Region Archives: Canada West

…Culturally modified trees (CMTs) in B.C with marks showing they were used by Indigenous Peoples before 1846 are officially protected. But with little independent oversight, experts say these irreplaceable trees are regularly being cut down by the forestry industry. The steady loss of culturally modified trees means historical gaps, hiwus Calvin Craigan, Hereditary Chief of the shíshálh Nation, said. “… culturally modified trees are part of demonstrating that we have been here for thousands of years,” he said. …“The critical importance of this point is that … it is a physical marker of our territory. That we were there and we used it,” ‘Namgis First Nation elected Chief Councillor Don Svanvik said.  CMTs can help reclaim jurisdiction over territory, Svanvik added. “This is the way to get the evidence,” he said. “We still need to demonstrate that we were on this land.” But CMTs are frequently being logged, sources told The Narwhal. 

In a B.C. Supreme Court hearing in 2019, a judge told a community group from Glade, a rural community near Nelson, that they have no inherent right to clean drinking water.  … The Glade Watershed Protection Society had taken the Interior Health Authority, ATKO Wood Products and Kalesnikoff Lumber to court on the grounds that the community’s right to clean water was threatened by clear cut logging in their watershed. The judge dismissed the society’s application and ordered it to pay the respondents’ court costs.  …So they decided on a different approach.  The society and another West Kootenay group, the Laird Creek Water Users Association, commissioned a scientific study that includes a series of maps of their watersheds showing the factors that would have to be considered if forest planning were done with water protection in mind.

Muhammad Zain Ul Haq

The student who leads a network of protest groups notorious for blocking B.C. highways and bridges pleaded guilty in Vancouver Provincial Court Tuesday to mischief under $5,000 and breach of a release order.  Muhammad Zain Ul Haq was scheduled to go on trial for his role in Extinction Rebellion’s March 27, 2021, protest against old growth logging that blocked the Cambie Bridge. He was also charged for failure to comply with bail conditions after Stop Fracking Around’s anti-pipeline protest blocked Cambie Bridge traffic on Aug. 15.  Judge Jennifer Oulton asked Haq if he was aware he was giving up his right to a trial. He agreed and answered “guilty” to both charges. …Haq’s appearance came, coincidentally, the day after a new survey released by the University of Pennsylvania that found non-violent roadblock and art vandalism protests backfired. 

Icel Dobell

NORTH COWICHAN, BC — Round 2 of the public consultation process to determine how North Cowichan’s 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve will be managed is set to begin on Nov. 28, and the Where Do We Stand group (WDWSG) wants people to understand what is at stake if the MFR is not properly protected. Local forest activist and film maker Icel Dobell, who is a member of WDWSG, has released Part 4 in her video series The Sovereignty of the Six Mountains called The New Old Growth: Voice of Promise in time for people to view before the public consultations begin. …Dobell said the New Old Growth video is an “undocumentary”, a short story to reach the heart, to show what’s at stake in the public forests above the Cowichan Valley.

Midway, B.C. – With the infusion of new grant funding of $1,137,375 from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC’s 2022-2023 Funding Program, the West Boundary Community Forest (WBCF) has already started working toward proactively making the communities of Midway, Greenwood, Grand Forks, Rock Creek, and Westbridge safer from the threat of wildfires. …“Certain forested areas around many of our rural communities have been neglected over the years. This has allowed fuels in the forest …to build up and for Douglas-fir beetles to run rampant. Once our Community Forest tenure was established, we realized these areas need to be better managed in order to protect our communities from wildfires as well as protect our tenure from forest health concerns. Local employment in the phases of layout, fuels treatments, and harvesting will benefit from this funding and allow us to keep local contractors working,” explained Dan Macmaster, RPF, Forest Manager with WBCF.

