Wildfire Regulation requires corridors to be managed so that fire cannot spread, so some areas may be treated before the target stems grow too tall. It also lists conditions where brushing is less suitable, among them high fire risk and trees generally over 15 cm in diameter whose cut debris would break BC Hydro's fuel management standard or the Wildfire Act.
What the Forest Practices Board audited
The Board's November 6, 2013 release reports an audit of BC Hydro's fire prevention practices on four licences to cut for the 125 kilometre Columbia Valley Transmission Project between Invermere and Golden. It says the audit found operations met the requirements of the Wildfire Act, that emergency response plans and burn plans were reviewed, and that detailed site plans existed for clearing and slash disposal along the whole line. It describes the Wildfire Act duty as a person carrying out an industrial activity such as land clearing taking steps to protect forest and range resources from wildfire.
Sources
- Government of British Columbia, Wildfire Regulation, B.C. Reg. 38/2005 (BC Laws consolidation), read October 10, 2026
- BC Hydro, Integrated Vegetation Management Plan for Transmission and Distribution Power Line Corridors, version 1.1, read October 10, 2026
- BC Forest Practices Board, news release BC Hydro Transmission Line Passes Audit, November 6, 2013, read October 10, 2026