Monthly Archives: March 2019

Effective immediately, the allowable annual cut for Weyerhaeuser’s Tree Farm Licence 59 in the South Okanagan will have an allowable annual cut level of 60,700 cubic metres. This is an 8% decrease from the previous cut level of 66,000 cubic metres per year set in 2018. This new, lower cut level takes into account changes in forestry practices to accommodate First Nations interests, including cutblock size, stream riparian zones and cumulative effects. “After carefully reviewing all the available information on timber and non-timber resources in Tree Farm Licence 59, and consulting with First Nations, I am reducing the allowable annual cut,” said Diane Nicholls, chief forester. “I am satisfied the new cut level is sustainable, considers the area’s biodiversity, wildlife and socio-economic concerns, and respects Indigenous interests.” The tree farm licence covers about 46,500 hectares, with approximately 43,000 hectares available for timber harvesting.

Alberta’s long, cold winter won’t do anything to dampen the 2019 wildfire season, but being extra careful when working and playing in the forests this spring could help, “we aren’t sure what’s coming this year,” said U of A wildland fire expert Mike Flannigan. “With the snow on the ground right now, it’s not going to be a problem for the next while, but we are expecting much warmer weather so the snow could disappear quickly and we might be into fire season quickly.” …“Regardless of how much rain you’ve had or how much snow is melted, if you get a week of hot, dry, windy weather you can have a raging inferno,” said Flannigan, who is director of Canada Wildfire. High levels of precipitation can have a bigger impact on lowlands—wetter, boggy peatlands that make up about 20 per cent of Alberta’s forests—but this winter was very dry, he said.

North Cowichan’s council has endorsed the recommendations of the municipality’s forest advisory committee to harvest trees that blew down or were heavily damaged during the recent windstorm in parts of the municipal forest reserve. …But Icel Dobell, a member of the Where do We Stand group that was formed to promote a cessation of logging in the forest reserve’s 5,000 hectares, said council’s decision on the blow down was rushed and more professional input is required. “Council was advised that some of the blow down areas won’t be accessible without major road-building and other work — those areas will be left alone,” said North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring. “However, it’s important to clear out the blow downs where we can to keep the forest reserve as safe as possible for public use, and to reduce wildfire risk.”

Also, see letter to the editor: Decision on blow downs rushed, no public input

…Widespread, disastrous flooding in the Fraser Valley was narrowly averted last spring when the Fraser River swelled. Many older forests in the valleys draining into the river’s upper reaches are gone due to clear-cut logging, raging wildfires and insect attacks, all of which can increase peak water flows. Despite this, British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development continues to approve high logging rates while doing little to understand their cumulative effects. This has prompted a former ministry employee and professional forester … to warn that further calamities may lie ahead. …“The way in which the ministry operates is doing irreversible harm to the environment and to British Columbians,” says Anthony Britneff… Fred Marshall shares Britneff’s concerns. He says BC Timber Sales’ current plans call for more than half of all new clear-cuts to be 40 hectares or more in size.

Saturna Island, BC — The elected leadership of the Tsawout First Nation has given the green light to an extensive logging operation on Saturna Island, much to the surprise and dismay of many in their community. The decision was announced Feb. 26 and some Tsawout members say there has been no consultation or communication from the chief and council, who made the decision. …Jesurun Marks, a logger and hand faller with eight years experience and a member of the Tsawout band, informally inspected the site and wrote a report citing a number of concerns. …Indigenous Services Canada confirmed that Chemainus Forest Products has been appointed to harvest 33,477 cubic metres of trees within Saturna Island IR No. 7 and that a timber permit was issued by the department on Feb. 26.

After discussing continuing issues with urban deer with Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson last week, discussion turned to watersheds, specifically the two that service Kimberley. The city has two watersheds, Mathew Creek, which serves Marysville and Mark Creek, which serves the rest of Kimberley. McCormick’s discussions with the Minister were not on the way they were being managed. The City has just renewed their Memorandum of Understanding with BC Timber Sales, who handle all the logging activity in the watershed, and McCormick says that relationship is good. The MOU, McCormick says, is a comprehensive document on behaviours in the watershed and how logging happens.