Snuneymuxw Territory (Nanaimo, B.C.) – We are hosting a First Nations Forestry Forum in Kamloops on November 22-23rd, 2022. The BC First Nations Forestry Council is working with BC’s Ministry of Forests to deliver this engagement opportunity for interested First Nations and Indigenous forestry businesses. The Forum is intended to complement, not replace, ongoing engagement between First Nations and BC on key forest sector policies by providing a space for technical discussions on a range of forestry and forest stewardship initiatives and issues of interest to Indigenous communities. Held on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory, this two-day Forum will include opportunities for First Nations and Indigenous forestry businesses to engage on key forest sector policies. Day 1 will be focused on Forest Sector Transformation, including the sessions on the New Fiscal Framework and forestry revenue sharing and tenure. Day 2 will focus on Forest Stewardship and include sessions on cultural and prescribed fire, forest landscape planning and the old growth strategic review.

The forestry profession is in the midst of a major transition. New markets for high-value timber products and novel bioproducts are being explored. More people, companies and institutions are calling for greater protection of animal habitats, eco-tourism and biodiversity. Indigenous and local communities have a more prominent seat at the table. And a greater emphasis is being placed on how to tackle the global climate emergency through sustainable forest management than ever before. On December 1 from noon to 1pm our panel of industry experts, featuring UBC alumni, will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  

Moderator:
• Linda Coady – President & CEO, BC Council of Forest Industries

Panelists:
• David Brand – CEO, New Forests
• Domenico Iannidinardo – Senior VP – Forest & Climate and Chief Forester, Mosaic Forest Management 

A man who illegally harvested cedar from an area of major cultural significance in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest has seen his fine increased more than tenfold, in a decision the Wei Wai Kum First Nation’s elected chief called a “game changer.”  Timothy Holland will now have to pay $131,759 for cutting and removing timber outside his legal tenure in Wei Wai Kum territory, following a recent decision from the Forest Appeals Commission. His original administrative penalty had amounted to $12,000.  An appeals commission panel estimated that Holland, operating as Bigfoot Forest Productions, made at least $167,110 by “wantonly and flagrantly” ignoring the boundaries of his Forestry Licence to Cut (FLTC) between 2017 and 2020.  Wei Wai Kum Chief Chris Roberts told CBC he believes the increased fine will serve as a powerful deterrent for anyone thinking of doing the same thing within his nation’s territory.

For the past two years, a number of burnt forest sites in northern Alberta — including Horse River, Fort McMurray and Wandering River — have been visited by a swarm of drones pelting the ground with seed pods roughly the size of a dime. Carrying around 1,600 tree seed pods each, the drones shoot out five pods per second, covering the designated area in a matter of minutes. The location where the seed pods are targeted isn’t random but rather mapped out by the drones using surveying software to detect areas to avoid, such as rivers, rocks, logs and piles of slash. The drones belong to Flash Forest, an automated reforestation startup based out of Ontario, which is using its technology to replant forests lost to wildfires in Alberta. The company, started in 2019, is working on its drone and seed pod technology after receiving $1.8 million in funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta in 2021.

The Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia (UBC) offers the Future Forests Fellowship, a research grant to a forestry student to enroll in their PhD program. UBC offers C$70 thousand annually for up to four years. The fellowship is intended to cover all expenses incurred in the preparation and conduct of research. Both domestic and international students are eligible to apply. The UBC Faculty of Forestry’s Future Forests Fellowship aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. Applicants must intend to undertake doctoral research in one of the following areas of excellence for the Faculty of Forestry. The research must be conducted, at least in part, in British Columbia, and should result in an outcome that has practical application in BC.

In August, as Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault prepared to visit an old-growth forest, his office drafted a news release. It was never sent out. The federal government had committed up to $50 million to permanently protect B.C.’s old-growth forests and was “awaiting the matching commitment from the province,” said the draft release. In the lead up to the UN biodiversity conference Canada will host in December, the federal government is eager to see permanent protections announced for B.C.’s old-growth forests as part of Ottawa’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of the country’s land and waters by 2030. But with less than a month before the conference, the B.C. government has yet to accept Ottawa’s offer. That leaves environmental groups and the B.C. Green Party questioning the sincerity of the B.C. government. …When pushed… the Ministry of Forests said: “The $50 million pledge is a welcome first step.”

