Burwood Restoration Initiative

The Burwood Restoration Initiative, or BRI, is a government agency of the Kingdom of Moorland that is responsible for infrastructure and ecological restoration efforts following the Burwood Wildfires that destroyed some 10,000 acres of forest and caused over 15,000 deaths. As a government agency, it is headed by a commissioner who oversees a task force who manage disbursement of funds to various contractors who have been hired to conduct the restoration projects within the Council of Burwood. In a special session of the Witan, King MacMartin authorized an emergency fund of a billion crowns to fund the effort. Although somewhat controversial, some of the funding comes from assets seized during the annexation of Ostland. But since these funds are being redirected entirely back to the people impacted by the fires, opposition has been minimal. The agency was created in XIV.1728 and began drafting action plans and opening requests-for-proposals to contractors who will bid on the projects that the agency develops. They currently have a timetable of beginning restoration work in the spring of 1729.

On 2.XV.1728, Imperial Constancian Ambassador to Moorland Lukretia Akshay informed the Kingdom of Moorland of the interest of the Green Constancian Corridor Commission to observe and contribute to these efforts, as well as the support of the Imperial Constancian Government and its embassy to Moorland. A gift of one million Imperial Constancian Staters was likewise turned over, coming from the private funds of the Imperial family, on behalf of the people of Constancia.

The Green Micras Initiative likewise pledged its support.

By 1730, after a full year had passed, the landscape finally began to show some fresh vigor. Thanks to both local and international conservation efforts, the accumulation of ash had begun to decompose enough that seeds began to sprout and the blackened hills started to turn green once again. Crews continued to plant seedlings of Moor pine, with the spring thaw presenting the opportunity to get nearly a million trees planted; most of this done with mechanical planters. Volunteer crews have been paired with government agencies to assist in home repairs for those affected by the fires. This includes working with emergency funding to cover the cost of replacement materials and labor for installation. Most damage to housing was in the Kingsburgh-to-Overton corridor. Meanwhile, tract housing has been a quicker solution for refugees who have been housed in unaffected cities such as St. Joseph's and Kilmister, although many are eager to return to the homes they fled. Although this is not possible in some cases, as with Großehafen, which suffered such severe damage that the city was declared uninhabitable. In these cases, agencies are working with refugees to settle them in new housing in either nearby communities or a community of their choice.

Seven years on, as 1736 waxed forward, the effects of the wildfires had mostly disappeared from the landscape. The once blackened landscape has been carpeted in a blanket of fresh green growth. Only in places preserved as monuments of remembrance, such as the ruins of Reichsborg, do the charred stones tell a tale of past events. King MacMartin oversaw a ceremony, late 1735, that saw the functions of the BRI scaled back significantly, with management passed to regional PRISM groups and the Royal Conservation Agency, which manages all state forests. The main focus of the BRI then will be to provide monitoring of ongoing ecological restoration and assist the RAC with fire prevention measures. The long-term plan being to phase out the BRI entirely within the next few years and transition all its projects to other agencies.

Timeline

• 3.III.1729 AN: Conservation Officers begin planning phase for reforestation and soil stabilization in the most severely devastated areas of the forest. Primary focus of concern is on landslides caused by the accumulation of ash and loss of plant life that would have stabilized soils. Two dozen nurseries are established to begin fast-track growth of seedlings of Moor Pine that will be planted in these areas. Construction of dikes and breaks to limit the damage from landslides also begins.
• 10.X.1729 AN: Mass-planting of Moor Pine seedlings begins. Most roads cleared of ash and repaired, allowing transportation to resume. Government officially designates five Royal Parks for protection, each of which will be given a conservation management plan tooled to their particular function and amenities.
• 7.IV.1730 AN: Grasses and other herbaceous plants begin regenerating on soils after a year of recovery. Mass-planting for erosion control and reforestation continues.
• 12.XV.1731 AN: Administration confirms planting of over 50,000 seedlings of Moor Pine in areas devastated by the wildfires. In the nearly two years since the fires ended, significant grasses and wildflowers have begun to emerge from the ash layer as it continues to decompose, helping to stabilize the soils. But efforts continue to plant native trees and keep invasive species at bay while they mature.
• 16.VIII.1732 AN: Three years on, Burwood continues its regrowth from the devastation of the wildfires. The brown and black charred remnants of the forest have slowly given way to a new wave of greenery. Replanted trees now account for over 100,000 seedlings, and monitoring reports significant success rates of survival. BRI has successfully established PRISMs (Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management) with most noble seats, who in turn have helped to restore ecosystems within their respective lands.
• 22.VI.1732 AN: With seven years having passed since the fires, the landscape bears only passing reminders of the events that transpired. Protected forest lands have begun to transition into early successional phases, such as birch giving way to pine and oak. As such, the work of the BRI has been significantly scaled back, placing long-term management in the hands of regional PRISMs and the Royal Conservation Agency. At this point, the main function of the BRI has shifted to serving as a monitoring agency to help oversee forestry and enable preventative measures against further wildfires.