Priority 3: Highway 40 West FireSmart™ Project
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.