Region Archives: Canada West

A 23-year-old tree planter from Quebec set a new world record by planting 23,060 trees in 24 hours.  Antoine Moses, from Gaspé, says he can plant on average 16 trees per minute — about one tree every 3.75 seconds.  “As soon as I passed that original record I cheered up and hugged all the crew around me. I was stoked and happy but not even 10 seconds after I just kept going,” Moses said.  Recognized by the Guinness World Records, the groundbreaking feat took place in a cut block area about 100 kilometres south of High Level, Alberta.  Moses says it was a collaborative effort, with the help of a six-person pit crew, planting the equivalent of what a half-dozen individual tree planters would do in a day’s work.  “I was like, ‘All right, what’s the next number I can hit, 19K, 20K, 21K and finally 23 thousand,’” Moses said.

While large swaths of reddened and dead evergreens still remain, the culprit has called off its charge across Jasper National Park.  The mountain pine beetle whose appetite felled innumerable conifers is now back in its dormancy. This leaves cleaning up the aftermath and building the forests back up as the major task at hand.  “The beetle itself, as far as we’re able to determine, has largely run its course in Jasper,” said Dave Argument, resource conservation officer with Parks Canada, citing the role that a few recent colder winters have played.  A good cold snap needed to occur at the right time of winter when the beetle larvae are at the right stage of their life cycle. The last few winters have been really good to us, Argument explained, in terms of offering those extreme cold weather conditions that really knocked the overwintering beetle populations.

An audit of B.C. timber sales and licence holders in the Skeena business area by the province’s forestry watchdog released July 29 found that while most forestry activities complied with legislation there were some notable exceptions. The region was randomly selected for an audit covering forestry activities between June 1, 2019 and June 24, 2021, on the northwest coast of B.C., including Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, New Aiyansh and Stewart. The Forest Practices Board audits forest and range practices on public lands. Gerry Grant, board member and chair of the panel that did the audit told The Terrace Standard in an interview that the biggest overall problem was road safety. The audit also found that not all activities in the region were being reported to the government’s tracking system on time and most licence holders failed to document fire-hazard assessments after logging, a practice that “needs improvement.”

People can get involved in the comprehensive timber supply review for the Lillooet Timber Supply Area (TSA) by submitting comments before Oct. 18, 2022. As part of the review, a discussion paper has been released that provides the results of the timber supply analysis. It also describes the geography, natural resources and current forest-management practices in the Lillooet TSA, all of which will be used by the chief forester in their allowable annual cut (AAC) determination. Before setting the new AAC, the chief forester will also consider feedback from Indigenous Peoples and the public. The Lillooet Timber Supply Area covers roughly 1.1 million hectares in the southwestern region of the province. The current AAC for the Lillooet TSA is 570,000 cubic metres, of which 400,000 cubic metres are for species other than pine. The area includes the territories of the St’at’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Secwepemc and Tsilhqot’in Nations.

March was the start of the trial launched by Nuchatlaht First Nation, which is taking British Columbia to court claiming rights and title over their territory. They’re hoping to regain control of about 200-square-kilometres of the 510-square-kilometre Nootka Island, situated off the west coast of “Vancouver Island.” …It took lawyers forty days to present evidence to Justice Elliot Myers in B.C. Supreme Court between March and May of this year. Defence lawyer Owen Stewart is working with Jack Woodward representing Nuchatlaht First Nation. …closing arguments are set to begin on September 26 and conclude by October 14. A decision is expected to follow in the new year. …Woodward said the Nuchatlaht were forced from their territories through the creation of the reserve system; the imposition of the Forestry Act, which made it illegal to harvest timber and build dwellings; and the imposition of the Parks Act, which made it illegal to cut flowers and harvest berries. 

Calvin Lee

Calvin Lee’s workplace passion is applying technology to make forestry more efficient and environmentally sound. Just 26, Calvin gained certification as a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) from the Association of BC Forest Professionals in July of 2021 – an arduous multi-year process requiring a relevant bachelor degree from the University of British Columbia. …While pursuing a forestry degree at UBC Calvin had the opportunity to take four-month co-op terms with several employers… It was in that last job that he had his first interaction with Teal Jones, while laying out roads and cutblocks in the company’s Pitt Lake operation. He took a job with them shortly after gaining his certification – returning to Teal Jones’ Pitt Lake operations, this time as a company forester responsible for applying technology to engineer and monitor cutblocks, roads, waterway protection, and silviculture. He works on a team led by John Pichugin, RPF, Teal Jones’ manager of Engineering and Forestry.

Shane Berg

Shane Berg has been named BC’s 18th chief forester and the assistant deputy minister for the Office of the Chief Forester. This is following Berg’s service as deputy chief forester for the previous five years. The chief forester is responsible under the Forest Act for determining the allowable annual cut for each of B.C.’s 71 timber supply areas and tree farm licences. Under the Forest and Range Practices Act, the chief forester also sets seed, seedling and stocking standards for the reforestation of B.C.’s forests. Berg is a registered professional forester who has worked throughout the province, beginning as a silviculture technician in Invermere. …Berg spent six years working as a regional executive director with the then-Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation before becoming the Province’s deputy chief forester in April 2017.

