Region Archives: Canada West

A unique wood bison herd near Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta is on the verge of being wiped out. The herd, one of only two naturally established disease-free herds in Alberta, has as few as nine bison remaining. With logging set to begin in the area imminently, community members are concerned it will have dire consequences. Federally, wood bison are considered a threatened species, but the Wabasca herd is stuck in a sort of regulatory limbo as the federal and provincial governments work to identify its critical habitat — a step that would bring protections through the Species At Risk Act. …Logging is now set to start on the southwest edge of the Wabasca range, an area that trapper Johnson Alook and members of ShagowAskee say will impact critical bison habitat, but which the B.C.-based logging company Tolko — and the provincial government — say is outside their range and won’t affect the herd.

As mill closures drag on in Merritt, and become permanent in other parts of the province, those in the forestry industry are urging the provincial government to intervene and support the industry. Access to timber is a concern for a number of forestry companies… Aspen Planers’ Merritt operations have been temporarily halted since December 2022 due to a lack of approved cutting permits and access to timber, with no end in sight. Vaagen Fibre in Midway, B.C. has also indefinitely shut down… …a lack of access to timber supply, along with an opaque and unnecessarily complicated permitting process for cutting new logs, continue to strangle local operations in the Nicola Valley. …the Ministry said that most applications for cutting permits are granted within a reasonable timeframe. They were not able to provide clarification on Aspen Planers’ permits in particular, but added that recent data for the district overall shows most permits are issued quickly.

Satnam Manhas

British Columbia has long been known for our forests, and for decades the province’s economy was dominated by forestry. But high rates of harvest due to the mountain-pine-beetle infestation, and increased wildfires due to climate change and historical fire suppression, are forcing us to make a serious choice.  Either we continue logging at the current rate and keep the status quo for another five years at most, or we consider some serious changes to how we manage our forests and forest sector: Leveraging innovations, using carbon markets to build value as our forests regrow, protecting the biodiversity we have left and integrating First Nations decision-making.  …Mills are being starved of wood because there simply isn’t enough to cut — something everyone knew would happen when these mega mills were built, despite the feigned shock we hear from so many commentators now.

Chris Roberts

First Nations, government and industry leaders gathered in Lheidli T’enneh territory to discuss opportunities in the resource sector – and what corporations need to do in the future.  Wei Wai Kum Chief Chris Roberts told the industry leaders in attendance that the First Nations need to be included projects because the land belongs to them.  “The recognition of our rights and our title and the fact the territories you’re all operating, where you have an interest, where the government the last 150 or 200 years to manage it, it is ours,” he said.  “It belongs to the nation in the territory where you live and play and work, and that acknowledgement and recognition is the foundation that leads to how we are going to be a part of it.”  …,Leaders from Haisla Nation, Saulteau First Nations and Wei Wai Kum First Nations had a panel discussion on progressive Indigenous businesses.

Striding over moss and crackling branches, Larry Pynn and Bruce Coates hiked deep into a North Cowichan forest Sunday to show us their find. “I get shivers, you know I love it, I really do,” said Bruce Coates, president of the Cowichan Valley Naturalists’ Society. “It feels so good to find these last few,” said Larry Pynn, a Cowichan resident and publisher of SixMountains.ca. The naturalists discovered a hidden treasure of trees growing way off the beaten path last week. …The area the giants are growing in along the Chemainus River is part of the North Cowichan Municipal Forest Reserve, which has temporarily halted logging due to a public consultation to determine the future of its over 5000 hectares of forest. That consultation ends later this month, so the naturalists hope this discovery will lead more people to want to protect this unique forest from harvesting.

…Globally, in all Mercer operating areas, we’ve experienced unseasonably warm temperatures, extreme drought conditions, and wildfires increasing in both number and severity. Mercer Forestry Services (MFS) has worked with the BC Wildfire Service to help fight wildfires by using logging equipment to build fire breaks and douse flames. …These natural disturbances can have a major effect on the environment, including the carbon balance. …Depending on the severity of a wildfire, however, burnt trees within the stand are not wasted. …Time is of the essence to harvest this timber, as the longer a tree sits after a forest fire, the less moisture it will contain. Therefore, MFS aims to harvest approved stands as soon as safely possible after it’s burnt to salvage as much of the tree as we can. …these areas affected by natural forces and harvesting can be replanted, regrown, and thrive once again. 

