Region Archives: Canada West

MISSION, BC— The City of Mission is holding two virtual FireSmart Community Forums in March to help residents learn effective ways to reduce the risks of wildfire at home. Offered on the evenings of Mar. 15 and 22, the forum will be an opportunity for residents to hear the benefits of FireSmart strategies and have a chance to ask questions. …The forum will be led by Bruce Blackwell of B.A. Blackwell & Associates, and was funded by Community Resiliency Investment program. “These forums represent a key component of our planning to help keep our community safe from wildfire,” said Chris Gruenwald, Director of Forestry. 

John Rustad

JOHN Rustad, Official Opposition Critic for Forests… on Friday slammed the creation of the new Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship, saying in a statement that “at a time when communities, loggers, contractors, employers, workers and First Nations are all looking for stability, [Premier] John Horgan and the NDP have decided that adding uncertainty and more bureaucracy is the way to go.” Rustad added: “The province’s unilateral decision to declare some areas off-limits to logging is already causing far-reaching damage. Coupled with the NDP’s policy decisions that make British Columbia the highest-cost jurisdiction in North America, we are seeing investment flee the province at an alarming rate. We’ve already lost 10,000 forestry jobs under Horgan’s NDP and estimates are another 18,000 could be lost. The NDP’s decision to increase the size of government is not going to turn that tide but will instead accelerate it, and force more workers into early retirement.”

Firefighters and equipment have been sent out to prepare for the official wildfire season beginning March 1, the province says. Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner said in a news release Monday crews are ready. “Our priority is keeping Albertans and our communities safe. We continue to explore new technology and innovative wildland firefighting programs to evaluate what we need in Alberta’s wildfire management tool kit,” said Horner. When the province’s wildfire season came to an end on Oct. 31, a total of 1,308 wildfires burned 52,955 hectares since last March 1, despite the dry weather. In comparison, the five-year average between 2016 and 2020 was 1,123 wildfires burning 317,326 hectares. …Monday’s release noted that in the spring, the wildfire hazard is highest when fuels like trees and grass can be extremely dry and flammable after the snow has melted.

In episode three of ForestWorks’ second season, we are joined by Tamara Meggitt, an emerging advocate and organizer for grassroots forestry workers and their families. On this week’s show was speak with Tamara Meggitt, a member of a forestry family in Courtenay who has emerged as a grassroots organizer for pro-forestry rallies, events, and dialogue in BC. She had to cancel a rally planned for the legislature recently, so we thought it would be good to hear her message on another channel. …ForestWorks is brought to you by Resource Works, looking at how responsible development of British Columbia’s natural resources creates jobs and incomes throughout the province, both directly and indirectly, while maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

Erin Robinson

Quesnel has received more than three million dollars over three years in provincial funding for fuel management according to Erin Robinson, the Forestry Initiative Manager with the City. “This allows us to thin and space trees, do controlled burning, clear debris away from the forest using machines and hand crews, and this allows us to reduce the risk of wildfire but also, once wildfires start, it allows the crews to get in and fight those fires quickly.” Robinson says fuel management work has now been done on approximately 240 hectares. “It’s a pretty significant portion of what needs to be done with the Community Wildfire Protection boundaries.  The previous ten year plan that the city was involved in, just 25 hectares was done because it is administratively very difficult to get this work off the ground, and it is costly.” …All of this work is done under the Community Wildfire Protection Plan…

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen says the new B.C. Budget makes good on a promise to support forestry workers, who may be impacted by old-growth logging deferrals. Concern over the government’s plan to preserve up to 2.6 million hectares of “ancient, rare and priority large stands of old growth forests,” prompted rallies in Smithers in November. At that time Cullen said the NDP government would have the backs of forestry sector workers, who could be potentially be displaced. …Details on the actual programs are absent from the fiscal plan because, Cullen said, the old-growth deferral program is still in the consultation phase. …The Town of Smithers is also taking a wait-and-see approach. …Smithers council decided to defer a request from the Village of Telkwa to provide a letter of support for the forest industry similar to one Telkwa council has sent to Premier John Horgan urging the province to restart the process altogether.

Sicamous has joined the Columbia Shuswap Regional District in calling for a moratorium on logging in areas impacted by the Two Mile Road wildfire in 2021.  At its Feb. 23 meeting, Sicamous council supported a recommendation to the Ministry of Forests… that a moratorium on logging be put in place for the Sicamous Creek/Wiseman Creek watershed due to a high geohazard risk created by the wildfire, which reached 2,455 hectares before it was finally held in late August.  The recommendation is in response to BC Timber Sales’ (BCTS) proposed salvage logging plans, dated Dec. 15, that include four new cutblocks totalling 132 hectares, along with 6.97 kilometres of associated logging roads.

