Pre-registration is mandatory.

To help residents reduce wildfire fuels around their properties, Nelson FireSmart is offering free curbside chipping and disposal of small coniferous trees and branches to registered participants.

The program will resume in April of 2026 with up to two chipping dates per month by registration only.

To participate, email firesmart@nelson.ca with your address plus a brief note about what you'd like to put for chipping and wait for confirmation. 

You MUST receive confirmation that you're on the list for that date, otherwise your pile will not be picked up.

How Reducing Woody Fuels Can Protect Your Home:

• During a wildfire, burning embers can travel up to 2 kilometers on the wind and fall on your property.
• These blowing embers can ignite coniferous trees like cedars, junipers and other combustibles around the property, spreading fire to your home.  By removing flammable materials and vegetation around your property you can significantly reduce the chance of your home igniting.

What to Do:

1. Remove Conifers: Start on the area within 1.5 meters of your home. This area should not have any combustible material or vegetation.
2. Prune Branches: Coniferous trees should have the lower branches removed to 2 meters or a maximum 1/3 of the tree height to prevent any grass fire, surface fire or embers blowing across the ground from being able to ignite trees. 
3. Collect Woody Debris: Gather up large branches, sticks, and natural wood debris from around the yard. 
   NOTE: Small loose twigs, raked up debris, or anything small enough to be bagged cannot be chipped.
4. Make a tidy pile at the front of your property. Align branches or trees with butt ends together and toward the street.  Please don't block sidewalks.
5. On the pickup date, crews will chip and remove piles.

Allowed:

• Green or dead coniferous trees and branches
• Dead, dry deciduous branches and large sticks 
• Natural wood

NOT Allowed:

• Treated wood Building materials 
• Wood with nails, paint, screws, etc. 
• Dirty, muddy, decomposing debris or tree roots
• Raked up ground duff: leaves, twigs, grass etc.
• Wood over 25 cm or 10” in diameter
• Bagged leaves or leaf piles, grass, or plants.

Piles with even a single prohibited item will not be picked up.

For more information please call 250-352-8116 or email firesmart@nelson.ca

This pilot program is made possible thanks to support from the Columbia Basin Trust and will be offered throughout the summer.

In order to help homeowners with the cost of making FireSmart improvements to their properties, The City of Nelson is offering rebates for eligible FireSmart activities.  To qualify for rebates, homeowners must first obtain a FireSmart Home Ignition Zone Assessment, complete with a list of recommendations.  These recommendations can be completed by the homeowners themselves or with the use of contractors.  Once some or all of the projects are completed, a follow-up assessment will be conducted with rebates issued afterward.  Currently, rebates are limited to 50% of the total cost of eligible activities up to a maximum, set yearly*.  Some restrictions apply.

Seniors over 65 and those with limited mobility can also access zero-cost wildfire mitigation services to complete recommendations made on their FireSmart Home Ignition Zone Assessment.

*All FireSmart Program funding is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For questions or comments regarding the rebate program, please contact our FireSmart coordinator at firesmart@nelson.ca or by calling 250-352-8116.

If you are located outside of Nelson city limits, please visit the RDCK FireSmart Page.

Annual Wildfire Risk Reduction Burn Permits

Clearing away surface fuels like dry sticks, twigs, and brush helps protect homes and communities from the risk of wildfires.  To make it easier for Nelson residents to reduce these types of fuels around their properties this spring, a burn permit program will be in effect annually from March 30th to May 12th. 

Residents must obtain a permit in person from the Nelson Fire Hall prior to burning. 

Terms & Conditions of Your Permit

- You must bring a copy of your current fire insurance policy with you when you apply

- A $10 fee (cash or cheque only) is required at the time of application 

- You must call each day before you burn to confirm venting and notify the fire hall. 250-352-3103

- Nelson Fire & Rescue Services will review and may rescind permits if conditions adversely affect adjacent neighbours

Size & Location

- Burn Pile cannot exceed 1.5m in diameter and 1m high

- Must be 5m away from any forest land, building, structures, stand-alone trees or any other flammable of combustible material

While at the Burn Pile

- Someone must be with the burn pile at all times

- Garden hose must be connected and present at site at all times

- Have a shovel on hand

- Carry your cell phone with you while you are burning

What You Can Burn

- Permit issued for the burning of clean, dry woody debris; best described as branches and dried brush.

- No accelerants, building materials or other non-organic material

- No burning of vegetative matter such as grass clippings, leaves or garden waste

Weather Conditions & Venting

- Venting must be deemed suitable by Nelson Fire & Rescue Services in conjunction with the daily venting index and regulations set by the Ministry of Environment.  All permit holders must call Nelson Fire & Rescue Services each day before burning at 250-352-3103.

- No burning shall be carried out where, due to climatic conditions or other hazards, it would be unsafe to do so.

For more information please contact Nelson Fire & Rescue Services at 250-352-3103.