Priority 3: Highway 40 West FireSmart™ Project

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The County of Grande Prairie has been lowering wildfire risks on public land in the Highway 40 West area, starting in 2021. This area is Priority Area 3 in the County's Wildfire Mitigation Strategy.

Our first step was to plan for future vegetation management, or fuel reduction, by sharing information with residents and gathering community input. The Final Report included the feedback we received that helped shape the plan. See our Key Documents.

In 2023, the County began the fuel reduction work in this area. The project started with 23 hectares of public land to treat. The Dunes West wildfire delayed our progress and a fire guard helped reduce the treatment area to 19.09 hectares.

In 2025, the County will review another 111.84 hectares for treatment to reduce wildfire risks further. We are considering methods like small fire breaks, selective timber harvesting, and thinning/pruning.





The County of Grande Prairie has been lowering wildfire risks on public land in the Highway 40 West area, starting in 2021. This area is Priority Area 3 in the County's Wildfire Mitigation Strategy.

Our first step was to plan for future vegetation management, or fuel reduction, by sharing information with residents and gathering community input. The Final Report included the feedback we received that helped shape the plan. See our Key Documents.

In 2023, the County began the fuel reduction work in this area. The project started with 23 hectares of public land to treat. The Dunes West wildfire delayed our progress and a fire guard helped reduce the treatment area to 19.09 hectares.

In 2025, the County will review another 111.84 hectares for treatment to reduce wildfire risks further. We are considering methods like small fire breaks, selective timber harvesting, and thinning/pruning.





  • Final Report - Highway 40 West FireSmart Planning Project

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    The project's final report was presented to County of Grande Prairie Council on August 23, 2021.

    Final Report - Highway 40 West FireSmart Planning Project

  • FireSmart webinar video

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    Presented by Lesser Slave Forest Education Society, on behalf of the County of Grande Prairie. The FireSmart Home Assessment Score Card mentioned in the video is located on this page in "Documents".

  • Wildfire Mitigation Strategy Moving West of Highway 40 this Spring

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    The Wildfire Mitigation Strategy, approved by Council in 2015, is moving onto Priority 3 this spring with planning, engagement and public education set for the Highway 40 West area.

    “This phase will include assessment and mapping of public lands in the area,” said Dan Lemieux, Director of Community Services. “This important work will be completed by a professional forester and will provide detailed information to inform future actions toward wildfire mitigation. No vegetation management will take place at this stage.”

    The Highway 40 West area encompasses over 1,100 hectares of land located north of the Wapiti River and west of Highway 40. This includes rural subdivisions of the Ranch, Dunes West, Deer Ridge Estates and Mystic Ridge, and is just south of Deer Run Estates and Park Meadows. Continue reading the full news release.



Page last updated: 07 Feb 2025, 12:35 PM