The state of the provincial forestry industry and its future is this week’s focus for Premier David Eby and other key industry leaders. …Bob Brash, TLA’s executive director, told Black Press that the association is looking for specific measures to help reduce what he called the “fair bit of concern and uncertainty” in the industry. …Forest companies have also lamented declines in the annual allowable cut with the proviso that the actual amount harvested is generally less. “Predictability on fibre supply is really critical,” said Linda Coady of the BC Council of Forest Industries. While the annual allowable cut was around 80 million cubic-meters per year around 2007… it will level out somewhere between 40 and 50 million cubic meters by 2030 – quite a swing. …Other issues facing include government’s deferral of nearly 1.7 million hectares of old growth forest.

Ribbons of smoke curl up out of the forests framing the Trans Canada Highway as drivers enter and exit Banff’s townsite in the picturesque Rocky Mountains of western Alberta. There, Parks Canada crews have been hard at work trying to remove the fuel on the forest floor and canopy in Banff National Park. “What that involves is pruning and thinning the forest so we can reduce the amount of fuel load in terms of wildfire risk reduction,” said David Tavernini, Fire and Vegetation Specialist with Parks Canada. “This helps us manage wildfires safely and be able to protect the communities, people and infrastructure,” he added. This season, about 34 hectares of forest with be thinned. The forests in Banff National Park are not only old and beyond what is considered their natural burning cycle, but mountain pine beetle is also wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.

Forestry workers and communities throughout the province will benefit from new funding for the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to increase fibre supply aimed at keeping people working and local mills running, while also mitigating wildfire risks and reducing climate emissions.  “The projects funded through the Forest Enhancement Society of BC will help us get more fire-damaged wood and logging waste to the mills that need it. At the same time, forestry contractors will have more work hauling fibre that would otherwise be too remote or costly to access. This also supports our continued focus on getting more well-paying jobs from our forests,” said Premier David Eby. With an investment of $50 million from the Province, FESBC will expand funding for projects and programs that increase the use of low-value or residual fibre, including trees damaged by recent wildfires and waste left over from logging that would otherwise be burned in slash piles.

Addition coverage in BlackPress by Wolf Depner: Province pumps $50-million into increasing fibre supply in B.C.

Two years after B.C.’s forestry watchdog warned biodiversity in the Prince George timber supply area may be at “high risk,” the provincial government has mapped important old-growth areas — and told logging companies to steer clear. Though these areas have not been legally protected, Ministry of Forests officials told logging companies in a Dec. 21 letter that they expect the old-growth parcels to be “respected as no harvest areas.” The move is “quite significant,” said Michelle Connolly, director of the non-profit Conservation North. “It’s an extensive area — it’s a quarter of a million hectares of high-value primary forest,” she said, adding, “they’re extremely important areas ecologically.” “The staff that did this actually should be commended,” she said. …The changes come two years after the Forest Practices Board, the forestry watchdog, wrapped up an investigation into the way biodiversity is managed in the Prince George timber supply area, following a complaint from a local resident. 

Chief Knox

Lemare Lake Logging Ltd., working on behalf of Kwakiutl First Nation band council, logged a tract of old-growth forest in Kwakiutl territory on northern Vancouver Island after receiving a cease-and-desist order from hereditary leaders. Hereditary Chief N’amugwis David Mungo Knox says that he tried to engage with the province and the parties in question to little effect, and that the nation has called for an old-growth moratorium for over a decade. “I’m trying to save what we have left for the future, because this is our ancient old growth. Once you’ve clear cut it, that’s it,” he said. The cutblocks are located within the Douglas Treaty area, a coastal strip of territory reaching from Port McNeil to Port Hardy… Knox said they include large tracts of red cedar, salmon spawning habitat and active bear dens, and that they reflect rare, old-growth forest in areas that have been heavily logged.

BAIE-D’URFÉ, QC – The Hagen Family Foundation announces a donation towards Wildlife Preservation Canada for the conservation efforts to save the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), the most endangered frog in Canada. A sum of $10,000 was donated to provide financial relief and support for their recovery plan of this species at risk. Wildlife Preservation Canada’s mission is to save animal species at risk from extinction in Canada… According to the Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC) website, the biggest factor driving the decline of the Oregon spotted frog is likely habitat loss caused by development, agricultural land conversion, resource extraction, and hydrological alterations. Other threats include invasive species and pollution. With just a handful of breeding populations left in Canada, this species could easily disappear without hands-on intervention.

