Region Archives: Canada West

The Strathcona Regional District is getting Cortes Island ready for next year’s wildfire season by clearing flammable brush from near the island’s recycling centre. The process is called Wildfire Fuel Treatment, and involves modifying the forest to reduce the amount of fuel available to burn. This can include thinning trees, pruning branches, removing brush and other practices. The goal is to manage the amount of fuel, which would then reduce the potential for loss of life, property and infrastructure. “The SRD was successful in obtaining $70,000 in grant funding through the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Firesmart Economic Recovery grant to fully fund this wildfire mitigation work across four hectares,” said SRD Chair Mark Baker. The first stages of the project were to under go a traditional use survey and field reconnaissance with the Tla’amin First Nation.

The Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan BC Canada has one of the very few extant Shay locomotives. They are concluding a six-year restoration project that will see it operating again in 2023. This steam locomotive is a beautiful piece of engineering and technology as well as a vital link to the lumber industry history of Vancouver Island. It will also begin operating passenger trains to carry visitors to the popular heritage site – an attraction that pleases the whole family. Alf Carter, President of the Forest Discovery Centre tells the story of the restoration as we catch views of the engine. Additional videos include: Steam Donkey Collection and Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan British Columbia

At least one police officer joined protesters, journalists and politicians raising alarm bells over RCMP enforcement tactics during the peak of conflict at the Fairy Creek old-growth blockades in B.C. during the summer of 2021. The officer, a former member of the RCMP’s specialized team that deals with resource extraction protests, resigned from the task force over concerns about “unjustifiable” police behaviour during an August crackdown on activists, a freedom-of-information (FOI) request shows. The resignation from the RCMP’s controversial Community-Industry Response Group came in an email dated Sept. 5, 2021, after the officer, with 13 years of experience, was sent to the long-running protest in the Port Renfrew area on southeastern Vancouver Island. The officer, whose name was redacted, remains a member of the RCMP, according to FOI documents obtained by freelance photographer Jen Osborne, who works with Canada’s National Observer. 

Much as coastal communities board up windows and pile sandbags in preparation for a hurricane, Canadian lumber towns are girding themselves for their own natural disaster — the Mountain Pine Beetle. This wood-boring insect devastated more than 50% of BC’s commercial pine trees in the early 2000s and is moving east, threatening Canada’s boreal forests. Prof. Stephan Schott and his colleagues are one step ahead of that infestation, enabling communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan to learn from those in BC, where it all started. …Schott’s team is spending time in Quesnel, a town known as the epicentre of the outbreak. …They will assess what worked and bring it to communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan that are in the midst of an outbreak or anticipating its arrival. “If it goes through Saskatchewan and reaches the boreal forest, it could destroy the northern pines through the rest of Canada,” says Schott.

Reserve your spot now for the Association of BC Forest Professionals 75th Forestry Conference and AGM, February 8-10, 2023 at the Prince George Civic Centre. The conference offers in-person or virtual registration. Highlights include: 

• After Three Years of Wildfires, What Have We Learned?, with Paul Hessburg, senior research ecologist, US Forest Service; Rob Ballinger, West Fraser Timber; and Lorraine Maclauchlan, entomologist, BC Ministry of Forests.
• Forest Management: It’s More Than Timber, with BC Chief Forester Shane Berg, and Garry Merkel.
• Climate Smart Forestry: Managing Forests for a Changing Climate, with Paul Hessburg, Senior Research Ecologist, US Forest Service; Vanessa Foord, Climatologist, BC Ministry of Forests; and Sheri Andrews-Key, Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation, Faculty of Forestry, UBC.
• Indigenous Leadership and Co-managing BC’s Forests, with Lennard Joe, CEO, BC First Nations Forestry Council; Chief John French, Takla Lake First Nation; and Lori Ackerman, CEO, Blueberry River Resources Ltd.

The fall newsletter features:

• Rooted in Learning – Woodlot Licence Conference, Abbotsford 
  The 2022 Annual Conference – Rooted In Learning – was hosted by the Fraser Valley Woodlot Association in Abbotsford October 14th-16th. Over 140 members, as well as forestry stakeholders, gathered for an information-packed weekend.
• Minister’s Award for Excellence & Innovation in Woodlot Management
  Minister of Forests has recognized innovation and excellence in Woodlot Management
• Woodlot Licence Program Report 2021
  BC’s Woodlot Licence program report takes a look at what sets the ‘Woodlot Licence’ apart from other forest tenures in BC.

