Region Archives: Canada West

Business & Politics

West Fraser Timber perseveres despite challenging economic pressures

By Jordy Cunningham
The Clearwater Times
August 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

West Fraser Timber is continuing to succeed in this ever-changing world, despite a lower second quarter. …Sales were up slightly from Q1 — $1.532 billion, compared to $1.459 billion. However, earnings were nearly cut in half — $24 million compared to $42 million in the first quarter. “Demand for many of our building products slowed in the second quarter as spring building activity fell short of our expectations,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s President and CEO. “This was more acute in our North America Engineered Wood Products segment, which experienced further easing of demand as the quarter progressed [with] softer U.S. new home construction.” …West Timber’s director of communications, Joyce Wagenaar, told Black Press Media that this year has been a challenge economically. “2025 has brought a number of changes, most notably sluggish demand for building products in Canada and the U.S. due to challenging economic conditions, leading to a slowdown in new home construction,” said Wagenaar.

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Lumber yard fire expected to be extinguished soon: Quesnel fire chief

By Colin Slark
Prince George Citizen
August 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

A fire at a lumber yard inside Quesnel city limits is being managed by West Fraser Mills and was expected to be completely extinguished on Monday, Aug. 25, the city’s fire chief said. The 500-square-foot fire at BC Eco Chips on Pinecrest Road was first spotted around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, leading to a response from six fire departments in the Cariboo Regional District, BC Wildfire Service and personnel from West Fraser Mills. Reached by phone on Aug. 25, Quesnel Fire Chief Ron Richert said that the fire departments and wildfire service withdrew from the scene around 8 p.m., leaving West Fraser Mills in charge of managing the scene. At that point, the chief said, there were still “significant flames” but it was fully contained. …Richert confirmed that there were no structured damaged or people hurt by the fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

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Obituary: Ralph Fredrick Hastings Torney

Dignity Moemorial
August 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ralph Torney

With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Ralph Torney… He completed his schooling in Nanaimo, after which he started working in the logging and forest industry all up and down the West Coast. Ralph was very involved in the forest industry, becoming President of the Truck Loggers Association, as well as the Pacific Logging Congress. He eventually joined Erickson Air Crane and started working with the Sikorski skycrane helicopters, which were used for logging and firefighting around the world. During this time, we were very fortunate to have lived in Singapore before moving to the Erickson Air Crane Headquarters in Medford, Oregon. After a few years, he decided he wanted to start his own business, returning to Canada where he formed RFT Industries, and eventually Canadian Air Crane. He loved his work which took him to all parts of the world. …Honouring Ralph’s wishes, there will be no service. 

©TruckLoggerBC

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B.C. Conservative MLA slams Forestry Innovation Investment chair appointment

By Monica Lamb-Yorski
Pentiction Western News
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ward Stamer

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer criticized the recent announcement that Rick Doman has been appointed the new Forestry Innovation Investment Board chair. “British Columbians don’t need another announcement; they need results,” said Stamer in his capacity as the Official Opposition Caucus Shadow Minister for Forests, in a news release. ..Stamer said while Doman has decades of industry experience, the appointment “does nothing to fix the deep-rooted crises the sector faces, such as mill closures, slumping harvest volumes, regulatory paralysis, and the steady erosion of family-supporting forestry jobs.” …“Communities are desperate for action; instead, we get another NDP press release while sawmills close and workers are forced to leave their hometowns.” …The Ministry of Forests told the North Thompson Star Journal in an emailed response that the ministry will be releasing more details in the coming weeks about the BC Timber Sales review.

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Labour dispute ongoing at closed Galloway sawmill

By Trevor Crawley
The Kimberly Daily Bulletin
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

JAFFRAY, BC — The BC Labour Relations Board has dismissed an application from unionized employees with Galloway Lumber Company seeking a court order against the employer in a labour dispute over a negotiated severance agreement due to the permanent closure of the Galloway sawmill, near Jaffray. While the labour board dismissed the application on Aug. 14, vice-chair Carmen Hamilton deferred the matter to the parties’ negotiated dispute resolution process. Meanwhile, both sides are have agreed to bring the matter before an arbitrator who is not available until January 2026. “At its heart, this matter is a contract interpretation dispute,” wrote Hamilton. The United Steelworkers Local L-405 is seeking roughly $1.2 million in severance that was negotiated as part of an adjustment plan that was negotiated following the closure of the mill.

