As part of the Wildfire and Forestry Dialogue Series, the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative (MWI) convened two workshops with communities leading wildfire mitigation in British Columbia. The first was a two-day workshop in Cranbrook, in the East Kootenay region (Ktunaxa territory), in November 2024. The second was a one-day workshop in Mt. Currie, in Líl̓wat territory, in December 2025. Both used an appreciative inquiry approach and were shaped by local advisory groups. They brought together local leaders, practitioners and rightsholders to reflect on what has enabled their success, what still stands in the way, and where they want to go next.

The two regions differ in ecosystem, governance and land tenure, but they share common factors behind their progress. This output explores:

• Themes enabling success, including longstanding relationships and trust, local champions, Indigenous leadership, and the use of reserve, community forest, woodlot and private lands

• Challenges slowing progress, including treatment costs, annual funding cycles, precarious public support, limited local capacity, and reliance on the BC Wildfire Service for prescribed burning

• Five recommendations for regions looking to build and scale their own wildfire risk reduction programs

The experience of the East Kootenay and Líl̓wat shows that wildfire mitigation can work at scale when it is locally led, built on relationships, and integrates the cultural, ecological and recreational values communities care about. This report is intended to support communities, First Nations, governments, community groups and others working to scale wildfire mitigation in their own regions.