Region Archives: Canada West

Jamie Harris

SALT SPRING ISLAND, BC — A new trustee elected to represent Salt Spring Island on the Islands Trust Council is a tree faller who created a website called Stop the Islands Trust. Jamie Harris says… that the Islands Trust is “controlled by eco-radicals who have a extreme conservancy agenda with a total lack of regard for the working class citizens.” …Incumbent trustee Laura Patrick, who has a background in environmental management was also elected.  The results are emblematic of competing priorities for the Gulf Island, where a growing ­housing shortage has challenged a ­historic culture to preserve and protect the islands. …Harris said there is potential for forestry management on the island’s conservancy land — something he said could reduce wildfire risk and create economic opportunity. Harris criticized the Islands Trust council for a lack of action in addressing workforce ­housing.

VICTORIA, B.C. — The province of British Columbia has put together a new advisory council for forestry industries in the province with no representation from the northeast. The council looks to help better support forestry workers and communities in B.C. According to a release, the council will accomplish this by advising on existing programs and helping develop new initiatives. The two most northern locations represented on the council are Lori Forgeron from Prince George and Titi Kunkel from Smithers. “This is just, again, another example of not having our region represented at the table of these extremely important issues,” said Dan Davies, MLA for the North Peace River region. Davies said that this lack of representation for the northeast was his biggest concern about the new council. 

Jay Van Oostdam

COMOX, BC — It’s become common to see clearcut logging of second-growth trees in our Valley. But in the past week, we have noticed something very different: hundreds of trees cut in the Ramparts Creek area beside the Mount Washington road. These trees are 250 to 500 years old, the last uncut remnants of a forest that once stretched from the ocean to the alpine meadows. Why is logging being permitted around Mount Washington and Strathcona Park? Mount Washington alone draws 300,000 visitors yearly. …We know forestry can be done differently and better, using selective harvesting methods to replace extensive clearcutting. …How sustainable is logging 350-year-old trees in the middle of a drought and impending climate change? When will Mosaic Forest Management start logging better?

Nakusp is finally getting its chance to host the BC Community Forest Association’s annual conference. The 2020 event was scheduled to be held in Nakusp, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. This year marks the first time the forum has been held in-person since 2019 and celebrates the 20th anniversary of the BCCFA. “It provides an opportunity to showcase Nakusp and area,” said Frances Swan, project manager of the Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR), “and of course showcase the Nakusp Community Forest.” NACFOR is the host of the conference, which Swan expects will bring about 120 attendees from across the province, including many industry experts who will make presentations on forestry related topics.

Over the past 20 years, community forestry in BC has been championed by the BCCFA and its dedicated members, creating a network of leaders with a vision for forestry that pushes community values to the forefront. The 2022 report is based on survey information collected from 33 community forests across the province, spanning 18 indicators that are used each year to account for the wide range of values and impacts of community forests. The data and stories gathered in this year’s report provide tangible evidence of the success and significance of community forestry in BC. “This report is a diverse collection of our memberships’ forest management achievements, the deepening of relationships between Indigenous and rural communities, growth in adaptive ecosystem management in the face of climate change and significant investments in our rural communities,” says George Brcko, BCCFA President.

David Suzuki

David Suzuki noticed a press conference outside the small airport. Federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault was there to announce almost $1.2 million in federal funding to bolster tourism in BC, so Suzuki walked over to listen. What the 86-year-old environmentalist heard didn’t sit well with him. …When a staffer opened the microphone to questions, Suzuki stepped up. “All this bullshit about how you’re trying to encourage the coming together to this beautiful land, what are we doing about this land?” he asked. “We’re not doing the right things to ensure tourism into the future. …What are they going to have to come here in BC if we’re not dealing with the major issues that confront us? The loss of biodiversity, old-growth forests being cut down and climate change from the use of fossil fuel.” [to access the full story a National Observer subscription may be required]

The Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation says the Northwest Territories’ Scotty Creek research station has been “almost completely destroyed” by a forest fire. Located 50 kilometres south of Fort Simpson, Scotty Creek is one of the first Indigenous-led research stations in the world. It’s also one of the few long-term research stations in the North. Organizations from around the world, including the IPCC, use data collected at the site to try to understand the progress of climate change in one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. In a press release, the First Nation reported that five of Scotty Creek’s nine buildings, which include facilities used as laboratory space, sleeping accommodations and the storage of research equipment, burned to the ground. The rest of the buildings have been damaged to varying extents, the First Nation stated, and some will need to be replaced.

