Monthly Archives: May 2018

Community forests now have a chance to expand, following changes announced by the province on May 25. The announcement came as more than 150 delegates gathered in Burns Lake for the BC Community Forest Association’s (BCCFA) conference and annual general meeting, which took place May 24-26. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson made the announcement during a keynote address at the convention. He said that changes to the laws and regulations governing forests would enable expansions beginning immediately, prompting applause from the crowd. “We want to ensure that we’re providing a strong economic base for rural communities,” he said, adding that the amendments would allow community forest operators to create more jobs. Community forests will be allowed to expand “provided there is available area,” according to a government medial release.

The Nahmint Valley south of Sproat Lake near Port Alberni is a spectacular piece of Vancouver Island. The mountains are tall and so are the trees, but the conservation group Ancient Forest Alliance says too many of the tallest and oldest trees are being cut down. The group recently became aware of logging in the area and on a recent trip saw an orange ribbon with “Falling Boundary” written it.  It was near a Douglas fir that was over three metres wide and was the 10th widest Douglas fir tree in B.C. according to the BC BigTree registry. On a return trip a few days later, it had been cut down. “We’re standing here right beside a Douglas fir tree that was cut down just this past week, larger than the largest one at Cathedral Grove,” said TJ Watt, co-founder of Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), on Friday.

Pete Erickson

For Pete Erickson, a hereditary chief of the Nak’azdli First Nation, finding that perfect medium between economic support and natural resource conservation is key when looking into he future of British Columbia’s forest industry. “When you look at the impact humans have had on the environment, it’s going to kick us in the face,” says Erickson. …Erickson, who works as the natural resource sector liaison for the Nak’azdli Whut’en and the British Columbia Ministry of Forest, believes that there are at least two major factors that need to be addressed when it comes to B.C. forestry operation in the future. “One big factor is that First Nations everywhere want our land recognized,” says Erickson. “Second of all, we have climate change biting at everyone right now.

Marie-France Miron’s May 17 letter expresses concern that Parks Canada is failing to diligently apply established management techniques in order to keep the town’s inhabitants safe. Quite rightly, she referenced a number of regulatory matters that certainly give Parks Canada the ability, the responsibility, and the authority, to ensure that the townsite is safe. In 2017, I expressed similar concerns. I attended a mountain pine beetle seminar in Jasper where I met scientists and forest health practitioners from across the country, and especially Western Canada. I was stunned by the absence of anyone who had anything to do with Jasper National Park. …I was told by a now retired National Parks superintendent that: “There was no mountain pine problem in Jasper (or the Alberta Foothills) –there is a natural process of change unfolding and nothing anybody can do will stop it.”

Rapid innovation and technology adoption across the forest sector in rural B.C. will be fostered through a new research program spearheaded by Selkirk College. Selkirk College’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC) has been successful in securing $1.7 million in funding from the Natural Science & Engineering Council of Canada. …“In an increasingly globalized economy, forest companies must seek new ways to stay competitive, this is particularly critical in rural areas of British Columbia,” says Selkirk College’s Rhys Andrews, Dean of Applied Research and Innovation. “Advanced digital technologies like remote sensing, cloud-computing, spatial analysis, unmanned aerial system (UAS) surveying capabilities and augmented/virtual reality visualization offer multiple opportunities to support, enhance and expand our regional forest sector.”

Conservationists and researchers say wildfire control efforts in B.C. may be causing mule deer numbers to decline. That possibility is being explored in a new study of the animals beginning in southern B.C. Researchers are going into areas scorched by wildfire in recent years to see how the landscape affects the population and movement of deer.  “It’s all about food,” UBC-Okanagan professor Adam T. Ford explained to Radio West host Sarah Penton. “We know mule deer are very choosy eaters, and fire creates open canopies, so it opens up the forest and then you get the flush of green growth in the understory [Ecological term referring to growth beneath forest canopy] afterwards. We think that is the single most important factor affecting mule deer abundance in B.C.”