City of Kamloops provides incentive to remove cedar, juniper trees

The City of Kamloops is encouraging residents to take advantage of a new incentive program that helps with the removal of cedar and juniper trees.

This week, the city launched the Community Fuel Reduction Incentive program to help people reduce the risk of landscape and house fires.

Homeowners could receive an incentive between $150 and $800 per household per year, based on the recommendations from a FireSmart assessment.

The program is backed by the Climate Action Fund Reserve and will provide $80,000 annually between 2025 and 2028 to help residents remove fire fuels from around their homes.

A news release from the city says the funding will be distributed on a first-completed, first-served basis between January 1 and November 1.

Eligible residents must own a non-stratified single-family home or duplex within the municipal boundary. The property needs to have hazardous cedar or juniper trees, shrubs or hedges within five metres of structures.

A free FireSmart assessment can be booked by visiting this link.

Homeowners will have four weeks from when they expressed their intent online to complete the recommended work. All tree removal must be done within the established timeline or the reimbursement will be made available to other homeowners.

Once all the trees, shrubs and bushes have been removed, homeowners will need to submit a request for a final visit from the FireSmart assessor to receive their reimbursement.