BRITISH COLUMBIA — In an effort to highlight the incredible grandeur of old-growth ecosystems and draw attention to their unfortunate destruction, Victoria-based conservation photographer TJ Watt has spent years seeking out and documenting the province’s biggest trees — then returning later to photograph their stumps. “I’m trying to remind people that unless we speak up and advocate for the permanent protection of old-growth ecosystems, we will continue losing ecosystems which are second only to the redwoods of California,” says Watt, who is the co-founder of and a campaigner with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA). In addition to advocating for the protection of existing old-growth forests, AFA wants to see replanted forests given more time to grow before being logged again.

Biologists tell us that we are entering the sixth mass extinction event since the world began, the first to be caused by a single species, us. According to a study this month, B.C. is home to the highest amount of biodiversity in Canada and accordingly, the greatest number of species at risk, 1900! The report’s sponsors, the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Committee, are calling for a new law that creates a framework to protect species, habitat and healthy ecosystems. …Presently, B.C.’s laws do not address all the threats that cause species to decline. The provincial government gave its Environment Ministry the mandate to create a species at risk law in 2017. It has yet to do that. The government accepted the Old Growth Strategic Review’s 2020 recommendation to “declare conservation of ecosystem health and biodiversity in our forests as an overarching priority.” But it has yet to enact required legislation there either. 

COP15 (or NatureCOP) takes place Dec. 7 to 19 in Montreal. As a host country that is failing in many ways to protect and restore its vast, diverse ecosystems, Canada has a large role and responsibility. Delegates [will] try to finalize the Global Biodiversity Framework… It’s a huge and necessary goal, and Canada must get on board. That means stopping destructive practices like logging old-growth forests. Despite government assurances that it would “fundamentally transform the way we manage our old-growth forests, lands and resources,” it’s been especially bad here in British Columbia. …But with rampant gas fracking, oil exploitation, logging and mining and the infrastructure that comes with them, B.C. and Canada don’t appear remotely ready to realize the convention’s vision of “living in harmony with nature” any time soon. Short-sighted, outdated economics too often put continued fossil fuel and other industrial dollars ahead of the natural systems we rely on for health, well-being and survival.

CHILCOTIN, BC – …The Government of Canada is committed to supporting reforestation in British Columbia and across the country. Restoring forests will help sequester carbon to fight climate change while delivering clean air, supporting biodiversity and creating sustainable jobs. The Minister of Natural Resources, announced a contribution of over $10 million to Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. through the 2 Billion Trees program, which aims to motivate and support new tree-planting projects. In partnership with the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, Central Chilcotin Ltd is leading a large-scale tree-planting project in British Columbia – the Wildfire/Mountain Pine Beetle Reforestation and Habitat Restoration. The Wildfire/Mountain Pine Beetle Reforestation and Habitat Restoration project will plant a total of 9.3 million trees … within the traditional territory of Alexis Creek First Nation and the Tl’etinqox government. The goals are to sequester carbon, rebuild forest cover and restore habitat, as well as to provide local employment opportunities.

Businesses are urging the B.C. government to capitalize on Ottawa’s offer to spend hundreds of millions to save threatened ecosystems in the run-up to the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal. 250 businesses are backing a resolution urging Premier David Eby to back the federal government’s 30×30 promise — to protect 30 per cent of the country’s land and waters by 2030. Canada hopes to secure similar commitments from other global leaders at COP15…  The businesses are partnering with the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and Nature Canada to push for permanent protections in the southern Interior grasslands, the coastal Douglas fir zone, and the province’s iconic coastal old-growth forests. …Ken Wu, with the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance hopes with a new premier in place, the B.C. government will shake off its lacklustre commitment to the environment. Eby has pledged to block new infrastructure for oil and gas and speed up protections of old-growth forests, but details are still scarce.