Casey Macauley

A forester in Kamloops, B.C., is turning the devastation of last year’s wildfires into art.   Casey Macauley has been salvaging parts of trees burned in the White Rock Lake and Tremont Creek fires that displaced thousands of people in B.C.’s interior last year.  He then takes segments of the wood and creates prints of their ring patterns.  He said he had seen the technique a few years ago and, after last year’s fires hit, he realized there was an opportunity to get some unique pieces of wood for the project.  “These are old-growth trees over here, they do get cut down periodically, but they are much less common than some of these younger trees,” Macauley said.   He said these older trees are often protected from conventional logging processes, but the wildfires allowed greater access to larger trees.  

After members of the Elphinstone Community Association (ECA) asked the regional district to urgently apply to withdraw District Lot 1313 from BC Timber Sales operating plans, the Sunshine Coast Regional District is taking formal steps to protect the 48-hectare area on Mount Elphinstone also known as the Reed Road Forest. On Feb. 17, the directors moved to begin a formal referral to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation (Squamish Nation) about the protection of DL 1313. …In a letter dated Nov. 1, 2021, Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons outlined options the SCRD could pursue. …Of the three options, staff reported that none “appear to be an obvious fit to prevent logging of DL 1313.

A recent Vaughn Palmer piece states, “BC forest companies [are] expanding at a rapid pace, but not at home.” The subtitle says, “$10 billion gone elsewhere.” Elsewhere is a warning sign the business climate in this province is dark, stormy and uncertain. …Forestry is in the permit economy, which has been affected profoundly by government regulations and protest campaigns in BC. Any company that requires government approval to do business here must think long and hard about investing in BC. And even when they go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that every condition is met along with solid First Nations relationships and agreements, those companies remain prime targets for protests. Teal-Jones is a BC forestry success story. The largest family-owned private forestry company on the coast, the company is a perfect example of sustainability. …We invited Conrad Browne, the Director of Indigenous Partnership and Strategic Relations at Teal-Jones, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about why BC is becoming a less attractive investment location.

Operating community forests  who are members of the BCCFA are asked to participate in the 8th annual survey of the benefits that Community Forest Agreements bring to their communities and to the province. The survey results, combined with your stories and photos, provide us with our most important and valuable tool in advocating for community forests and the provincial policies that support their success. This fact cannot be underestimated, particularly in these times of tremendous change in government policy. A link has been set up for each community forest and sent to the key contact for the organization on February 22nd.  The link can be shared with others in your organization to complete the survey. The deadline for survey completion is April 15th. Contact Susan at smulkey@bccfa.ca or 250-353-1477 with any questions.

The BC Community Forest Association February newsletter has been published. Topics of interest include:

→  The 2022 Indicators Survey 
→  Old Growth Deferrals Update
→  Wildfire Risk Reduction Projects and the new role of BC Wildfire Service
→  BCCFA 20th Conference and AGM in Nakusp, October 19-21 2022 
→  Modernizing Forest Policy and Pricing for CFAs

A new design, created by Grade 11 student Geraldine Catalbas from Ponoka, Alberta, has been selected as the winner of the Official 2022 Orange Shirt Day Design. The Orange Shirt Society partnered with Vernon-based Tolko Industries Ltd., to announce the contest winner and give the first look at the design that will be displayed on shirts across Canada on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, formally Orange Shirt Day, on Sept. 30. According to the news release, Catalbas’ design not only honours who lost their lives in residential schools but also reflects on the impacts of their deaths and survivor’s triumphs. “The shoes represent the children who died in residential schools, while the shoelaces, transforming into an eagle, symbolize their freedom in the heavens and fight through difficult times,” reads the statement.

See Tolko Industries Ltd. Press Release: Announcing 2022’s Orange Shirt Day Design

The City of Quesnel’s Forestry Initiatives Manager is applauding the move to have the BC Wildfire Service operate year round. The change was announced in the recent provincial budget that puts aside 145 million dollars over three years. Erin Robinson says the idea is to transition from a model that is now reacting to wildfires to a more proactive model. “What this really means is the focus will be more on prevention and mitigation, reducing the risk of wildfires, rather than just reacting to disasters once they’re on our doorstep.” Robinson says both are needed. …Robinson says wildfire crews also assist with atmospheric river events, so it will enable crews to be able to help them with other disturbances as well. She says the Community Wildfire Protection footprint not only covers the municipality of Quesnel and the communities of Lhtako, but also goes out into the Cariboo Regional District.

Grandma Losah

VICTORIA In the twilight hours at the busy intersection of Victoria’s Douglas and Johnson streets, Grandma Losah looks on as her protest group halts traffic in both directions with their Save Old Growth signs. …Grandma Losah, whose legal name is Rose Henry, has been leading demonstrations against old-growth logging at Fairy Creek, three hours northwest of Victoria, for more than 500 days. The 63-year-old activist from the Tia’amin Nation on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, was sought out to help lead the movement by Pacheedaht Elder Bill Jones, who invited the protesters to his community’s traditional territory to campaign against the logging of old-growth trees by timber company Teal-Jones. …Grandma Losah is an Indigenous leader, an anti-poverty advocate and a community support worker. She has also been labelled an anarchist, professional agitator and workaholic. But as a child she was abused, treated as mentally retarded, and brought up in virtual seclusion.