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1 in 5 businesses won’t survive another six months: Canadian Federation of Independent Business report blames tariffs

By Sonia Aslam
CityNews Everywhere
August 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Canadian business owners are sharing growing fears that things could go from bad to worse if the U.S.-imposed trade war doesn’t end soon. New data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) shows those business owners are being hit the hardest, particularly in B.C. “Two-thirds of B.C. businesses import or export directly to the United States, and when you look at those who do so indirectly, so they buy from importers or exporters, that number jumps up to 80 per cent of all businesses exposed to trade with the United States. So, that’s a huge number,” Ryan Mitton, director of Legislative Affairs in B.C. at the CFIB said. He adds that the situation appears even more grim for hard-hit industries like steel and lumber.  “…one in five in BC have been impacted by softwood lumber tariffs, and that’s the highest rate of all the provinces in Canada,” he adds.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

BC firms receive $6.8M federal boost to advance waste-reducing tech

By Pacific Economic Developement Canada
Government of Canada
August 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

COQUITLAM, BC — Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $6.8 million for two Coquitlam-based businesses that are developing technologies to reduce waste and advance sustainability in the energy and textile sectors. …Novo Textile Company is receiving an investment of over $1.8 million to expand its textile recycling capacity. Novo plans to bind recycled fibres with BC wood pulp fibres to produce Canadian-made textiles at a competitive price. This will strengthen Canadian supply chains and divert 15 million pounds of garment waste from landfills annually. …Novo Textiles was incorporated in 1991 as a supplier of fibre-filled home textiles. Most recently, Novo introduced a textile recycling production line, continuing its evolution within the textile sector. It is estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills annually.

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Tall Timber building boosts student housing at BCIT’s Burnaby campus

BC Government
August 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has officially opened its new Tall Timber student housing residence at the Burnaby campus, expanding affordable on-campus housing options for students. As the tallest building in Burnaby built using mass timber, a renewable and lower-carbon alternative to traditional concrete construction, this project was planned with sustainability at its core. The building’s fully electric design and high-performing building envelope also helps it meet B.C.’s Energy Step Code 4, the highest level of energy efficiency for this type of structure. The building has also received a CaGBC Net Zero certification. “Using B.C. mass timber for this student housing project is an important step in our goal to build the infrastructure projects people need in their communities more sustainably,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “We’re supporting a greener economy while also building a new project that will benefit students for generations to come.”

Additional coverage in DH Urbanized: BCIT Burnaby campus opens mass-timber student housing tower with 469 beds

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Advance Your Lumber Career in 12 Months with the BC Institute of Technology

BC Institute of Technology
August 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The lumber and sawmilling sector demands skilled leaders who combine technical expertise with sound business acumen. BCIT now offers two Associate Certificates, designed to be completed part-time and fully online in just 12 months, enabling working professionals to advance without leaving the industry. The Associate Certificate in the Business of Sawmilling (starting October 2025) focuses on the operational, financial, and strategic aspects of modern sawmill management. Topics include production planning, quality optimization, supply chain considerations, and market dynamics. Graduates are equipped to contribute to profitability and long-term competitiveness. The Associate Certificate in Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) (starting January 2026) emphasizes the science and technology of wood conversion. With courses in wood properties, manufacturing processes, quality control, and technical problem-solving, the program prepares participants to step into supervisory roles with confidence. Both programs are tailored for career advancement in the North American lumber industry.

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Final mass-timber beam installed for new PNE amphitheatre’s roof

By Kenneth Chan
DH Urbanized
August 20, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

©PNE

VANCOUVER, BC — Construction on the new Freedom Mobile Arch amphitheatre at the PNE in Hastings Park reached a significant milestone, with the installation of the final segment of glulam beam for the landmark mass-timber roof structure. …In addition to the steel arches, there are 60 mass-timber arches arranged in six barrel vaulted segments, reaching a height of up to 82 ft. and spanning 344 ft. between buttress tips. These components form a starburst-shaped roof, the largest freestanding mass-timber structure of its kind in the world. The mass-timber roof design incorporates both glulam, which offers superior strength, and a cross-laminated timber deck made of three-ply Douglas Fir, which provides a structural diaphragm for stability. The project’s design firms are Revery Architecture, Fast + Epp Structural Engineers, and PFS Studio, and the general contractor is EllisDon. The long-planned venue’s very first event will be its use for Vancouver’s official FIFA World Cup Fan Festival.