Are you aware that a three-way partnership exists — between Yale First Nation, the District of Hope, and the Fraser Regional District — dedicated to forest maintenance and community growth? The Cascade Lower Canyon Community Forest (CLCCF) is aware not everyone in Hope knows about them. But they’re hoping to spread the word about who they are, what they do, and just how dedicated they are to the community. “The CLCCF is an actual licensee. In technical terms, the licensee is what holds the forest tenure. And the CLCCF is a community forest tenure,” says Matt Wealick, the general manager of CLCCF and a forest ranger from Tzeachten First Nation. “We’re responsible for everything that happens underneath [the licensee]. So, everything from the planning and design and where the cut blocks go… the logging, the marketing of the wood that gets sold, and then re-planting for every cut block that we log.”

As the citizens of North Cowichan consider the future of the municipal forest reserve, they are being asked to choose among four management scenarios. …the amount of logging in each scenario is being expressed in cubic metres of timber. …The municipality says that one logging truck hauls from 30 to 35 cubic metres of timber, assuming an average of 32.5 cubic metres per truckload. Now, let’s see what that looks like for each of the four scenarios presented by the UBC Partnership Group, keeping in mind that these are annual figures. (1) Status Quo: 17,500 cubic metres = 538 logging trucks. (2) Reduced Harvest: 7,400 cubic metres = 227 logging trucks. (3) Active Conservation: 1,300 cubic metres = 40 logging trucks. (4) Passive Conservation: No logging; no trucks. …Also note that UBC’s 30-year projection shows that revenues from both conservation options exceed those of logging.

Additional coverage in the Cowichan Valley Citizen, letter by Linda Hill: New forest management plan long overdue

Yellowknife — The Government of the Northwest Territories will introduce new forest legislation in February 2023 to combine and update existing forest legislation. The two existing forest laws are the Forest Protection Act and the Forest Management Act. The new legislation will recognize the co-management of forests in the Northwest Territories, consider the many values of and pressures on the forest including climate change, redefine NWT forests as ecosystems, and modernize the NWT’s permitting and regulatory framework for forest resources. The new Forest Act is being developed collaboratively with Indigenous governments, Indigenous Organizations and Renewable Resource Boards. For information on the upcoming engagements, the public can review a Summary of the Proposal for a new Forest Act or the 2018 Forest Act Public Engagement What We Heard Report.

NEW WESTMINSTER, BC — Parm Bains, Member of Parliament for Steveston—Richmond East, on behalf Natural Resources Canada, and Tree Canada, announced a federal contribution of over $41 million to Tree Canada’s National Greening program through the 2 Billion Trees program. The 2 Billion Trees program is dedicated to supporting new tree planting projects using nature-based solutions to fight climate change and permanently increase forest cover in Canada. Tree Canada aims to accelerate mass seedling planting through afforestation and reforestation efforts with its National Greening program. The organization will plant over 21 million trees in the span of nine years, working with landholders, municipalities and partners to identify priority tree-planting projects to meet their environmental and social goals. …This is just one of the measures the Government of Canada is taking to protect nature as it invites some 196 countries to Montréal for COP15

…In the days after the Duffey Lake Road landslide, geoscientist Pierre Friele got a call from a friend doing avalanche research near Pemberton. With so much destruction, did Friele, who researches landslides, need any aerial photos? When the photographs came back, Friele saw evidence of human activity at the landslide’s source. …Friele hiked above the Duffey Lake Road landslides. …He could see hundreds of metres of logging road. Built sometime between the 1970s and 1990s, the road had since suffered from decades of neglect, he said. …Disturbances from logging roads and wildfires are priming B.C.’s forest slopes for failure, say experts. That’s compounded by human-caused climate change, which is expected to drive more frequent and intense rainfall during the province’s fall, winter and spring. …Friele suggests combining that data to narrow down and stabilize hillslopes where old logging roads are most likely to trigger landslides near infrastructure and people. 

Wildfire may never be viewed as a friend of those communities buried in forest, but it is a natural and accepted part of the ecosystem, according to several wildfire experts. Speaking in a video recently released on the Selous Creek wildfire risk reduction project — just southwest of Nelson — former Nelson Fire Rescue chief Len McCharles said the 80 hectare area in question was an example of how far the knowledge of wildfire activity has come. “What we have learned over the years is that prescribed burns actually allow you to get rid of the ground fuel which allows fire to travel so quickly and, by doing that, we can allow Nelson to be in a much more protected scenario,” he said. “We need to, as a community, accept that prescribed burns are a part of what we need and should support.” The video is available here.

