In November 2023, the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative convened a two-day workshop in Williams Lake, British Columbia, to explore the concept of landscape resilience and wildfire in the province’s Cariboo region. This event brought together participants from across the region to discuss key challenges to addressing the risk of wildfire and different pathways to building local resilience.

This output is intended to explore the concept, while providing local examples from the Cariboo and delving into several aspects of wildfire resilience including:

• Questions and assumptions about the term wildfire resilience 

• Ways to address wildfire resilience on provincial and regional scales

• Progress towards wildfire resilience in the context of five main categories: planning, operations, networking, research and knowledge generation, and public engagement

Hearing from those most impacted from wildfire is essential. Collaborative efforts to build resilience with a region need to be grounded in community and Indigenous values as well as designed and led by those directly involved. This primer is intended to inform reflection, dialogue and collaboration on wildfire resilience and support First Nations, land use planners, governments, practitioners and others to consider resilience across an array of planning and management initiatives.