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Forestry

Melissa McHale Receives 2025 Wall Fellowships Award

By The Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
August 27, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Melissa McHale

UBC Forestry congratulates Dr. Melissa McHale on receiving one of two prestigious Wall Fellowships, UBC’s highest-value internal research awards. The fellowships will fund innovative research to help B.C. communities adapt to climate change and address rising housing demands. The Okanagan Valley is feeling the effects of climate change more than ever with hotter summers, more frequent wildfires and growing pressure on water supplies. On top of this, rapid growth and urban development are adding new challenges for local communities. Melissa’s research, entitled “Rising Heat, Roaring Flames, and Waning Waters: Building a Climate-Resilient Research Hub for British Columbia” is tackling these issues head-on in partnership with the City of Kelowna, Indigenous communities and local organizations. The project is exploring how cities can: Use trees and vegetation to cool neighbourhoods while saving water; Design greener spaces that also reduce wildfire risk; and Build healthier, more inclusive communities through nature-based solutions.

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North Cowichan’s council votes to make harvesting in municipal forest a top priority

By Robert Barron
The Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Harvesting in North Cowichan’s 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve (MFR) is considered a primary issue for the rest of council’s term, which ends in October, 2026. On Aug. 20, council voted 4-3 to make harvesting, which hasn’t taken place since 2019, one of its strategic priorities. Coun. Bruce Findlay pointed out that the municipality has received no revenues from harvesting in the MFR for six years, and it may take several more years yet as negotiations with the Quw’utsun Nation on co-management of the MFR continue. …Despite the vote, CAO Ted Swabey advised council that he thinks that it’s unlikely that any harvesting could actually take place before the end of council’s term. …The public engagement aspect of the forest review concluded in early 2023, and the feedback from that process found very strong support for active conservation in the MFR, which would allow for targeted harvesting to provide some income, while restoring and enhancing biodiversity.

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Prolonged heat brings renewed fire risk to Vancouver Island

Cowichan Valley Citizen
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On the heels of record-breaking daily high temperatures, Vancouver Islanders face warmer than usual weather this week. Temperatures will continue to “remain well above seasonal” into mid-week for east and inland Vancouver Island with cooler temperatures overnight, according to an Environment Canada statement issued early Aug. 26. The extra warm conditions are expected to persist from inland Greater Victoria, up the east coast from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay. Cloud cover is expected Thursday. The Malahat area broke the newest record on the Island, hitting 30.2 C, topping the 29.8 daily record set in 2022. Nanaimo tied the oldest record, hitting a high of 33.3 set in 1958. Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox all flirted with 2016 records, with Campbell River shading the old 30 C temperature, hitting 30.2. Comox and Courtenay both tied the 2016 record of 30.3. The heat coincided with a new wildfire discovered Aug. 24 south of Nanaimo. The 8.6-hectare fire was classified as being held as of Tuesday morning.

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Canary in the cutblock: researchers target B.C.’s bellwether bat population

By Abigail Popple
The Revelstoke Review
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

An international research project in the northern is taking a hard look at the decline of keynote bat populations in a bid to help area ecosystems survive and thrive. Efforts to preserve a population of northern myotis – an endangered bat species that used to be found throughout eastern B.C., but whose range has been contracting to the central Interior – are under way near Kinbasket Lake, north of Revelstoke and Golden. Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society … are planting fake bark to mimic the old-growth trees where the northern myotis roosts, and on the north side they are using radio detectors to determine how many of the bats are present in logged areas. Logging may not be an automatic death sentence to bat populations, Lausen says, but it needs to stay within the limits of what northern myotis colonies can sustain. One of the project’s goals is to identify those limits.

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Forest Minister tours Alberni operations

By David Wiwchar
The Nanaimo News Now
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar was in Port Alberni on Monday, touring the Mount Underwood fire site as well as local mills. Parmar said local logging played an important role in helping control the massive wildfire. “The Mount Underwood fire could’ve been a lot worse if there wasn’t those breaks from those logging roads,” he said. “Having a chance to fly over and see where the fire stopped because the logging road was there, or there was a cutblock speaks to the role of the forest sector for managing our forests.” Parmar celebrated the recent purchase of the former Coulson Mill by Fraserview Cedar Products after the SAN Group fell into bankruptcy. …Parmar then met with Domtar / Catalyst managers, before sitting down with Mayor Sharie Minions. He congratulated the BC Wildfire Service, ACRD and local First Nations for working together to battle the Mount Underwood fire.

