Region Archives: Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board has released the results of its investigation into a complaint about the BC Wildfire Service’s (BCWS) use of planned ignitions during the 2023 Downton Lake wildfire near Gun Lake. A planned ignition is a deliberate use of fire in an emergency to remove unburned fuel from an area, typically between a control line and the wildfire. Burning this fuel can help contain the wildfire and make fire suppression efforts more efficient. The complaint, submitted by three Gun Lake residents, raised concerns that a planned ignition conducted by BCWS on Aug. 1, 2023, contributed to the destruction of more than 40 homes on the west side of the lake. The board assessed whether BCWS complied with the Wildfire Act and if its decision to use a planned ignition near the complainants’ properties was reasonable, given the conditions at the time. The board found BCWS complied with the Wildfire Act and BCWS’s decision to conduct the ignition in this emergency situation was based on sound forest practices and a reasonable assessment of the wildfire threat.

Additional coverage from Canadian Press in Times Colonist: Planned ignitions in 2023 wildfires were ‘reasonable,’ Forest Practices Board rules

In response to the growing threat of wildfires in rural areas, 22 members of the Deer Park Recreation Society (DPRS) achieved certification at the Deer Park Fire Hall on May 4 after meeting the BC Wildfire Service Pilot Project For Rural Communities criteria requirements. DPRS formed 27 years ago to provide fire protection services for its communities due to the area’s drier, warmer micro climate and substantially increased risk of wildfires. Following several recent wildfires in the area, including three very large forest fires, the society took charge and applied for grant funding to attain brigade validation by providing additional training, increased wildfire equipment and upgraded personal protective equipment (PPE) for its communities. …The pilot project enables BCWS to assign the Deer Park Wildfire Brigade to assist during wildfire emergencies in their area.

Non-timber forest products (NTFP) provide a wealth of natural resources for the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB). …OIB wants to build a path forward for the sustainable use and commercialization of NTFP through a project supported by the BC Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program. The project started as a feasibility study into the commercial potential of NTFP and turned into an initiative once community members wanted to grow their connection with the land and traditional practices, according to Vincent Dufour, a registered professional forester with Silviculture and Private Managed Forest, and Siya Forestry. …One of the main goals of the project is to develop a full inventory of NTFP across the OIB traditional territory in the South Okanagan to the West Kootenays and surrounding regions. …Dufour works alongside local community members and experts in mapping the abundance and availability of species such as mushrooms, soapberries, blackcap raspberries, wild mint, juniper and wild roses.

A new University of Alberta study calculates that there are 277 billion trees in the North American boreal forest, including 30 billion in Alberta, and it could benefit climate mitigation. Estimated using a sophisticated machine learning algorithm, the numbers are 31 per cent higher than a count made through an earlier attempt in a major 2015 global study. “Our research provides by far the most accurate and credible answer to the question of how many trees are in our boreal forests,” says study lead Fangliang He, a forest ecologist and Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and Landscape Modelling in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. The work fills a crucial knowledge gap that “reduces the uncertainty in estimating and managing tree density to promote forest productivity that enhances forest carbon sink potential,” he adds. “Knowing that there are 31 per cent more trees than previously estimated suggests our boreal forests have greater capacity to mitigate climate change.”

Forrest Battjes

SUNDRE – The Town of Sundre’s council has agreed to add its voice in support of the forest sector’s advocacy in the face of U.S. tariff threats as well as what the industry considers regulatory hurdles at home. Forrest Battjes, a forestry educator with the Alberta Forest Products Association, presented to council on April 7 during a regular meeting. The association represents companies across the province from High Level down to Crowsnest Pass including operations ranging from pulp and bio-energy to engineered wood products. The sector reportedly supports approximately 30,000 jobs across Alberta and in some communities like Sundre, home to West Fraser ­– Sundre Forest Products, is among the largest local employers. Battjes discussed trade barriers in Alberta’s industry as a whole as well as some proposed solutions to face the challenges. “The stakes are high right now for our industry,” said Battjes.

Garry Merkel

Canada’s first Indigenous land stewardship degree puts Indigenous law, governance and connection to land at the heart of environmental education. Hayley Toderian, 29, waited two years to enrol. Now, she’s part of the inaugural class in a groundbreaking undergraduate program at the University of British Columbia, the first of its kind. The four-year degree was created in response to growing recognition of the need for Indigenous-led approaches to land management and environmental challenges, land reclamation and environmental policy. …The program, housed within UBC Forestry, goes beyond ecological practices to include the political, legal and ethical frameworks of Indigenous land stewardship. …Garry Merkel, a Tahltan forester and the director of the Centre for Indigenous Land Stewardship at UBC Forestry, said students explore Indigenous systems of land tenure, resource allocation and dispute resolution — frameworks developed and maintained by communities over centuries.

The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, finds a “significant increase” in the severity of forest fires from 2001-10 to 2010-21 – especially in western North America, parts of Siberia and south-eastern Australia. It also finds that recovery from large fires has become “more difficult” for forests in recent years, particularly in the boreal forests of the far-northern latitudes.  Furthermore, fewer than one-third of all forests studied recovered successfully within seven years of a “megafire” – a broad term used to refer to extreme fires. A “surprising discovery” was that fire severity had the largest impact on forest recovery – even more than climate change, one of the study authors tells Carbon Brief. One researcher, who was not involved in the study, notes that the findings are “expected, but not previously reported on such a large scale”.

Comox Valley Naturalists (CVN) invites the public to a forest of knowledge and a natural urban adventure on Saturday May 17 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. A series of one hour guided walks will take place in the City of Courtenay Vanier Nature Park off Vanier Drive, where a new Garry oak restoration project is underway. This project is being co-managed by CVN and the City of Courtenay. Choose between three walk times that each have a different leader who will share their expertise about Garry oak trees, forest ecosystems and the ongoing work in the park. This project has funding from CVN, the City of Courtenay and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.