A Living Lab for Hands-on Learning
The Skattebo Education Forest (SEF) covers 285 hectares along the east shore of the Kootenay River. Since the Province of BC granted the land to Selkirk College in 1999, it has been an outdoor classroom with a variety of vegetation, shrubs, wildlife and tree species where students in Forest Technology, Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, Integrated Environmental Planning and other programs can get hands-on experience.
Ecology
The SEF is classified as a West Kootenay Dry Warm Interior Cedar-Hemlock (ICHdw1) forest, with moist, warm springs, hot to very hot, dry summers, and mild, dry winters. Snowpack is typically moderately shallow.
The forest is home to a variety of shrubs, vegetation and wildlife. Numerous tree species include cedar, Douglas fir, western hemlock, lodgepole pine, grand fir, western white pine, western larch and ponderosa pine.
Wildfire Mitigation
Wildfire mitigation is an important aspect of our stewardship of the SEF. We are committed to reducing risks to adjacent public land, Crown timber and neighbouring private land, including the community of Glade.
Fuel-management project
A 6.57-hectare fuel management treatment was completed in 2022 to reduce the amount of forest fuels. The project was carried out with funding from the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction Program – Columbia Basin Economic Recovery Initiative.
Selkirk College and the local contractor carrying out the treatment, AGROFOR, would like to thank the surrounding community for their patience while this work was being done. Remaining piles will be burned in the fall, following the provincial Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation.
Selkirk College acknowledges the support of Columbia Basin Trust and the Province of BC.
Fire crew training
Local crews from the BC Wildfire Service often use the forest as part of their pre- and post-fire season training, including danger tree assessment and brushing the main road.