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Cougar sculpture erected to block logging trucks in Upper Walbran Valley

By Jeff Lawrence
Chek News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Logging trucks in the Upper Walbran Valley were met with an unusual blockade Monday morning — a 15-foot cougar sculpture erected by anonymous forest defenders demanding permanent protection of one of Vancouver Island’s last intact old-growth watersheds. The group, which says it has the blessing of several local First Nations elders, is targeting eight provincially approved cut blocks in Tree Farm License 44. The license is currently held by C̕awak ʔqin Forestry, a partnership between the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Western Forest Products. …While the provincial government enacted temporary logging deferrals in 2021 for the Central Walbran Valley and neighbouring Fairy Creek watershed, those measures do not extend to the upper valley. Geoff Payne, for C̕awak ʔqin Forestry, said… “Our approach reflects this understanding and follows the Pacheedaht First Nation and the Province’s shared objective for the area. He said that the Pacheedaht First Nation chief and council have consented to the tree harvesting plan.”

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Heat wave shatters records across B.C. as wildfire risk climbs

By Josh Recamara
Insurance Business Magazine
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A prolonged heat wave gripping British Columbia has already toppled more than 20 daily high-temperature records, with forecasters warning the sweltering conditions are set to persist through mid-week. Environment Canada has extended heat warnings to large parts of the province, including Fraser Canyon, South Okanagan, and South Thompson, where highs in the upper 30s are expected to continue. Inland sections of the north and central coasts are forecast to reach up to 29C, while four special weather statements remain in effect for Vancouver Island. …Even as air quality improves, wildfire officials warn the soaring heat and dry air are fuelling dangerous conditions. The B.C. Wildfire Service said low relative humidity is making forest fuels highly susceptible to ignition… For insurers, the intensifying fire risk underscores a costly pattern. …Another active fire season … adds further pressure to an industry already grappling with rising catastrophe exposures in B.C.

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The spruce budworm is making an unwelcome comeback

By James Steidle
Prince George Citizen
August 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Take a road trip across BC and chances are you will see our forests in freefall. From Lilloet through to Whistler, I was shocked to see valleys of red, as a western spruce budworm, a type of moth, rips through the conifer forests of almost all species. Hemlock, Douglas Fir, spruce, and the true firs are all being impacted, on a massive, catastrophic level. Unlike the Mountain Pine Beetle, which prioritized the old pine, the budworm seems to go for the younger trees. I saw entire plantations of young monocultures, the textbook product of modern forest management, with near complete infestation. The only trees that were still green was the cottonwoods and, ironically, the odd lodgepole pine tree. I’m not sure how we will log ourselves out of this one. …It’s probably just a matter of time before the budworm shows up again in Prince George.

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Mount Underwood fire a ‘harbinger’ of future Island fires, says wildfire specialist

CBC News
August 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lori Daniels

Lori Daniels, a UBC forestry professor with a focus on wildfires, told CBC that the fire is one of the biggest in about 100 years of record-keeping on Vancouver Island — and that significant wildfires are expected to become more frequent as climate change impacts coastal forests. She spoke to CBC host Gregor Craigie about the history and future of wildfires on Vancouver Island. …On the west side of Vancouver Island, and in our wet coastal forest, fire was not historically a large portion of how our ecosystems functioned. …So we know that in our coastal region, we don’t have nearly as much lightning, and lightning ignitions in the historical record are much lower than in the Interior. …We’re going to have to think carefully about how we are managing our forests, how we are managing logging residues.

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Vanderhoof hunting lodge loses appeal of fine for logging without a licence

By Bob Mackin
The Prince George Citizen
August 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Forest Appeals Commission dismissed a Vanderhoof hunting and fishing lodge’s appeal of a $25,000 fine for cutting Crown timber without a licence. In an Aug. 13 decision, panel chair Maureen Baird upheld the March 2023 fine against Crystal Lake Resort Ltd. by the Ministry of Forests. Daniel Brooks, whose family bought the resort in 1975, admitted trees were cut without a licence in July 2020 on a right of way and the company asked, after the fact, for the Ministry of Forests to authorize the removal of merchantable timber. The ministry advised the company that it needed to have a licence to harvest in the first place. Brooks said he did not know he needed a licence. …The Ministry approved the required management plan, that allowed cutting trees if the resort had a forestry licence to do so.

