Region Archives: Canada West

Kathleen Hamilton

Kathleen Hamilton has been working as a tree planter in British Columbia for three seasons. The tree planting season runs from April to August. Outside of that role, Hamilton is studying forestry at Lakehead University in Ontario. Hamilton says she loves her job because of its relevance to her environmental studies and the sense of community it provides. Tree planting, she says, helps with reforestation, a process which supports biodiversity, prevents floods and reduces the risk of landslides. …Hamilton usually plants between 1,000 and 2,000 seedlings a day, allowing her to earn between $370 and $740.  She told Vancouver Is Awesome that she would thoroughly recommend tree planting to anyone who enjoys working outside and is ready for the physical challenge. For more tree planting vlogs, check out Hamilton’s TikTok. [Open the story to watch the video – we can’t share the link live in the Tree Frog – but it’s a fun video showing one person’s experience tree planting]

Work is underway to enhance forest resilience to protect against the effects of wildfire and climate change in the Thompson-Okanagan region. Through a provincial investment of $25 million, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has funded 22 new community projects, including eight in the Thompson-Okanagan region. …The $25 million provided to FESBC is a component of $359 million announced in Budget 2022 to protect British Columbians from wildfires, including $145 million to strengthen the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC. “People across the Okanagan have first-hand experience with the disastrous affects of wildfires, and these investments will take important steps to protect people, communities and land,” said Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee. “Not only will this keep our communities safe, but it will also help ensure that our backcountry areas are environmentally stable and resilient for generations to come.”

Short-term employment opportunities on northern Vancouver Island have kept forest workers affected by changes in the sector employed under the government’s Forest Employment Program (FEP). “As someone who has worked in the forestry sector, I know personally how important forestry is for rural communities across the province, including the North Island,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. “The Forest Employment Program is creating family-supporting jobs for forestry contractors and their workers, while reducing wildfire risk and improving infrastructure for communities.” The FEP provides short-term employment opportunities for forestry contractors and workers affected by mill curtailments, old-growth deferrals and other forestry-sector impacts. Projects, often involving Indigenous partnerships, include funding upgrades to forest service roads, range infrastructure, recreational trails, community access and wildfire mitigation. The projects are part of $185 million over three years from Budget 2022 to provide co-ordinated and comprehensive supports for those affected by new restrictions on old-growth logging.

CAMPBELL RIVER — Forests Minister Katrine Conroy says it’s been a below-average wildfire season so far this year in British Columbia, but high fire risks are forecast for September. She says the number of wildfires and the area they have burned since April both compare favourably with the 20-year average, with 1,355 fires charring 430 square kilometres this year. That is only about one-sixth of the area burned by 1,515 fires to this date on average, and one-twentieth of the 8,650 square kilometres burned last year, when the province was scorched by the heat-dome weather event. Conroy says 93 per cent of this season’s fires have been extinguished or are under control. Neil McLoughlin, a B.C. Wildfire Service spokesman, says up to 75 per cent of B.C. wildfires were caused by lightning this season, with 98,000 strikes recorded in August.

British Columbians should remain alert to the threat of wildfires as conditions remain warm and dry throughout September. Seasonal and above-seasonal temperatures forecast for September mean that wildfire risk remains a concern throughout the province. New wildfire starts are anticipated, however, the BC Wildfire Service has adequate resources and is prepared to activate additional resources if required. As of Aug. 31, 2022, there were 182 active wildfires in the province. There is currently one wildfire of note, the Fat Dog Creek wildfire (V12147) in EC Manning Provincial Park. The BC Wildfire Service is also responding to a wildfire five kilometres southwest of the Hudson’s Hope bridge in the Prince George Fire Centre. Since April 1, 2022, there have been 1,355 wildfires in B.C. that have resulted in 43,000 hectares burned. As many as 75% of the fire starts can be attributed to lightning. …B.C. is currently experiencing one of the lowest human-caused wildfire seasons since 1950. 

Join us for the 20th Anniversary of the BCCFA and the 2022 Conference and AGM in Nakusp this fall! We look forward to welcoming our members, colleagues and partners to join us October 19th -21st. This is our first in person event since 2019, and it will be great to be together again to learn, network and celebrate the accomplishments of community forests. ABCFP members are eligible for Continuing Professional Development credits. The Justice Institute of BC workshop will introduce concepts and skills for increasing effective communication and reducing negotiation impasse. The workshop is open to everyone. Two pre-conference tours will feature Kootenay innovation – the Kalesnikoff mass timber mill and the fuel reduction treatments at SIFCo in Slocan Valley. Program details will be posted on the BCCFA website and circulated in the newsletter as they are confirmed.

