Region Archives: Canada West

MANITOBA — The provincial government announced that it has signed memorandums of understanding on forestry revenue-sharing with two more Northern Manitoba First Nations. One of the agreements is with Norway House Cree Nation and the other is with Chemawawin Cree Nation. The new MOUs commit the province to sharing 45 per cent of timber harvesting dues from areas in proximity to NHCN and CCN with the First Nations. The two-year pilot projects are retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year. …A memorandum of agreement was signed by the province and NHCN on Aug. 2, with the government committing to creating a tree-planting program to train and employ youth and community members. …Timber will also be provided for NHCN’s sawmills to support the goal of building approximately 500 homes in the community. …The province previously signed similar MOUs with Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Mosakahiken Cree Nation in August.

The Government of Saskatchewan recently approved up to $1 million to fight mountain pine beetle in Alberta. The funding supports the third year of a three-year agreement with the Government of Alberta to work together to keep the beetle from spreading into Saskatchewan’s northern forests. “The mountain pine beetle outbreak in Alberta continues to be the most significant insect and disease threat to our northern pine forests and the northern Saskatchewan economy that depends on them,” Environment Minister Dana Skoropad said. “This funding builds on the long-standing and successful co-operation between our provinces, acting as an investment that ensures our forests stay healthy, while continuing to protect Saskatchewan’s forestry sector.” The Saskatchewan funding will help ensure that control efforts focus on areas of Alberta that are of most concern for the beetle’s eastern spread. 

With National Forest Week here, October will soon follow and that means the Whitecourt Junior Forest Wardens will be starting a new season. The local club is known as the Whiskey Jacks. The Whiskey Jacks name was chosen because the whisky jack is an important bird in Alberta. The Junior Forest Wardens is a national program for kids between six and 17 and their families, with their season running October to June. The Whiskey Jacks’ program is based our four pillars: Forestry, ecology, leadership and outdoor skills, Treasurer Diane Wall said. There’s much about forestry the kids can learn.

…After hiking up the Bugaboo forest road, Joshua Wright descended down into an old-growth forest. The 19-year-old environmental activist, a key figure in the Fairy Creek blockades, has spent the past few months searching for Oldgrowth Specklebelly lichen. There are only 56 documented findings of this species in Canada. If he can confirm its presence here, he hopes that this one patch of forest, which has been marked by surveyors for logging, will be protected. …He has now mapped five host trees in this forest, and has written to the provincial conservation service to document those findings. …The Pacheedaht’s support for logging within its traditional territories has made the Fairy Creek protests contentious in environmental circles. Conservationists. …By shifting from blockades to cataloguing endangered species, however, the onus shifts to how government will meet its commitment to biodiversity conservation. …Conrad Browne, with the Teal-Jones Group, said there are no immediate plans to log in this particular cutblock.

A provincial court judge in Nanaimo has stuck a climate change protester with probation conditions that include a prohibition against possessing glue outside his home. Victor Lawrence Brice, who has taken part in a number of protests against climate change and old-growth logging in and around Nanaimo was sentenced in provincial court Aug. 3 after pleading guilty to blocking a highway during a protest in January, when he glued his hand to the pavement, and a second incident when he and another protester glued their hands to the entrance doors of the RBC bank branch at Brooks Landing shopping centre. …Brice must complete 40 hours of community service… and he is not permitted to “impeded any person in the course of their transit either on foot, vehicle or conveyance, and not lie down, sit or pause for an unreasonable period of time on any public roadway.” Brice is also prohibited from possessing glue.

When the heat of summer hits, many people worry of the potential threat of wildfire to communities, important infrastructure, and transportation corridors. Taking proactive steps to mitigate the risk of wildfire can help better protect communities and bring a higher level of comfort to many, which is exactly what the Creston Community Forest (CCF) does. With a grant of $670,000 from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) this summer, the CCF was able to target an area on Arrow Mountain, three kilometres north of Creston, to reduce the risk of wildfire to neighbouring communities. …The mitigation project treated over 120 hectares on the mountain by harvesting approximately 10,400 cubic metres of small bushes and shrubs (called the understory) to be piled up and burned. …The project also saw outstanding economic benefits to the community extending beyond wildfire protection, by creating a steady source of income for many locals.

Dianna Embleton

Tolko is proud to announce that Dianna Embleton has been selected as one of CFI’s 2022 “Top 10 Under 40” winners! As Tolko’s Continuous Improvement Advisor, Dianna enjoys working with many different areas of the business supporting change, education and facilitating connections between and within teams. “Who you work with makes the work worthwhile. I have had the opportunity to work with variety of business functional areas and people in many different roles. Every day I am humbled by the technical expertise, dedication to problem solving, and willingness of our people to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work required to implement change. Thank you to all my awesome co-workers for their support and patience in answering my questions about processes, challenges, and opportunities,” says Dianna.

Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, has released the following statement to mark National Forest Week 2022: “As B.C.’s Minister of Forests, it is my pleasure to invite all people in British Columbia to celebrate National Forest Week this year. From Sept. 18 to 24, we will celebrate the roles our forests play in our everyday lives, our economy and communities, and the environment, as well as in our response to climate change. This year’s theme, Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate, highlights how healthy forests and sustainable forestry are so crucial in the global fight against climate change. Whether it is leading the country in tree planting, taking better care of our oldest and rarest forests, doubling our efforts to prevent wildfires, or using wood to replace products made from fossil fuels, B.C. continues to stand at the forefront of forest management in a climate-challenged world. 