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The Woodland Almanac Summer 2025

Woodlots BC
August 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

In the Summer Almanac you’ll find these headlines and much more:

Come for a Ride on the Forestry Roller Coaster, by Gord Chipman, Executive Director. Market conditions have been challenging, with falling log prices and break-even lumber prices for mills creating a climate of uncertainty. …the Canadian dollar has risen by five cents against the US dollar, and the looming threat of an average 34% in dumping duties at the end of August dampens any optimism in the lumber market. The political landscape remains dynamic. …two significant forestry reviews are underway, with results expected in the fall. In response to these external pressures, our focus remains on controlling what we can, aligning our operational contracts with our strategic plan.

Value-Added Niches Boost Woodlot in Coastal BC, by Tom Younger: Value-added manufacturing is a key strategy in BC aimed at maximizing the economic potential of timber by producing finished or semi-finished products rather than exporting raw logs.

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Vancouver Island wildlife recovery centre officially opens bear pavilion

By Michael Briones
The Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle
August 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre has officially opened its new bear pavilion, an educational building that features black bears, with a focus on old-growth forests. A ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the new building, which cost approximately $200,000. The pavilion was envisioned by centre founder founder Robin Campbell in 2021… The pavilion was completed in time for the the 40th anniversary celebration of the Errington wildlife recovery and education centre. Campbell, who founded the centre with wife Sylvia, felt emotional upon seeing his vision become a reality. …Campbell said the pavilion shares two goals, “the vital role of black bears and the irreplaceable value of old-growth trees in our wild rainforests”. “These two are woven together in a remarkable relationship that sustains the forests heartbeat.”

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When heat and drought stress B.C. trees, the consequences can be tragic

By Nono Shen
Canadian Press in Vancouver Sun
August 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Peter Constabel, a professor in the biology department at the University of Victoria said that several years of repeated drought in B.C. mixed with heat stress has increased the likelihood of branches breaking off, it could even happen on a “perfectly calm day” without any breeze. The consequences can be tragic. Constabel, who specializes in tree health said, “it’s the drought that specifically causes this, and somehow it stresses the tree and drops the branch, or the branch falls. If you get cumulative droughts, of course, it weakens the tree overall”. …Dry spells can leave trees in a weakened state, Simon Fraser University biological sciences professor Jim Mattsson said, reducing photosynthesis and growth, cutting their energy or sugar reserves, and lowering production of chemical defences. All of these can cause a chain reaction increasing trees’ susceptibility to insects and fungal diseases, causing trees to rot inside, weaken and potentially topple over.

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Kelowna discussion on connection of forestry and flooding in BC

By Barry Gerding
The Vernon Morning Star
August 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Sonia Furstenau

The former leader of the BC Green Party will be one of the panellists leading a discussion about the negative impacts of clear-cut logging on the environment. Sonia Furstenau will participate in the upcoming event co-hosted by the Interior Watershed Task Force and Joe Rich Forestry Trails and Watershed Committee. Along with the panel discussion, there will be a screening of the documentary film Trouble In The Headwaters, which examines the 2018 Grand Forks flood and reveals the connection of clear-cut logging in the headwaters of the Kettle River Basin. Filmmaker Daniel Pierce will also be on hand and Dr. Younes Alila, a professor of hydrology at UBC, and two retired loggers. On the panel along with Furstenau and Pierce will be Mike Morris, a former Liberal MLA; Dave Gill, general manager of Ntityix Resources LP, a natural resource company owned by Westbank First Nation.