Work is underway to enhance forest resilience to protect against the effects of wildfire and climate change in Slocan and the eastern and western Kootenay-Boundary regions. Through a provincial investment of $25 million, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has funded 22 new community projects, including one in the western Kootenay-Boundary region. This includes work to reduce wildfire risk, while enhancing wildlife habitat, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from slash pile burning, and support forest recreation and ecological resiliency. Details are provided in three separate press releases:

• In the western Kootenay-Boundary region:This $1,137,375 wildfire-mitigation project is for the West Boundary Community Forest for treatment to reduce wildfire risk. 
• The Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative will receive $500,000. 
• Wildfire-mitigation projects funded in the eastern Kootenay-Boundary region include Harrop-Proctor Co-operative, Kaslo and District Community Forest, Creston Valley Forest Corporation and the Shuswap Indian Band. 

Researchers only began to understand the “diel migration” a few decades ago. It’s “the largest routine migration of life on Earth,” Scientific American notes. Around 10 billion tonnes of zooplankton—tiny sea animals like copepods, krill, and fish larvae—ascend up to 1,000 metres every night through varying temperatures, water pressures, and other conditions, returning to the depths before daylight. …Phytoplankton remove enormous amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but they release most of it back. When zooplankton eat phytoplankton, they transport the carbon to the ocean’s depths, where it can be stored for hundreds or thousands of years. …Thanks to scientists like Suzanne Simard and others, we now understand forests are more like communities. …We can’t know everything, but we’re learning enough to realize that plundering Earth has consequences. Without plankton or trees or fungi, we wouldn’t have air to breathe. 

Erik Leslie

In late July, Erik Leslie dealt with a two-hectare fire that was started by a lightning strike.  “When things start to dry, if fires get beyond a hectare, they can be hard to put out if you don’t have good access. It was in pretty remote, difficult terrain; that was our concern,” says Leslie. “BC wildfire service dropped a bunch of loads of retardant on it from an airplane and started bucketing water and helicoptering in crews.”  According to Leslie, the recent fire was stressful but nothing new.  “…In 2017 we had a big fire that burned about 3000 hectares….I hung ribbons with the wildfire crews on the fire and liaised with the community.”  …For him, the recent videos put out by the cooperative are communicating a crucial message.  “We tried to make educational videos about climate change and community wildfire protection that were story-based where you get to know the characters and get a feel for the community.”

Sacred, spiritual and ceremonial heritage sites on Crown lands within Stó:lō Nation territory now have legal recognition and protection through a landmark pilot agreement. The agreement, which is the first of its kind in B.C., was collaboratively developed by the S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance (the STSA) and the provincial government under the Heritage Conservation Act. It provides protection for 45 heritage sites and outlines a consensus-seeking, shared decision-making process between the STSA and the Province for ongoing heritage-site management. …The act automatically protects heritage sites that contain artifacts, features, materials or other physical evidence of human habitation or use that pre-date, or are likely to pre-date, 1846, as well as burial places with archeological or historical value, rock art of Aboriginal origin and heritage wrecks. The Provincial Heritage Register includes over 60,000 protected heritage sites. 

The BC Wildfire Service says illegally-flown drones forced a “complete shutdown” of air operations fighting the Keremeos Creek wildfire on Monday. The service said there were at least two instances of someone illegally operating a drone in the fire zone. “It poses a significant safety risk to BCwildfire personnel, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present.” …The airspace for five nautical miles around a wildfire and up to 3,000 feet is legally restricted airspace under the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Transport Canada and the BC Wildfire Service also explicitly prohibit the use of any kind of UAV or drone near wildfires of any size. If caught, illegal drone pilots could face fines of up to $25,000 or up to 18 months in jail under federal regulations. Under the BC Wildfire Act they could face a $100,000 penalty or a year in jail.