B.C. has some of the richest and most diverse forests in the world. But, as everyone knows, these forests are in bad shape now and the forest industry itself is in crisis. How has this come about? There are a host of problems ranging from the over-harvesting of timber to raw log exports, pine and spruce beetle infestations, lack of reinvestment, failure to extract more value from the wood, environmental degradation, and now an acute shortage of wood fibre which has contributed to the closure of the pulp line at Prince George Pulp & Paper and 300 employees losing their jobs. One thing is clear. For too long, government forest policy has been under the thumb of the giant globalized forest companies with just about everyone else relegated to the sidelines. And we are seeing the results of this lop-sided big company domination with the sorry state of our forests today.

In this episode Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), joins Aspen Dudzic at AFPA’s 80th AGM and Conference to share his unique view of forestry in the federal landscape. Join them as they dig into big topics like net-zero carbon and what it means when we hear people talk about nature-based climate solutions, and what a forest bioeconomy is all about. Derek also shares a bit about what drives his passion for Canadian forestry and explores themes of innovation, sustainability, and why as Derek puts it, “this is not your grandma and grandpa’s forest sector.” Join Aspen and Derek for all that and a whole lot more. And if you’re eager for even more, check out ForestryForTheFuture.ca!

Thomas Bennett

This is Thomas Bennett, Forester In Training (FIT). He’s an Assistant Operations Engineer at Teal Jones. In this role, he works closely with his supervisor on all phases of timber development in the Fraser Valley, specifically Upper Pitt Lake, from admin and contracting to harvesting and road planning. Thomas, 23, always knew he wanted to work outdoors for his career. His enthusiasm about forestry led him to join UBC’s Urban Forestry program, before switching to Forest Resources Management to become a Registered Professional Forester (RPF). While in the program, Thomas received the Gordon Baskerville Best in Program Award. …“Challenging times in the industry bring opportunity for creativity and innovation,” says Thomas. Technological advancements like cross-laminated timber and wood-based products substituted for plastic make his future in the industry that much more exciting for him.

Owners of a property near Avola, BC (the complainants) are concerned that:

• given a history of landslides in the area, planned harvesting by BC Timber Sales (BCTS) will cause landslides that could cause harm or loss of life, and damage their house, property and licensed waterworks;
• a road being constructed by BCTS caused sediment and heavy metals to enter the groundwater and surface water that they divert for human consumption, irrigation and farm animals; and,
• sediment from BCTS’s road damaged their licensed waterworks.

The Board considered whether BCTS complied with FRPA’s requirements regarding landslides, fish habitat, drinking water and licensed waterworks.

The B.C. government and Blueberry River First Nations have reached a historic agreement that will guide them forward in a partnership approach to land, water and resource stewardship that ensures Blueberry River members can meaningfully exercise their Treaty 8 rights, and provide stability and predictability for industry in the region. “This agreement provides a clear pathway to get the hard work started on healing and restoring the land, and start on the joint planning with strong criteria to protect ecosystems, wildlife habitat and old forests,” said Chief Judy Desjarlais of the Blueberry River First Nations. “With the knowledge and guidance of our Elders, this new agreement will ensure there will be healthy land and resources for current and future generations to carry on our people’s way of life.”

Additional coverage in Victoria Times Colonist, by the Canadian Press: B.C. signs ‘historic’ deal with First Nation after court fight over treaty rights

The people working to protect Kaslo from forest fires want to establish a series of temporary ponds that could be used as water reservoirs around the town. The pitch was made by John Cathro, who has been heading up the Village of Kaslo FireSmart program for the last few years. “We know we don’t have enough water when we need it. We don’t have the ability to get the water from temporary storage to where we need it,” Cathro told the Dec. 13 meeting of Kaslo Village council. “So that [planning] is going to be a big part of the coming year.” Cathro presented the idea while updating council on the community’s work to better protect itself from wildfires. He said a lot had been accomplished in the last few years by various agencies working together on FireSmart programs – from the community forest to regional government to local fire protection services.

I learned of the battle over clearcut logging on Haida Gwaii in the 1970s. Forest companies had been denuding much of the islands by clearcut logging, which had generated growing opposition. In the early 1980s, I flew to Haida Gwaii to interview loggers, forestry officials, government bureaucrats, environmentalists and Indigenous people. One of the people I interviewed was a young Haida artist named Guujaaw, who had led the opposition to logging for years. Unemployment was high in Haida communities, and logging generated desperately needed jobs. So I asked Guujaaw why he opposed the logging. He answered, “Our people have determined that Windy Bay and other areas must be left in their natural condition so that we can keep our identity and pass it on to following generations. The forests, those oceans, are what keep us as Haida people today.”