Sonia Fursenau

The BC Green Party is calling for the immediate suspension of operating licences for the U.K. parent company of a North Okanagan wood pellet plant. Raising concerns about the activities of energy company Drax Group, the Green caucus is calling for the suspension of its B.C. licences, pending a review. …Over the past year, Drax has been the focus of a monopoly investigation and claims that whole logs are being chipped into pellets to power energy plants in Europe. …However, a study commissioned by the Wood Pellet Association of Canada concluded in September that 85% of pellet “inputs” in B.C. are waste from sawmills and plywood mills, with 15% coming from “bush grind” and low-quality logs that would otherwise likely be burned in slash piles. “The Minister of Forests continues to dance around numbers and definitions of wood products,” Green Leader Sonia Furstenau said.

The public will be asked to consider four options for the management of North Cowichan’s 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve starting this fall. Council recently received a detailed presentation from Dr. Brad Seely and Dr. Peter Arcese from the UBC Partnership Group on the four draft forest management scenarios, which were developed with input received last year in round one of the public engagement process to help determine the future management of the forest reserve, as part of the ongoing review of the MFR. The options range from continuing harvesting the MFR as in the past to permanently stopping all logging, other than dealing with blow-downs and for safety reasons. …Round 2 of public engagement will include workshops, a survey, in-person activities and a statistically valid phone survey of North Cowichan residents.

ALBERTA — The extreme fire danger in forests around Sundre and Nordegg is not going to immediately decrease with the coming cooler weather, warned Alberta Environment. “We would like people to be extra cautious,” said department information officer Colby Lachance, since 67 per cent of last year’s wildfires were human-caused. Lachance believes warmer weather has potentially extended tourism. “We’re seeing more people in the forest at this time… so we’re asking Albertans to be extra cautious when outdoors,” she added. …Although there could be showers or snow in the Sundre and Nordegg areas on Thursday or Saturday, there’s no appreciable precipitation in the forecast for the next seven days. And Lachance said consecutive days of cold, rain or snow are needed to reduce the combustibility of dry vegetation. Although it’s very unusual to have fires this time of year, it’s been an unusually warm fall, she added.

Two news organizations have aired recent investigative documentaries showing how trees in B.C.’s primary forests are chopped down, only to be turned into wood pellets that are burned by the millions of tonnes to make electricity in the UK. First, the BBC, then a few days later, CBC’s The Fifth Estate. Both investigations demonstrated that massive numbers of logs are being trucked to mills in B.C. owned by Drax, [which] turns those trees into pellets that leave B.C. in ocean tankers and burned at Drax’s North Yorkshire thermal electric plant. …Even the Wood Pellet Association of Canada acknowledges they use logs. They just argue that so-called “biologs” can’t be used for anything else because they are of such low quality. In a report commissioned by the association, the authors estimate that 19% of the feedstock for B.C. pellet mills is, in fact, logs. …The absurd practice of cutting down forests just to burn them must end.

PEACHLAND, BC — Residents of the Central and South Okanagan are being warned about a large controlled burn that has started near Peachland. The BC Wildfire Service, Penticton Indian Band and Okanagan Nation Alliance are conducting a 170-hectare burn with support from Gorman Brothers in West Kelowna and the Okanagan Shuswap Resource District. …”We’re already getting calls about the work we’re doing so please let people know this is a prescribed burn. There’s no risk of fire and, and the main operations not happening yet we are just doing some preparation, and there’s a lot of smoke,” says Colman. …Smoke may be visible through until the end of November but the controlled burn is dependent on weather conditions, “we will only burn if the weather co-operates,” Colman says.

