As an out-of-control wildfire continues to grow in the Miramichi area, New Brunswick is restricting some forestry operations due to the high wildfire risk.
The restrictions will begin at midnight Friday night and continue until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
Harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and pre-commercial thinning and cleaning will not be allowed during that time.
Trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting will still be permitted.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said the restrictions will apply to all forested lands, both private and Crown.
“These measures will help protect our forests, animals, natural habitats and our communities, as well as our wildland fire crews,” Herron said in a news release.
Officials said restrictions may need to be extended or expanded depending on the weather conditions and fire risk.
Herron encouraged all New Brunswickers to take extreme precautions over the coming days and stay out of the forests if possible.
Miramichi-area wildfire now at 65 hectares
Crews are still battling an out-of-control wildfire in the Miramichi area, which has grown to 65 hectares, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
Nick Brown, a spokesperson for the department, said Friday’s temperature and humidity will make it a challenging day.
“Water bombers will continue to work on the fire today. Additional personnel will join the efforts as well,” Brown said in an email Friday morning.
Six bulldozers are also making good progress building a fire break around the blaze, which began Wednesday afternoon, he said.
No homes are currently threatened by the wildfire.
Winds forecast to increase
Officials said Thursday that while the province’s fire index is rising, it is still far different from Nova Scotia, which restricted travel and activities in the woods earlier this week.
“Based on current conditions, such as humidity in the air and wind – or, in our case, lack of wind – we are in better shape than the rest of Canada,” Wildfire science officer Danny Goddard said in a statement.
“While humidity is lower than normal, the lack of wind is a good thing.”
However, winds are forecast to increase over the coming days, especially on Saturday.
If that happens and humidity does not rise, officials said it could put the province in a more dangerous position.
A provincewide burn ban is currently in place, and wildfire conditions are updated on the Fire Watch website at 2 p.m. daily.