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Rethinking Forestry: Bold Ideas for a Sustainable Future with Gary Bull

By Matthew Kristoff’s YourForest Podcast
Spotify
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff discusses the future of forestry with Dr. Gary Bull, a leading expert in forestry economics, policy, and sustainability. Dr. Bull, a Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, explores the evolving relationship between forest management, biodiversity, and the forest industry. He emphasizes shifting from timber-focused practices to integrating non-timber values like carbon storage, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. With decades of global experience, Dr. Bull advocates for rethinking forestry to create a more sustainable future. Key Points: Rethinking the Annual Allowable Cut; Circular Bioeconomy and Wood Products; Biodiversity and Carbon Credits; Balancing Forest Health and Resource Production; and Indigenous and NGO Collaborations in Forestry

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Keeping climate crisis and forestry mismanagement in focus amid the Mount Underwood wildfire

By S. Clay Steell, chair, Bamfield Huu-ay-aht Community Forest Society
Ha-Shilth-Sa
August 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Clay Steell

Since the Mount Underwood forest fire cut off power and direct road access to the community of Bamfield and Anacla, the town has been abuzz with talk on what it all means. …While we don’t yet know what caused the Mount Underwood fire, we can be certain that climate warming made it vastly more likely to spread out of control. …In addition to climate warming, the legacy of colonial forest mismanagement has also made fires far more likely to spread out of control. Since colonization, a large majority of primary forests have been cut down across this coast and replaced by tree farms, including the area where the Mount Underwood fire has spread. All the while, the forestry industry has shifted from local milling to mechanization and raw log exportation, sending jobs overseas and enriching shareholders while local workers get laid off, with over 50,000 jobs lost province-wide since the late ‘90s. 

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Opinions: North Cowichan Municipal Forest Reserve

Letters by Peter Rusland and Larry Pynn
Cowichan Valley Citizen
August 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Cowichan Valley Citizen has published two letters to the editor referencing the North Cowichan Municipal Forest Reserve

Taxpayers expect community plan to be followed, By Peter Rusland: Active conservation is council’s only moral, smart option outlined in the Harvesting Considerations Summary of our Growth Strategy plan — set for debate Aug. 20, 2025. Any thoughts about resuming logging in our ecologically and culturally rare municipal forest reserve would be egregious at the very least. Profits from destroying our forests with inane harvesting would apparently total chump change compared to potential revenues from carbon-credit programs.

Council must reject the idea of resuming logging, By Larry Pynn: Council must reject the idea of resuming logging in the Municipal Forest Reserve. A lengthy and detail public consultation process showed strong support for conservation. Just over six years ago, North Cowichan council responded to a massive outpouring of public concern by voting to suspend new logging in the Municipal Forest Reserve. …I strongly urge council to do the right thing by its citizens and stand for protection of our imperilled forests.

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B.C. caribou populations predicted to fall by up to 61%

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
August 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Global warming is predicted to drive one of the greatest declines in caribou populations in the last 21,000 years, with British Columbia’s herds expected to see declines of up to 61 per cent by 2100 if high rates of warming go unchecked, a new study says.  Caribou — also known as reindeer in Europe and Asia — have survived several spells of Arctic warming in the past. Their presence across the planet’s tundra, forests and mountains have long supported Indigenous populations while acting as ecosystem engineers, disturbing the soil and trampling vegetation in a way that promotes new plant growth. …Human disturbance of those landscapes — from logging to road building — has already led to a two-thirds decline in the global population over the past 30 years. New research, published in the journal Science Advances last week, has now found global warming could push caribou populations even closer to extinction. 

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BC’s Coastal Fires Have Entered a New Era

By Tyler Olsen
The Tyee
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Mount Underwood fire near Port Alberni wasn’t your typical Vancouver Island blaze. But what is normal is changing. Thanks to droughts and heat waves, tiny fires that crews were once able to extinguish in a matter of hours are now ballooning into major blazes. Historically, fires have been nearly non-existent in coastal B.C., and the playbook for putting them out has been simple: Find fire. Spray water on it. Dig up hot spots. Case closed. This “direct attack” was possible because of the slow speed at which fires grow in coastal ecosystems. But the Mount Underwood fire, which ignited along the road connecting Port Alberni to Bamfield, spread rapidly, burning as a Rank 5 fire, with flames rising into the crowns of trees and up the mountainside. “In the seven years I’ve worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don’t think I’ve seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island,” Julia Caranci told CBC.

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Over 70,000 new trees have been planted in Narrow Hills Provincial Park since fire tore through area

By Aliyah Marko-Omene
CBC News
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Over 70,000 new trees have been planted in Narrow Hills Provincial Park after the destructive Shoe Fire ripped through the area in May. The park, about 130 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, Sask., is home to Gem Lakes and Lost Echo campgrounds, which remained closed for the season due to the wildfire. “There was a lot of enthusiasm to get the new life going back in the forest,” Pat MacKasey, a provincial park forest ecologist. MacKasey has been the supervisor of a five-person crew who have planted 73,080 Jack pine and white spruce trees since July. Trees have been planted in an area in Pine Lake that had previously been wiped out by a windstorm in the 1990s, he said. MacKasey says regrowth after that storm was slow, but new trees were eventually planted again in 2002 once forest health improved.

