Effect of the Fires on B.C. Tourism

Coverage of the forest fires that ravaged British Columbia this summer naturally focussed on the death and destruction caused by the infernos, which were finally brought under control. But the fires have also damaged the tourism industry around the town of Kelowna, in the Okanagan Mountains, making rebuilding the lives of area residents that much more difficult.

The fires destroyed 12 of the 16 historic railway trestle bridges that made up a large part of the Kettle Valley Railway trail. They are made of wood soaked in creosote and date back 100 years. The trestles were designated a national historic site in January and volunteers had painstakingly restored and repaired the wooden ties.

The bridges were restored as part of the Trans-Canada Trail and are popular with hikers and cyclists from all over the world. The estimated cost of rebuilding the bridges is at least $30 million.

A four-person task force was struck in October to find the best way to rebuild the bridges, using the provincial and federal emergency funds available. The task force also said that the rebuilding would be a good way to help restart the local forestry industry, through the use of lumber from local mills.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Under-reported. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. Add to del.icio.us.