The Tahltan Central Government and the Province of B.C. have agreed to work together toward the development and implementation of a world-class wildlife stewardship regime. Called the Tahltan Central Government – British Columbia Accord on Wildlife Management, it will be led by Thaltan knowledge and expertise that will protect and preserve Thaltan wildlife culture and way of being. The accord highlights the Tahltan Central Government’s ongoing efforts to address the wildlife concerns of Tahltan people by protecting wildlife populations in Tahltan Territory with a focus on caribou restoration and predator management. Tahtan Territory is about  95,933 sq km in northern B.C. or the equivalent of 11 per cent of BC. …Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, said “this accord creates opportunities for expanded collaboration on wildlife stewardship that respects Tahltan needs and offers clear opportunities for resident hunters, guide outfitters and shared benefits.”

It was more of a reminder than a rebuke. That said, the message from the British Columbia Forest Practices Board (FPB) comes through loud and clear: forest companies and government agencies working on public forest and rangelands in B.C. must adhere to the rules and spirit of provincial regulations rather than their own self interests. The FPB plans on keeping closer tabs in the future on companies harvesting forest stands impacted by the spruce bark beetle. …The board investigates any complaints it receives concerning forest practices on publicly owned lands. …The complainants voiced concerns about some of the harvesting activity on forest stands infected by the spruce bark beetle in sections of the Prince George, Mackenzie and Stuart Nechako natural resource districts. …It was suggested that logging the less severely infected elements of a stand was detrimental to future timber supplies. 

Bob Simpson

Former Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson will be part of a new provincial advisory council on forestry. …Simpson said, “it’s not predicated on my position as Mayor, but my background in the forest sector and some of the innovative thinking that was demonstrated in the forest sector … when I was the opposition critic for forestry”. “I think it’s the right framework of looking at resiliency of communities and then going to the land base forest practices … and it’s an interesting eclectic group of people to dig into that topic.” … “Quite frankly I think the BC Forest Sector is stuck in yesterday’s debates, so my hope is we’re looking at the land base issues through the lens of climate change and adaptivity … so that it continues to provide resources that drive the sector, and then more innovative practices with the limited fibre that we can extract from that land base now.”

A new series of photos has been released by the Ancient Forest Alliance to call for conservation of old-growth forests that are being affected by logging. The series was captured between 2020 and 2022 by photographer TJ Watt near Lake Cowichan and on the Ditidaht First Nation’s land on southern Vancouver Island. Watt’s work was funded by a grant partnership awarded by the National Geographic Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in order to provide Canadian explorers, scientists, photographers, geographers and educators with funding on a preservation storytelling basis. “Capturing these before and after images is quite a difficult process–both technically and emotionally–but I’m committed to exposing the ongoing threats ancient forests face until legislated protection can be achieved for them,” said Watt. “Only when seeing a side-by-side comparison can one truly grasp the scale of loss and devastation from old-growth logging.”

The Province has convened a new advisory council in support of forestry workers and communities. “As someone who has worked in forestry and lives in a forestry community, I know personally how vital the sector is for our province,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. The Forestry Worker Supports and Community Resiliency Council will advise the Province on improvements to existing programs and the development of new, forward-looking initiatives aimed at supporting forestry workers and the economic resiliency of rural communities. The council will assist government in ensuring programs are targeted, effective and responsive to community needs and priorities. Chaired by Doug Routley, Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, the council includes 18 members from broad sectors of B.C., including local government, Indigenous communities, forest industry and labour representatives, academics, and non-governmental organizations. [See press release for a full list of council members]

The province could see a shortage of naturally grown Christmas trees over the next decade. As a result of B.C.’s extreme weather conditions in recent years, many Christmas tree farmers have noticed a decline in the amount of quality trees they are able to produce in a year. This has caused worries about a possible increase in the popularity of plastic trees and how they will affect our climate. According to Richard Davies of Langley’s Oh Christmas Tree Farm, it has been difficult for young trees to thrive in the province’s current conditions. “The seedlings can’t withstand these long periods with no rain,” said Davies. …He expects a large number of families to opt for a plastic tree… “Plastic Christmas trees are not fixing any CO2, in the end you end up with a worse environmental footprint than cutting the natural tree,” said Richard Hamelin, UBC Forestry.