A Manitoba First Nation has filed a lawsuit against the province and a logging company, alleging the province failed to consult the community before extending a timber harvesting licence in traditional territory. Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation announced the lawsuit against the Manitoba government and Louisiana-Pacific on Wednesday. Chief Elwood Zastre said the government has allowed Louisiana-Pacific to build roads and harvest timber in its traditional territory around Porcupine Provincial Forest and Kettle Hills in west-central Manitoba for the past 16 years. Zastre said the timber harvesting has negatively impacted land, water and species in the territory. … The First Nation alleges the province issued further authorization to the logging company to continue work without notifying the community, and says the province breached its duty to consult. … The lawsuit asks the court to suspend forestry developments in the area.

Additional coverage in the CBC News: 2nd Manitoba First Nation seeks to halt commercial logging on traditional lands

Re. Castanet’s three recent articles on the amount of clear cut logging our chief forester is allowing in Shuswap, Okanagan and Boundary areas Aren’t we all getting a little fed up with government press releases, industry facts, regurgitation of data with no back up? …Why not question these sources and ask govt and industry some real hard questions …? Other journalists reporting on recent announcements by the chief forester on new allowable annual cuts … merely reprint what the chief forester says without question. … With public safety at serious risk from the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, a concerned and alarmed public needs the assistance of journalists in asking the right questions and in seeking informed answers.

The B.C. government has committed more than $2 billion to prepare the province for future extreme weather events, but improved warning of flooding threats will take years to develop, Environment Minister George Heyman said. B.C.’s 2022 budget includes money for improved mapping, snowpack and river forecasting as well as reconstruction and wildfire prevention work. …The budget contains $120 million for local governments and Indigenous communities for emergency preparedness. …Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said an additional $145 million over three years for emergency management and the B.C. Wildfire Service will allow forest firefighters to stay on year-round to work on prevention and fire prevention work. Another $90 million is budgeted for the Fire Smart program, which provides grants to local governments for fuel management projects around communities.

Fire has shaped ecosystems on Earth ever since there was vegetation and an ignition source, including lightning, to ignite them. In addition, human use and management of fire have also impacted ecosystems and biodiversity. Prior to European settlement, many Indigenous peoples in BC used fire to sustain biodiversity and break up the landscape to limit fire spread and severity. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, as natural and human-caused fires impacted growing communities, fire suppression practices began—a practice that through the decades has impacted the development of forest ecosystems. Today, the impacts of climate change on forest health with BC’s more than 100 years of fire exclusion and suppression is highlighting new challenges and shifting paradigms in forest and fire management. Resource managers are looking at ways to restore the natural role of fire in the landscape—to support resilient, healthy forests while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.  

This past November was a wild ride of emotions… as I watched communities, roads, and bridges wash away, unstable scarred mountain sides crumble, and rivers overspill their banks, breaching dikes and refilling ancient lake beds. …I have been working on the issue of flood control in the lower Fraser River and its impacts on wild salmon since 2016. …Although flooding is an essential part of a healthy river ecosystem, November’s extreme floods took a heavy toll on wild salmon and their habitats. Many Fraser salmon populations were already at historic lows. For salmon that had already spawned, flood waters may have destroyed their redds, and washed away their eggs. …Billions of recovery dollars are about to flow to rebuild and upgrade after these catastrophic storms. How we decide to spend this money could affect wild salmon for generations to come.

‘Namgis First Nation has decided to implement its own old growth protection plan and decline the plans offered by the Provincial Government in order to ensure the protection of ecosystems including old growth areas for future generations. The provincial government asked ‘Namgis in November 2021 to respond to an old growth harvest plan prepared by the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). …‘Namgis Forestry Technical Team studied the TAP deferral plans for the old growth areas in ‘Namgis territory and concluded that TAP plans did not provide adequate protection for the old growth forest areas. Instead, the Nation’s Technical Team have developed a plan which provides for longer term protection… Mosaic Forest Management has voluntarily agreed not to harvest in the TAP-identified areas until further review with ‘Namgis is complete, and, BC Timber Sales has committed not to offer a proposed old growth sale until it has ‘N­amgis support and planning processes are complete.

West Fraser Hinton paused its controversial clearcut logging plan in critical habitat of the threatened A La Peche caribou in west-central Alberta, following the province’s creation of a temporary “No Harvest Zone” until it finishes its land-use plan for the area. The decision comes after months of opposition from local trappers, the Mountain Métis community, the conservation community and concerned Albertans. While conservation groups said in a joint press release that they appreciate the change, they are making calls for the caribou population to be permanently protected. …The Fitzhugh asked West Fraser what reasons, in addition to the province’s creation of a temporary “No Harvest Zone,” led to its decision to halt clearcut logging plans. Joyce Wagenaar, West Fraser communications director said, “sustainable, healthy forests and ecosystems are critical to West Fraser.” …West Fraser says caribou recovery and other outcomes would occur in the years following the release of the subregional land-use plan.