Even though many global cities incorporate greenspaces such as pocket parks and community gardens into their urban planning efforts, new UBC research shows those plans often fail to include the needs of youth and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. As a result, this age demographic can miss out on the known social, physical and mental health benefits of these nature-based solutions. UBC faculty of forestry researchers Dr. Sara Barron and Dr. Emily J. Rugel analyzed data collected during visits to parks in two cities in Australia and reviewed evidence from the past few decades to develop a new tool for evaluating greenspaces for young adults.

Additional Coverage in the Terrace Standard by Dillon White: Young people the ‘missing middle’ of park planning, development: B.C. study

A dedicated team of biologists is working towards bat conservation in the Kootenays. Due to the human impact of forestry operations, many species of bats have lost natural habitat needed for raising their young. Bats often like to use large, hollow trees for roosting, depending on defects like small cavities or loose bark found in mature, old growth forests. Female bats require warmth and a very specific micro-climate to raise their pups. For example, Californian Myotis, a common species found in Columbia Basin, needs spaces small enough to allow their tiny bodies to warm and moisten the air around them. Younger trees rarely have the crevices they seek. Some species have adapted to using buildings and bat boxes instead. However, of the 12 species in the Creston area, only four regularly use buildings to roost, while the other seven do not.

Dallas George and Sarah Dixon

A young woman from Esk’etemc (Alkali Lake) is one of three recipients of a skills award presented by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Sarah G. Dixon, 22, is Secwépemc and Nisga’a, with roots deeply connected to her traditional lands, community, and culture in which she loves sharing with others and passing down to future generations. “When I was first introduced to the forestry industry when I was 17 years old, I never imagined myself wanting to pursue a career within the natural resource industry,” Dixon said. “But in 2020 I started working with Alkali Resource Management in our community doing fuel management, pruning and piling sticks.” …While in high school she signed up with the Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) where she was a ranger in 2018.

It’s more than a month until Christmas, but Jingle Bells are turning to alarm bells as fresh Christmas trees are expected to be in short supply this year. “I would say buy sooner rather than later,” says Larry Whitehead, a Surrey commercial grower and a member of the B.C. Christmas Tree Association. “It looks like we’re going to be tight on supply again this year.” The irony is that Canada’s most treed province simply can’t meet the demand for fresh-cut Christmas trees and has to import the conifers from Washington, Oregon, Quebec and Nova Scotia, says Whitehead. The problem is Christmas tree farms are vanishing — from 500 a decade ago to about 400 now — as owners retire and sell off their land. B.C. supplies are also being hit hard by extreme weather. The heat dome in 2021 was compounded by a drought this past summer that could affect quality and supplies…

Additional coverage from Global News: A Christmas tree shortage in New Brunswick and how it’s not a one-year fix

Good Morning America: What to expect when buying a Christmas tree this holiday season

A new approach to provincial forestry agreements will lead to faster action on harvesting areas damaged by wildfire, provide more timber for mills and set up faster reforestation through the leadership of First Nations. New Wildfire Salvage Opportunity Agreements will enable the timely direct award of forestry licences to First Nations for salvaging timber damaged by wildfire. Streamlining the process to harvest timber affected by wildfire will support mills by ensuring they can access fire-damaged logs before they degrade and still have commercial value. “We are working in partnership with First Nations and the forestry industry to accelerate salvage in these areas, supporting jobs at mills and enhanced forest regrowth,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. “We have heard loud and clear from First Nations that they want more opportunities to participate in forestry.”

Additional coverage in Castanet: Osoyoos Indian Band welcomes new provincial approach

Business in Vancouver, by Nelson Bennett: BC government accelerates salvage of fire-damaged trees

The Government of Saskatchewan announced that Pivot Furniture (Pivot) will receive a timber allocation of 101,000 cubic metres. …Minister of Energy and Resources Jim Reiter said, “this allocation supports our Growth Plan goal to double the size of the sector by 2030, strengthening our economy, and creating growth that works for everyone.” Pivot is a Saskatchewan-based tech company with furniture design centres in Prince Albert and Saskatoon. This allocation will help create more forestry jobs for the region. “It is exciting that the Government of Saskatchewan is supporting the circular economy with this timber allocation,” Pivot Co-Founder Brendon Sled said. …Last fall, the province announced timber allocations to support four major forestry projects in the province. Those allocations, along with today’s announcement, strengthen the position of the sector as a significant employer in the north and as a contributor to the province’s strong economy.