New Brunswick is allowing the forestry sector to resume some activities on Crown land.
All activities on Crown land have been banned for more than a week due to the extreme wildfire risk.
But on Tuesday, the province announced that specific activities would be allowed “to ensure ongoing operations of the forestry sector.”
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said while the top priority continues to be safety, they recognize the need to support the return of operations by industry on Crown lands.
“Many New Brunswick businesses rely on our Crown forests. These firms employ many New Brunswickers,” Herron said in a news release.
Conditions in place
Each business will need a permit and must follow rules regarding work location, operating conditions, hours of operation, fire equipment and fire-watch activity.
For example, the province said tree harvesting will be allowed between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.
In addition, officials said no activity will be allowed in an active fire zone anywhere in the province.
“We have struck the right balance between assisting these companies and protecting our forests,” said Herron.
While industry is resuming some operations on Crown lands, all recreational activities remain off-limits, including campfires and the use of all-terrain vehicles.
Number of active fires falling
There were 28 active fires across the province as of 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, down from 33 earlier in the day.
Five of those fires were out of control, four were being monitored, three were contained, one was under control and 15 were being patrolled.
The Beaver Lake Stream fire west of Red Bank is now at 238 hectares, the Chief’s fire northeast of Northesk is at 218 hectares and the Rocky Brook fire northwest of Bathurst has reached 184 hectares.
Officials say recent rainfall on Sunday helped slow fire growth, but more sustained precipitation is needed to reduce the risk and support longer-term planning.
Herron told reporters on Monday that two to five days of steady rain would be beneficial. A burn ban remains in place across the province until further notice.