There were seven big cheques and a collection of equally large smiles as Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) Legacy Fund grant presentations for 2022 were made in Sechelt on Aug. 25. On hand to distribute $144,000 to community groups were representatives of the SCCF Board, Legacy Fund committee and staff, as well as representatives of the District of Sechelt, the sole shareholder of SCCF. …Several community buildings will be upgraded with this year’s grants. This includes a $30,000 award for an upgrade to the Egmont Community Hall’s 20-year-old kitchen.  …The Gibsons Landing Heritage Society was awarded $21,000 for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system replacement for the historic Heritage Playhouse. …A 2022 contribution of $27,000 brought the Legacy Fund support for the Roberts Creek Hall restoration over the past years to a total of $174,000. 

Residents are continuing their opposition to logging plans in the Bluenose Mountain area.  Over the weekend, teams of opponents went door to door in Lavington to sound alarm over plans to log in the Duteau Creek watershed, which serves more than 60% of Greater Vernon’s water supply.  The proposed cutblocks are only 800 metres away from Harvey Lake Reservoir.  Volunteers handed out pamphlets to raise awareness about Tolko’s logging plan in an effort “to protect the quality of our drinking water for our families and future generations.”  “Environmental sustainability must take precedence over short-term profit,” said Bluenose resident Justin Oblak.  “We are not against logging by any means. We are against logging that is not sustainable and does not consider the needs of the community.”  The group plans to door knock across the North Okanagan to spread its message.

Brian Mulvihill

Forestry operations face daily challenges – from difficult terrain, remote locations, weather and labour shortages to low timber prices, tariffs, mill closures and government uncertainty. Now there are new pressures from boards, investors and stakeholders to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Evolving into a more sustainable logging operation is a big commitment and comes with many logistical and change management hurdles. To meet these challenges, the forestry industry of the future needs to be one that considers its impact on the environment at all stages of the logging process. …Working with a dealer who has access to the right tools can not only help you track emissions but can also help stretch the life of equipment and provide substantial cost savings in the long run. …Continuously evolving technologies and more environmentally friendly equipment, including electrification in the future, provide an opportunity for logging contractors to step forward and lead the change.

Work is underway to enhance forest resilience to protect against the impacts of wildfire and climate change in the Cariboo Region. Through a provincial investment of $25 million, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has funded 22 new community projects, including four in the Cariboo Region. This includes work to reduce wildfire risk, while enhancing wildlife habitat, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from slash pile burning, and support forest recreation and ecological resiliency. …“The City of Quesnel is extremely grateful to FESBC for its sustained support of our wildfire risk reduction efforts,” said Erin Robinson, forestry initiatives manager. Projects funded in the Cariboo Region include:

• Clinton District Community Forest of BC Ltd., $450,870 – Treatment of 300-metre-wide fuel break
• Elhdaqox Developments Ltd., $500,000 – Wildfire risk reduction planning and treatments in Yunesit’in Community 
• Eniyud Community Forest Ltd., $1,500,000 – Fuel management treatments near Horn Lake and along Tatlayoko Lake
• The City of Quesnel, $529,000 – Prescriptions and treatments in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 

Work is underway to enhance forest resilience to protect against the effects of wildfire and climate change in northern B.C. Through a provincial investment of $25 million, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has funded 22 new community projects, including one in the Omineca Region and one in the Skeena Region. “Chinook Community Forest (CCF) is happy to team up with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC… With this funding, CCF can demonstrate environmental stewardship within sensitive ecosystems that surround the outlying communities of Burns Lake, like Southbank, Danskin, Grassy Plains, Tatalrose, Takysie Lake and Rose Lake, to mitigate wildfire risk,” said Ken Nielsen, general manager, Chinook Community Forest.Wildfire-mitigation projects funded in the Skeena and the Omineca Regions include:

• Chinook Community Forest, $3,000,000 – Reducing fuel loading in areas heavily impacted by mountain pine beetle, on the south side of Francois Lake and near Rose Lake.
• McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest, $1,401,666 – Wildfire risk-reduction treatments along Highway 39

We don’t see generals on the front lines – The judge scolded the organization, Save Old Growth, at great length for exploiting this “criminal,” a person who exhibits the qualities we value most in a good soldier. That individual was willing to make a personal sacrifice in service to a greater good. He did not make the grand strategies, but trusted those who create the day-to-day tactics. As the judge said, we do not see the strategists on the front lines. (Nor do we see generals). Here you go, get out of jail for free – Judge Laura Bakan didn’t slam Save Old Growth. Instead she gave them a get-out-of-jail free card. This was the offender’s third time defying court orders. The justice system is not upholding the law. People have had it with these types of protests. They are not helping in any way. The law needs to be upheld and illegal protests dealt with.