Additional coverage: Saskatchewan Celebrates National Forest Week with Focus on Sustainability and Opportunity, by the Government of Saskatchewan

John Horgan

One of the final speeches of John Horgan’s political career saw the British Columbia premier extol the benefits of collaboration and togetherness to achieve results just before he took a parting shot at forest-policy critics he called do-gooders. …While Horgan said he remains optimistic about being an elected official, at a later news conference he criticized old-growth logging opponents who continue to reject the government’s forest policies, including Indigenous-led forest-business initiatives. “Some do-gooder comes in with a Tilley hat and says, ‘You’re all bad people. The government needs to do this, the government needs to do that,”’ Horgan said. “People need to stand up and support each other, and to the critics I say put your name on a ballot and see how much support you have,” he said.

Sixty-six wolves were culled in the Itcha-Ilgachuz caribou range in the first months of 2022 with more expected to be removed in the coming winter, confirmed the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship. The provincial government has been doing wolf culls since 2015 as part of an effort to restore caribou herds. …Some other wolf culls have restored caribou herds, the spokesperson noted, sharing some examples. …Habitat protection, habitat restoration and maternal penning are also key parts of our caribou recovery strategy”. ….“Scott Ellis, CEO of the Guide Outfitters Association of BC said, “We continue to log sensitive caribou habitat while we are trying to protect them. How do you promote forestry jobs while trying to save caribou at the same time? Somebody is going to lose.”

VANCOUVER, BC – The largest private donation in Canadian conservation history has been announced by the BC Parks Foundation and the philanthropic organization, Wilson 5 Foundation. The gift of $100 Million from the private foundation started by Chip and Summer Wilson of Vancouver, BC, will directly contribute to the protection and enjoyment of British Columbia’s globally significant natural spaces and help advance Canada’s efforts to reach its international commitment to protect 25% of land and sea by 2025. “It’s our hope that this gift will mark a major step change in BC’s efforts to protect its incredible natural wealth,” said Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon athletica. “This donation supports our family’s charitable focus and we hope that it will inspire additional donations from British Columbians and friends from around the world to the BC Parks Foundation, joining them in pursuit to ensure that BC has the greatest parks system on earth.”

Next month’s municipal election could determine the future of North Cowichan’s forests, according to local forest activist and film maker Icel Dobell. Dobell has just released Voice of the Unexpected, her third video about the community forests, to remind citizens to get out to vote and to protect the local forest ecosystems. …Dobell said what’s unexpected is the story of the past four years of North Cowichan’s ongoing review of its 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve. …Dobell is one of the founders of Where Do We Stand, a public platform advocating for the protection of the Six Mountain Forest, as her group calls North Cowichan’s MFR. …Dobell said her fourth video, New Old Growth: Voice of Promise, which will be released soon.

The Merritt Forest Week Committee is supporting forestry in the community, both through the management of the natural resource, and through supporting community building initiatives. With National Forest Week quickly approaching, the committee is promoting education and awareness about an industry that is at the core of the Nicola Valley. National Forest Week is taking place from September 18 to 24 this year, and the newest theme is “Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate”. In preparation for this week, which looks to promote education and inform the public on the different uses and values gained from BC’s forests, the Herald sat down with a number of community organizations involved in Forestry Week. The Merritt Forest Week Committee is composed of representatives from the Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Services, Stuwix Resources, and Weyerhaeuser Princeton. They promote a number of educational opportunities in forestry throughout the year.

Logging of cutblock EW24, behind Sechelt Airport in ts’ukw’um, is on hold until the fire risk posed by dry conditions in the area abates. At a Sept. 13 meeting, the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) board of directors approved awarding a logging and road building contract for the cutblock to Triple Tree Logging. “We are in extreme fire risk conditions so there won’t be anything happening with our planned fall road deactivation [in harvested cutblocks in the Halfmoon Bay area], or EW24 harvesting, until that changes,” SCCF administrator Sara Zieleman stated in an email to Coast Reporter. The wait for significant rainfall also provides additional time for SCCF to secure further direction from the shíshálh Nation Land Management Division on review and acceptance of harvesting plans by the Nation’s technical team, as well as hiwus and council.

VANCOUVER, BC — A provincial policy session at the [Union of BC Municipalities] Convention received an update on old growth deferral areas. Representatives from the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship emphasized that calls from local government for greater consultation have been heard. Eamon O’Donoghue, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Forests, advised delegates that “most of the heavy lifting on old growth is to come,” as local governments and First Nations can anticipate much deeper engagement from the Province on the recommendations in the Review. The Ministry of Forests confirmed it will be reaching out to UBCM for guidance on the best process to engage with communities to conduct comprehensive consultation and has hired a consultant to assist with the development of a consultation strategy.

The BC Wildfire Service will be supporting the Alkali Management Ltd, in doing a prescribe burn. The burn will cover 57 hectares in the Esk’etemc Community Forest, in an effort to reduce any wildfire threats. “The burn is forecasted to start as early as tomorrow, Wednesday September 14th.” says Morgan Blois, Fire Information Officer for the Cariboo Fire Centre. “Depending on conditions, it will potentially be taking place over the next few days.” As for the smoke, it may be visible from Williams Lake and surrounding communities, as well as for motorists on Dog Creek Road and Highway 20. The goals for the prescribed burn include reducing the number of shrubs, enhance grassland habitat for wildlife and livestock, and more.

A recent letter from Maple Bay resident Rob Fullerton has raised the “pause” in North Cowichan forests as an election issue. He wants voters to elect a council which will permit the committee to finish its work. He is a member of the committee. He was a member of the group who convinced the present council that the municipal forest was a disaster (guided by five foresters with a “commercial” interest) and required alteration and the always popular “transparency.” This was over three years ago. The result was this review committee who reports irregularly. Their report is always “no progress”. They got into some “partnership” with some forestry people from UBC with no “commercial interest”. They hired a company… to determine what people want. The survey of North Cowichan citizens says we want the long standing forest program back. …All the while the municipal treasury has been depleted by more then $2 million.