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Rising wildfire risk fuels stress in B.C. home insurance industry

By Bill Metcalfe
Comox Valley Record
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The number and severity of wildfire damage claims are increasing partly because fire seasons are longer with more hectares burned, according to IBC spokesperson Adam Sutherland. “As we see the frequency and severity of claims growing, that’s putting pressure on premiums. “We know the risk is only going to grow. Insurance puts a price on risk. That’s why it’s paramount that we do much, much more as a society to reduce that, to better fireproof our communities and better protect our homes.” He said in addition to government action to reduce fire danger in the forests, residents need more incentives to protect their properties. “But then we also need to rethink our building codes and how we are developing our communities in the first place. That means moving away from wood shingles, wood roofs. No more vinyl siding. We need non-combustible materials on homes and interface fire zones for all new development.”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

B.C. says it’s starting to close ‘gaps’ in forest carbon accounting after critical audit

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
August 26, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s Ministry of Forests has approved a new way to calculate the amount of carbon in forests — what it says is a direct response to an auditor general investigation that found the province had failed to transparently do so in the past. …But according to… the auditor general, the ministry’s guidelines for calculating carbon projections — which in turn help it determine the allowable annual cut — contained “gaps in methodology.” On Tuesday, the Ministry of Forests said it had moved to address that failure. …The auditor general’s investigation had also found the ministry did not use a “defined methodology” when it calculated the carbon impact of investments under the Forest Investment Program. …But the audit found the ministry used a methodology that “wasn’t specific enough to allow review or replication.” …The ministry said in a statement it is still working to solve that problem, and expects to complete a “defined and approved methodology” this year.

BC Government Press Release by The Ministry of Forests: B.C. sets standard method to measure forest carbon

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Health & Safety

Renewed calls for alternative route as Vancouver Island road faces indefinite closure

CBC News
August 27, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

There are fresh calls for an alternative route to the west coast of Vancouver Island after it emerged the main route between Port Alberni and Bamfield, B.C., is closed indefinitely. …The only alternative is a logging road detour through Youbou in the Cowichan Valley. …Ditidaht First Nation Chief Councillor Judi Thomas said she hopes the province will go further and redesignate the forest service industrial road as a provincial road and fast-track investment. But the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said, “there is mixed ownership of the road(s) in this area, but all are private industrial roads, and the ministry has no plans to take over the ownership”. …The province says it’s working with Mosaic Forest Management, which is responsible for maintaining 15 kilometres of Bamfield Road, to beef up maintenance on the detour road . …D’Arcy Henderson, Mosaic’s chief operating officer, said it was working with stakeholders on maintaining that detour route.

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BC Forest Safety News

BC Forest Safety Council
August 28, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

In this edition of Forest Safety News you’ll find these stories and more:

  • As we pass the halfway mark of 2025, BC’s forestry industry is facing a sobering reality: six workers have lost their lives on the job. These tragedies are a stark reminder that while we have strong safety systems in place, we must never become complacent.
  • A recent ruling from the Supreme Court of British Columbia has highlighted the serious risks posed by defective or expired bear bangers—pyrotechnic devices commonly used to deter wildlife in remote work environments.
  • Fall is coming bringing shorter days, wetter roads and the return of school speed zones, all of which contribute to increased hazards on the road. Whether you’re heading to a job site or driving through town, it’s a good time to adjust your habits behind the wheel.
  • BCFSC Safety Awards: Celebrating Safety Leadership – Nominations are open to anyone in forestry

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Bamfield Road remains closed due to unsafe conditions

By Ministry of Transportation and Transit
Government of British Columbia
August 23, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

The Province of B.C. is lending its expertise to Mosaic Forest Management as it develops plans to reopen the Bamfield Main Road, sections of which were rendered unsafe due to the Mt. Underwood wildfire. “We recognize the importance of Bamfield Road to the Huu‑ay‑aht First Nation and area residents,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. “There is substantial work necessary … to reopen Bamfield Road. Ensuring the safety of the travelling public is the top priority, and the Province will continue to support to Mosaic throughout this process.” Initial engineering assessments have determined a section of the Bamfield Road managed by Mosaic is unsafe for all traffic, prompting Mosaic to close the route with a section of the road being defined as a No Work Zone by BC Wildfire Services. Falling rocks, dangerous trees and a fire-damaged slope are presenting exceptionally challenging conditions, and there is no timeline for reopening the road in its current configuration.