VICTORIA – An investigation of a public complaint about a spruce bark beetle outbreak in north-central B.C. has found that the forest industry is making progress in recovering beetle-damaged timber. The Forest Practices Board recommends that government improve monitoring of industry’s response and report to the public about how the outbreak is being managed. …The complainants are concerned that Canfor and BC Timber Sales are favouring lightly attacked and healthy forests in the Prince George Natural Resource District, rather than harvesting the most severely infested trees, and that this has implications for the region’s future timber supply. “Our investigation found that Canfor and BCTS are making progress in harvesting infested and dead spruce trees, but the complainant’s concerns are still valid,” said Gerry Grant, Forest Practices Board. …“The board is recommending that the ministry implement a monitoring process and publicly report on licensees’ efforts to manage the infestation”.

Environmental group Save Old Growth is defending its reputation after a member claimed she was “emotionally manipulated” into participating in protests and a judge likened its tactics to “using people as cannon fodder.” …Her lawyer, James Wu, told the court Howe was “emotionally manipulated” into participating, has since left UBC’s forestry faculty, and cut off ties with both Save Old Growth and Extinction Rebellion. She and Wu declined an interview, but Wu confirmed his client expressed her remorse in court. …Save Old Growth recruitment organizer Ben Holt said… Save Old Growth understands it may be “thrown under the bus” by members defending themselves in court, but accepts the “unfortunate” reality. “A defence lawyer is going to do what they have to do to get a good outcome for their client,” he said. …“We’re very confident in the systems that we have in how we onboard people,” he said.

As the Earth’s temperature rises, trees … are trying to survive in environments too warm for them to thrive. …With over 300 million trees planted in B.C. every year … there’s an opportunity to help forests adapt to climate change. The Ministry of Forestry made it mandatory that trees planted must be adapted to warmer climates. Through natural selection, tree populations adapt to their specific climate, explained Sally Aitken, a forestry professor at UBC. …the climate is changing 10 to 100 times faster than a forest’s ability to do so. …Traditionally, forests are replanted with locally collected seeds. …Now, seeds are sourced from climates about 2 C warmer than their reforestation site. [So] the trees are adapted for a climate that is expected in about 15 years. …this “assisted migration” is only happening in managed forests. …forests not slated for logging are left to deal with the impacts of climate change naturally.

Kaslo, B.C. – When the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) first applied to obtain funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), they knew of the long-term benefits their projects would bring, but little did they imagine the many additional and immediate benefits the funding would allow for. …Through the Landscape Level Wildfire Protection Plan, new roads to provide access for firefighters in the event of an emergency and fuel reduction projects were identified, which helped guide forest operations for almost three years. Through the implementation projects, KDCFS helped reduce the risk of wildfire not only for the community of Kaslo but for the property of a private landowner and the community of Schroeder Creek, all by reducing fuel loading in the forests close to them. 

Various environment-minded organizations raised their concerns to the Fitzhugh in light of West Fraser Mills’ plans to spray a glyphosate-based herbicide called VisionMAX on approximately 4,500 hectares of regenerated stands of forest in the Hinton and Edson areas.  “We do have significant concerns that I think mirror what’s going on in the science community,” said Tim Gray, executive director with Environmental Defence, a leading Canadian advocacy organization that focuses on clean water, safe climate and healthy communities.  “Most recently, we’ve been joining others in challenging the federal government’s decision not to review its widespread application and to not look at some of the ecosystem and human health impacts of its use.”  Glyphosate is best known as the active ingredient in Roundup, which was developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. Its effectiveness as a weed killer became well known, although glyphosate-resistant weeds have emerged.

The provincial government says it has deferred the logging of old-growth forests in the Revelstoke area, despite claims from the Okanagan Nation Alliance saying otherwise.  This week the ONA, consisting of seven First Nations in the Okanagan and Similkameen, slammed the province over claimed logging permits for old-growth stands near Revelstoke.   …But on Friday, the Ministry of Forests said the ONA has since “clarified” that they support “deferring harvest of old growth forests at risk of irreversible loss within their territory.”  “Following this, the province has now implemented deferrals on all priority at-risk old growth areas identified by the technical advisory panel throughout the Kootenay-Boundary, including in the Revelstoke area,” the ministry said in a statement to Castanet News.  The Okanagan Nation Alliance could not be immediately reached for a clarification of what old-growth logging permits it was sounding the alarm about.