Fire, ash and drought pose triple threat to Okanagan farmers

The growing season was already an uphill battle for Okanagan farmers amid the region’s harsh drought, but a combination of wildfires and falling ash are making for a difficult harvest many likely will not escape.

Summerland orchardists are now forced to leave their peaches to spoil, but other farms in the region will feel the effects, putting a dent in the harvest of one of the region’s favourite crops.

“The smoke’s not the biggest deal because you can just cut down the hours, but it’s actually the ash that falls,” BC Fruit Growers’ Association president Deep Brar said.

Brar was evacuated from his Summerland farm last week, along with his family, workers and the rest of the town as the Bald Range wildfire exploded in size.

He said his peaches, already a delicate fruit to grow, are rotting on the trees and pears should have been harvested, Aug. 11.

The ash from Bald Range fell many kilometres away from the fire itself, reaching Penticton, Kelowna and as far north as Vernon.

The ash gets trapped in the peach fuzz and it’s “basically impossible” to clean before packing, Brar said.

“I can’t even imagine what Summerland looks like… pears are a bit more resilient with tougher skin, so maybe you can wash it off, but it’s going to be a nightmare to try and pack those,” Brar said.

While his farm isn’t directly in the fire zone now, he can’t yet get temporary access to check the orchard and water the trees, let alone harvest fruit.

The wildfire directly impacts dozens of farms, but the extent of the damage isn’t yet known as BC Wildfire Service tries to contain the blaze, which has grown to 18,450 hectares as of Aug. 12.

BC’s minister of agriculture, Lana Popham, said the province is working with local officials to let farmers back into the area to check on their crops, but it’s not guaranteed amid road hazards and an unpredictable fire.

“The smoke is affecting the crops for sure, and there’s soot,” Popham said at an Aug. 11 news conference. “(Orchardists), of course, support all the efforts being made on the firefighter front, but they’re right now heartbroken to see their crop rotting in the orchards.”

As vineyards are also hit with another year of wildfires, it’s not clear yet how it will affect grapes.

BC Grapegrowers’ Association director Dapinder Gill said there are techniques to minimize the effects, along with ongoing research to find new ways to alleviate the pressure of repeated wildfire seasons.

Water is also a challenge for farmers outside the fire zone, with those in the Vernon area facing some of the harshest water restrictions due to the drough conditions.

Agricultural property owners and residents are facing water restrictions across the region, and while the province is looking for long-term solutions to alleviate worsening drought conditions, it’s unlikely to turn around in the next year.

“This is hard work and it’s going to take many years to solve, but starting now is the key,” BC minister of water, land and resource stewardship, Randene Neill, told iNFOnews.ca.