Snetsinger, Anderson & Conroy

In the past few years, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has funded various project partners throughout the province with the primary objective to reduce wildfire risk. 25 of these partners have been community forests. This partnership has accounted for 53 projects valued at over $18 million of which $12.3 million was for wildfire risk reduction and $5.9 million for projects to reduce greenhouse gases, which have included enhanced fibre utilization and rehabilitating damaged forest stands. “The Forest Enhancement Society of BC is a proven partner in delivering projects on the ground that protect people from wildfire risks and reduce emissions from slash pile burning,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. “Along with investments to transform the BC Wildfire Service into a year-round service and double funding for proactive wildfire prevention, the critical work of FESBC is helping build communities that are safer and more resilient to climate change.”

Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge is now open to all vehicle traffic, restoring connectivity to residents, Indigenous communities and the local forestry and mining industries. …Some sections of the highway have reduced speed limits and differing surface materials, including sections of gravel road, making the highway unsuitable for motorcycles. Ongoing construction will lead to delays and intermittent closures. Since Highway 8 is still a construction zone, it would not be a suitable detour option should the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) or Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) be closed. In either event, access to the highway would be limited to residents.

The last 100 years of fire suppression efforts in the province have resulted in some forests near communities becoming over mature and very dense, making them susceptible to wildfire, according to the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. “Many times, these types of stands have less value to wildlife and are less desirable for recreation activities,” read a new report released by the FESBC. However, FESBC-funded projects in community forests — such as Naksup, Kaslo and Slocan Valley — have not only reduced the wildfire risk to communities, but also “improved wildlife habitat, created local employment opportunities, and increased recreation values like camping, hiking, and biking.” In Kaslo, the Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) reducing wildfire risk in the forest created additional wildlife benefits that some people didn’t expect.

Vancouver, BC – The BC Council of Forest Industries and partner Canadian Forest Industries Magazine, announce the return of the annual photo contest. This year’s theme is ‘New Ideas. Great Forestry. BC’s Story’ and calls for submissions that bring to life the province’s forestry story, and the new ideas that are contributing to a more sustainable sector. “We encourage contestants to highlight some of the new ideas that are shaping the future of the forest sector. Whether it’s through the adoption of new technologies to help us do things better and more sustainably, partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, or new uses of forest products, we are excited to see the entrants of this year’s contest. BC’s forest sector has a great story to tell and we are pleased to once again showcase those who are passionate about making it great.” says Linda Coady, President and CEO, COFI.

With B.C. facing an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent, a number that has climbed steadily since the beginning of the pandemic, a number of organizations and businesses are actively working to recruit and employ a new workforce. The BC First Nations Forestry Council (BCFNFC) recently hosted a series of career fairs, including a stop at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology’s (NVIT) Merritt campus.  The BCFNFC is an advocacy organization that looks to increase First Nations participation in the forestry sector, and supports them in their efforts to increase First Nation’s role in the governance and stewardship of forest, lands, and natural resources.  …Attendees of the fair had access to a number of employment resources, educational programming and speakers, as well as a number of booths set up by prospective employers and organizations in the forestry industry.

BRITISH COLUMBIA — One of Rosie Wejenberg’s many contracts as a biologist is to measure and verify big trees in the Kootenays for the UBC Big Tree Registry. …The list has about 600 trees on it, most them in the southwestern part of the province. The largest tree in the registry is known as the Cheewhat Giant, a western red cedar on the west coast of Vancouver Island. There are three trees in the immediate Nelson area on the list. …Inclusion on the UBC list does not come with any form of protection from logging. …Ira Sutherland, who runs the program at UBC and is chair of its Big Tree Committee, says it’s about public information and conservation. …When a tree is accepted into the ministry list of protected big trees, a one-hectare buffer must be left around the tree. …There are now 218 trees on the province’s protected list.

More employment opportunities are underway for contractors and forestry workers throughout rural B.C. under the Province’s Forest Employment Program (FEP). “We know that changes and downturns can be hard on communities that rely on the forestry sector, and our government is there for them,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “That’s why we’re funding important local projects in collaboration with rural communities and First Nations to help forestry workers seeking new opportunities in their local community.” From January until March 2022, the Government of B.C. provided $2 million for 41 FEP projects that are now complete or nearing completion. Projects included grading, brushing and improving forest service roads, including improving accessibility; environmental damage repairs; improving and building recreation sites and trails; and capacity-building projects.