Four environmental advocacy groups are jointly calling for a review of actions taken by RCMP officers enforcing a court injunction against old-growth logging protesters last year. …The groups claim the police actions infringed on 13 charter rights of protesters and want a Civilian Review and Complaints Commission investigation into what they call improper and unlawful actions by the RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG). The joint complaint was submitted to the commission Aug. 10 by Elders for Ancient Trees, Rainforest Flying Squad, Legal Observers of Victoria and Social Environmental Alliance. …The complaint filing includes 73 witness statements alleging the C-IRG and other RCMP units embarked on a widespread campaign of excessive force, breaches of civil liberties and human rights violations against civilian protesters.

Due to increased grizzly bear activity in the upper Chilko River area, access to Chilko-Newton Road, south of Henry’s Crossing, will be closed to the public during salmon spawning season from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2022. The Tŝilhqot’in Nation and the Province are jointly restricting public access to the upper Chilko corridor while a management plan is being written for the area. This closure is to mitigate the risks of members of the public coming into close contact with grizzly bears in the area. The closure of the road will be monitored and enforced under the BC Wildlife Act. Penalties and fines for violators will be issued.

The provincial government has established agreements with three Northern Manitoba First Nations regarding forestry development and revenue sharing. A memorandum of agreement was signed by the province and Norway House Cree Nation on Aug. 2, with the government committing to creating a tree planting program to train and employ youth and community members and returning up to 45 per cent of revenues collected from timber dues to the First Nation. A multiphase traditional land use study will be led by NHCN, with priority given to the area and interests fo the First Nation. Timber will also be provided for NHCN’s sawmills to support the goal of building approximately 500 homes in the community. …A memorandum of understanding with Mosakahiken Cree Nation was also signed to share up to 45 per cent of timber dues harvested in proximity to the First Nation, retroactively to Jan. 1 of this year and running up until June 30, 2024.

In a deal designed to improve the economic circumstances of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, the province has signed over 2,276 hectares of land to the nation near Campbell River.  The transfer of traditional territory in an Incremental Treaty Agreement should help increase Wei Wai Kum First Nation’s participation in the ­forest industry while providing its citizens access to lands for cultural and harvesting ­activities.  “This agreement and transfer of land back to our nation is a significant milestone in the treaty negotiations process and ongoing journey of reconciliation,” said Chief Chris Roberts. …Roberts said the nation has been engaged in treaty negotiations for 25 years — too long to decide the question of land ownership and access to resources.  We are now the rightful beneficial owners of these land parcels and will resume management and utilization in a sustainable manner that balances economic, environmental and recreational values,” he said.

…As the B.C. government promises deferrals of old-growth logging and protesters push for the end of the practice entirely, videos recently recorded near the Tsitika River north of Woss put the old-growth fight into perspective for the man who shot them. …the camper who recorded the videos asked to remain anonymous because of concerns about how speaking to media might affect his employment. …he thought he may have stumbled upon something illegal. CTV News inquiries to the Ministry of Forests and the company conducting the logging quickly dispelled this notion.  …The licensee responsible for harvesting the trees, A&A Trading and Cypress Creek Logging – the company it hired to do the work told CTV News they followed all the regulations governing logging in the province, and both defended the practice of harvesting old-growth, citing the industry’s importance to the North Island economy and the myriad forests in the province that are already protected from logging.

Anyone who holds a timber licence on Vancouver Island is well versed in the notions of “public engagement” and “interface” – Crown land is at a premium, and there’s a great deal of competition when it comes to using the land. For the most part, Islanders understand that forestry is a key economic contributor. However, the relationship between people wanting to enjoy the great outdoors and the industries needing to log for their livelihood can sometimes be acrimonious. Not so with Woodlot Licensee Rick Heikkila. He has successfully built bridges between outdoor enthusiasts and Recreation Sites and Trails BC, a relatively new branch within the Ministry of Forests. His approach to managing Woodlot Licence 0012 exemplifies the standards set by the woodlot program. The level of admiration and trust Rick enjoys was beautifully illustrated when Luke Clarke, with Recreation Sites and Trails BC took time to circulate a letter of praise to his colleagues at the Ministry of Forests.

Different name, same face. The Vancouver chapter of Extinction Rebellion has spawned another protest sub-brand that threatens to disrupt traffic Monday for an anti-shale gas march from Vancouver city hall to the CBC studios, via the Cambie Bridge. The central coordinator of Stop Fracking Around (SFA) is Muhammad Zain Ul-Haq, the Save Old Growth (SOG) co-founder. The 21-year-old Pakistani Simon Fraser University student was detained by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in June for allegedly violating terms of his student visa. Haq was freed after a closed-door Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) hearing on June 23, but neither IRB nor CBSA will comment on the outcome. …SOG’s website says the group receives most of its funding for recruitment, training, capacity building and education from the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a California-based charity whose board includes an heiress to the Getty oil fortune. …Haq did not respond for comment.

Additional coverage in the Georgia Straight, by Martin Dunphy: Anti-fracking group threatens direct action against Vancouver’s highways and tourist spots unless demands met