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New safety video, updated resources & key OHS changes

WorkSafeBC
August 21, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

Don’t miss the August WorkSafeBC Health and Safety News:

  • Revisions to OHS Regulation requirements for combustible dust: Combustible dust is a common hazard in a wide variety of industries such as bakeries and other food processing, metal foundries, wood products manufacturing, and agriculture. Proposed OHS Regulation amendments will guide employers in what you need to do to keep workers safe from combustible dust hazards. To provide feedback on the proposed changes, register to speak at the public hearing on September 24, or submit a written submission before September 26.
  • New video: Safe work practices for flytables
  • Prime contractor role and responsibilities (information sheet)
  • Safety on the job is everyone’s responsibility (poster)
  • Hear for Good: A Worker’s Guide to Preventing Hearing Loss (pamphlet)
  • Staying connected supports a safe return to work

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Forest Fires

UPDATE: Wildfire southwest of Nanaimo now being held Nanaimo News Bulletin

Nanaimo News Bulletin
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire started up last night and burned 8.6 hectares southwest of Nanaimo overnight, but the fire is now being held. B.C. Wildfire Service reports that a fire at Manson Creek is considered being held as of 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25. The fire was discovered Sunday, Aug. 24, about two kilometres west of the intersection of Nanaimo Lakes Road and South Forks Road. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The wildfire service reported that two initial attack crews responded last night, with heavy equipment support. “With this support, crews were able to create a fire guard surrounding most of the perimeter,” the wildfire service noted.

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B.C.’s Fraser Canyon to bake under 39 C heat as wildfire prompts evacuation alerts

The Canadian Press in Energetic City
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

An air-quality warning remains in effect for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to smog and wildfire smoke from a blaze that has prompted evacuation alerts for the Yale and Spuzzum areas. It comes as Environment Canada warns that temperatures in the Fraser Canyon and South Thompson regions are expected to reach 37 to 39 C this week, posing a moderate risk to public health. The smog warning spans eastern areas of Metro Vancouver as well as the central Fraser Valley, while the smoke warning covers eastern parts of the valley. It says smoke from the Sailor Bar wildfire burning in the Fraser Canyon has also resulted in elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the air. The fire has prompted the Fraser Valley Regional District to issue an evacuation alert stretching from Yale and north to the Spuzzum area, covering properties on both the east and west sides of the Fraser River.

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Vancouver Island wildfire downgraded again, no longer a fire of note

Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
August 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

©BCWildfireService

PORT ALBERNI — A wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., that spurred evacuations and a state of local emergency last week has been downgraded again, leaving the province without any wildfires of note. The BC Wildfire Service said the Mount Underwood fire lost fire-of-note status on Thursday, meaning it was no longer “especially visible” or posing a threat to public safety, after it was doused by 40 millimetres of rain over the past week. The service had announced a day earlier that the fire was being held, meaning it was not expected to spread beyond its current 35-square-kilometre size. …The Mount Underwood fire had shown aggressive growth in initial days after being discovered on Aug. 11, forcing the sudden evacuation of a nearby campground and leading to several other evacuation orders and alerts.

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Wildfire prompts evacuation alerts north of Hope, B.C., air quality warning in Fraser Valley

By Lauren Vanderdeen
CBC News
August 24, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire between Hope and Spuzzum, B.C., along Highway 1, has led the Fraser Valley Regional District and Spuzzum First Nation to issue evacuation alerts. An evacuation alert requires residents to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. The regional district’s alert currently affects about 240 people over 85 properties on the east and west side of the Fraser River between Spuzzum and Yale, according to Samantha Piper, Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) communications manager. …The blaze, dubbed the Sailor Bar wildfire, was discovered late Saturday night on the east side of the Fraser River, opposite Highway 1, seven kilometres north of Yale. The fire, which measured 120 hectares in size as of Sunday evening, is classified as out of control, meaning it is expected to spread beyond its current perimeter. …the fire is burning at Rank 2, which is an open visible flame front and a slower rate of spread.

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