Bob Simpson plans to keep busy after losing his reelection bid for mayor of Quesnel. According to a news release by B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, Simpson has been named a member of a new advisory council in support of forestry workers and communities. Simpson said he had known for a while that he would be part of the Forestry Worker Supports and Community Resiliency Council, which includes 18 members from across the province. …Simpson previously served two terms as Quesnel mayor and was defeated by longtime city councillor Ron Paull on Saturday, Oct. 15. …Following his loss, Simpson believes he will be able to further enjoy the simpler things in life and looks forward to volunteering in the community and consulting on projects that interest him, such as forestry innovation, food security and zero waste initiatives. …He said he is also interested in possibly getting involved with those working to address some of the social issues within the community.

Ross Reid

Ross Reid, better known as the face of Nerdy About Nature, talks fast because he has a lot to say about the importance of learning about, and connecting to, the natural world. …His unique brand of grassroots nature education seems to be resonating: the filmmaker-turned-social media educator has amassed 130K followers on Instagram since launching the page as a passion project in late 2019. His videos span a wide range of topics specific to BC’s coastal ecosystems, paying particular attention to the role of old-growth forests, the importance of salmon in the coastal ecosystem, plant identification, biodiversity, and the interconnected nature of our natural world. From fun and playful videos like “How to identify a mountain hemlock when out for a rip,” to direct, head-on calls for government accountability on deforestation and climate change, his videos retain a sense of levity while refusing to shy away from the heavy stuff.

Joe Martin

Tla-o-qui-aht Elder Joe Martin has been an advocate for old-growth since the 1980s, when he left the forestry industry and joined the first logging blockade in Canadian history. He reflects on the cultural importance of old-growth, its place in a complex ecosystem and carving out lessons for future generations. Elder Tutakwisnapšiƛ, whose English name is Joe Martin, grew up learning how to make canoes with his father, Chief Robert Martin Sr. …He became a logger at 18 and worked in the industry for 12 years during the 1970s and 1980s. After leaving his job, Joe joined his father at a logging blockade on Meares Island in 1984… This was the first logging blockade in Canadian history, and a precursor to the series of blockades in Clayoquot Sound known as the War in the Woods. …Joe is concerned about future generations’ access to old-growth logs for cultural use, especially for healing among people dealing with trauma…

The extreme drought conditions across much of British Columbia are leading to a rapid rise in wildfires, according to provincial officials. The B.C. Wildfire Service said while it’s not unusual to see new fires sparking in October, the rate at which they’re starting this month is far from normal. “What is unusual for the time of year are the widespread drought conditions we are facing and the number of new wildfire starts per week,” said Briana Hill, fire information officer. …Hill said drought-like conditions could be costly down the line. …According to The Canadian Press, the City of Vancouver sees an average of 165 millimetres of rain between July and Oct. 14. This year, the city received just 16 millimetres during that period – less than 10 per cent of the average. The situation is even more dire in Victoria, where just two millimetres of rain have fallen since July.

Vernon’s incumbent mayor says wildfire management on the Aberdeen Plateau is critical to avoid huge increases in water supply costs in the future. …Cumming, who is seeking re-election to a second term on Saturday, says… “A catastrophic fire on the Aberdeen Plateau would have massive impacts on the environment and on our water supply cost, as well as availability in dry years,” says Cumming. “Therefore, it is critical that wildfire management, at scale, gets underway.” Cumming says Greater Vernon Water has, over the last four years, been working with Lake Country to plan a massive set of fire breaks with adjacent fuel load reduction in the forest. “The plans clearly show where existing trees can be removed commercially and the areas where outside provincial funding might be required. Some of the fire break construction and fuel load reduction is underway,” he adds.

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit forest planning and practices on five woodlots in the Campbell River Natural Resource District during the week of Oct. 17, 2022. Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning carried out between Oct. 1, 2020, and Oct. 20, 2022, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, as well as the Woodlot Planning and Practices Regulation. The woodlots are located within the North Island Timber Supply Area, near the communities of Union Bay, Campbell River, Gold River and Tahsis on Vancouver Island. The Campbell River Natural Resource District was randomly selected for audit, and the board then selected woodlots as the focus of the audit. …Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond.