Region Archives: Canada West

Today’s Takeaway

Wildfires in Northern Alberta and BC no longer out of control

The Tree Frog Forestry News
May 28, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway
Region: Canada West

Wildfire emergencies near Fort Nelson, BC and Fort McMurray, Alberta are under control. In related news: Snohomish County, Washington prepares for wildfire; and Mexico’s heat dome is killing howler monkeys, birds and bats. Meanwhile: New Zealand producers and the Forest Stewardship Council are helping their members prepare for the EU deforestation rule.

In Business news: Quebec invests to support forest biomass-to-energy projects; BC launches a Permit Hub to speed up building permits; researchers says BC’s parks are under pressure; Mercer releases its 2023 sustainability report; and strong demand buoys US builder optimism. Meanwhile, the latest news from the Southern Forest Products Association, and Cedar School—courtesy of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association.

Finally, climate change is impacting trees and the fungi that sustain them.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Business & Politics

New Initiative Calls on British Columbians to Stand Up For Forestry

Forestry Works for BC
June 3, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A new grassroots initiative is encouraging British Columbians to be better informed on B.C’.s forest sector and take action through various activities including  online letters and informing local governments to raise the importance of forestry to British Columbians. Across the province, small, medium and large forest companies, family-owned enterprises and local businesses have joined forces through ForestryWorksForBC, a new grassroots initiative to address the sectors’ uncertain future and its impact on British Columbians and communities that rely on the revenues from forestry to support critical services like roads, schools, and health care. “Forestry matters in every corner ​of B.C., from hospitals, schools and roads and communities; forest jobs and forest revenues have been the foundation of all that we hold dear in this province,” said Bob Brash, executive director of the Truck Loggers Association. “Ensuring reliable and timely access to the allowable annual cut (AAC) means we can build affordable, climate-friendly homes for British Columbians; and we can keep people in their homes and communities with good paying jobs.”

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Unifor lays down priorities for Canada-United States-Mexico (CUSMA) review

By Unifor
Cision Newswire
May 30, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

OTTAWA, Ontario — Unifor laid down the union’s priorities for the 2026 review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in testimony by Unifor National President Lana Payne to MPs on the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade. …Payne told MPs that Canada cannot shy away from communicating concerns and should use the scheduled six-year review of CUSMA as an opportunity to address the obvious gaps in the trinational agreement. Top concerns for the union on behalf of workers include the long-standing softwood lumber dispute, the monitoring of aluminum imports, the need for the U.S. to raise its WTO tariff on light duty vehicles and the ability of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to react to the threat of Chinese EV imports, subsidized through forced labour, excessive subsidies, tech theft and other means. …The union also pointed out the need to increase in the labour value content rules.

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Tolko Announces Leadership Transition – Pino Pucci succeeds Brad Thorlakson as president and chief executive officer

By Chris Downey, Communications Advisor
Tolko Industries Ltd.
May 30, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Pino Pucci

Brad Thorlakson

VERNON, BC — After 14 years as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tolko, and over 40 years with the company founded by his grandfather Harold, Brad Thorlakson has transitioned to the role of executive chair of the board. Further to Brad’s transition, Pino Pucci has assumed the role of president and CEO. Pino joined Tolko in 2015 as vice president, sales, marketing and logistics, leading the implementation and growth of the company’s customer-centric distribution network across North America. With 35 years of industry experience, his innovative approach to leadership continues to inspire and challenge his teams to be their best and deliver results. “Pino’s unwavering commitment to safety, people and values have him well positioned to lead Tolko into the future,” said Brad. “Tolko will remain a private, family-owned business and the family remains committed to the long-term success of the company.”

Related coverage in the Vernon Morning Star: New CEO in place for B.C.’s Tolko Industries

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Mosaic Forest Management Announces CEO Transition. Rob Gough Resigns, Duncan Davies Appointed as CEO

Mosaic Forest Management
May 29, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Rob Gough

Duncan Davies

VANCOUVER, BC — Mosaic Forest Management announced that the current President and CEO of Mosaic Forest Management, Rob Gough, will leave the company for personal health reasons. Rob will be replaced by industry veteran Duncan Davies. Rob Gough served as President & CEO at Mosaic from 2022-2024. “Rob has played a critical role in the growth of Mosaic. …We thank him for all of his dedication and service to the company, and we will continue to support him as he focuses on his health,” said Mosaic Chair Jake Kerr. “We now welcome Duncan Davies, who has a track record of success and is well-known and respected throughout the industry by government, First Nations and community leaders. …Davies was CEO of Interfor Corporation for nearly 20 years, subsequently, he served as CEO of Pinnacle Renewable Energy, and as Chair of Resolute Forest Products. …“In many respects, joining Mosaic is like returning home,” said Davies.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

naturally:wood newsletter

naturally:wood
May 30, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

 

 

 

WoodWorks BC releases a guide for alternative solutions: Alternative solutions have been an important feature of the National Building Code since 2005, but there is still a lack of understanding among building professionals on how to approach their use while remaining compliant with building codes. Technical webinar on new building code provisions: Recent code changes have expanded opportunities for mass timber in BC, including building up to 18-storeys, new requirements for encapsulation, and new building types. Join WoodWorks and the BC Office of Mass Timber Implementation (OMTI) for a technical webinar. New student housing commons features culturally enriched mass timber design: The NIC Comox Valley Student Housing Commons builds two new four-storey buildings that provide 217 beds and community gathering spaces.

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Is mass timber the next big thing in cheaper, greener construction? More provinces are saying yes

By Paula Duhatschek
CBC News
May 29, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Urban downtowns are called concrete jungles because the skylines from New York to Vancouver are generally made of concrete. But that could change with a push underway to build more tall buildings with mass timber. …Mass timber made up just one per cent of all building construction materials in North America in 2022, according to an RBC report. But analysts expect the market to rapidly expand as existing mass-timber plants are being expanded and new ones are in the works, from B.C. and Alberta to Ontario and Nova Scotia. …Federal tracking shows mass timber has most commonly been used in institutional buildings, but as more research has emerged attesting to the fire safety of tall wood structures, recent changes to building codes have opened the door to building higher. Rick Jeffery, CEO of the Canadian Wood Council… believes it will be used much more often as Canada builds its way out of the housing crisis.

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B.C. takes action to strengthen northern rural communities

By Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation
Government of British Columbia
May 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

…The Government of B.C is contributing $33 million across rural areas for the second intake of the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program. …the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund will fund four projects in northern B.C. In Houston, DH Manufacturing Inc. is receiving as much as $480,000 to support the installation of a new finger jointer that will increase productivity and support the creation of higher-value products from residuals and lower-grade fibre, while protecting 40 existing positions. In 94 Mile House,Tsi Del Del Development Corporation, 100% owned and operated by the Tŝideldel First Nation, is receiving $422,000 to purchase equipment for the creation of a sort yard for biomass aimed at centralizing the processing of waste wood that would otherwise be burned, manufacture higher-value products and create as many as 16 jobs.

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Cleaning Dirt for the Climate

By Andrew Findlay
The Tyee
May 27, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

GRT Resource Regeneration, with a plant in Nanaimo, BC, is one of only two in North America that take dirt and rock from dredging and excavation operations, wash metal and salt contaminants out of it, and turn it into a valuable product. GRT, which stands for Generating Resources for Tomorrow, makes money by turning waste material into clean aggregate rock, sand or clay for new projects. Meaning instead of filling up a landfill, excess soil is being rebirthed as something that can be used in landscaping, shore protection or dike construction. Construction waste is a global concern as economies shift their focus towards closed-loop processes and decarbonization. …According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States produced an estimated 600 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste in 2018. In Canada, one study estimated that construction and demolition waste accounts for 27 per cent of the municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills.

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Reaching for the Sky: Youth Centres for Indigenous Communities

By Joan Boxall
Canadian Architect
May 27, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Dr. Nancy Mackin, principal architect of Mackin Architects recently-completed the Haisla Youth Centre. “The buildings speak about story,” says Dr. Nancy Mackin whose doctorate is in architecture, Indigenous design, and landscape ecology. …Since 2021 when the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) Youth Centre opened, Mackin has brought three more youth-centered projects to completion. And there’s more to come. …Like other Mackin Architects projects, the Haisla Youth Centre is designed for climate-and-climate-change disaster resilience. …Tla’amin Nation calls their fieldhouse/ youth centre on the Sunshine Coast “či čʊy ʔaye & ayiš ʔaye” which means “cousins’ house”. …The Nuxalk After School building is named ‘Asmayuusta’, which encapsulates Nuxalk ancestral wisdom including a learning style that integrates the ‘3L’s’ instead of the ‘3R’s’.

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New Building Permit Hub launched to speed up homebuilding

By Office of the Premier
Government of British Columbia
May 27, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA, BC — To get more homes built faster and address challenges in B.C.’s housing market, a new digital Building Permit Hub will help streamline and standardize local permitting processes. “The permitting process can be slow and complicated, delaying the construction of homes we urgently need,” said Premier David Eby. …This new one-stop shop for local building permits will reduce red tape for homebuilders, local governments and First Nations, and ultimately save money, speed up construction and help people get into homes faster.” The Province is digitizing local permit processes to make it easier and faster for homeowners and industry professionals to submit applications to local governments and First Nations. The Building Permit Hub is the next step in the Province’s work to speed up homebuilding and reduce the costs of housing, and meet the Province’s goal for British Columbia to become a North American leader in digital permitting and construction.

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Western Red Cedar Lumber Association
Real Cedar Newsletter in LinkedIn
May 28, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association’s Cedar School has been highly successful in educating students about the benefits and applications of Western Red Cedar. This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the WRCLA, established in 1954 and what a year for our two biggest events. A combined 180 attendees and lots to celebrate. The Cedar school offers the opportunity for students to learn about the full circle of Western Red Cedar from the forest to finished product. Courses included manufacturing, grading, installing, finishing, marketing and more. “Record attendance of delegates and students for the 2024 WRCLA Cedar Summit and Cedar School in beautiful Whistler, BC.  This event celebrated the most versatile and environmentally friendly building product on earth – Western Red Cedar and planned future initiatives to promote cedar and its competitive advantages over non-wood substitutes,” said managing director of the WRCLA Brad Kirkbride.

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Forestry

The healing power of fire

By Matt Simmons
The Narwhal
June 1, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

In the Line of Fire, a series that digs into what is being done to prepare for — and survive — wildfires. Bringing back ancient Indigenous fire practices helps restore cultural connections, heal the land and strengthen communities. On Gitanyow lands, restorative fire brings people together and mitigates increasingly intense and widespread wildfires driven by climate change. …Setting fires to fight fires may seem counterintuitive as wildfires across Canada increase in size and intensity, but the method is backed by decades of research and on-the-ground trials — and thousands of years of Indigenous science. In B.C., the government’s wildfire department is teaming up with First Nations to support cultural burns and other ways of using fire for the common good. Planned burns like the one on Gitanyow lands present a different way to think about fire and an opportunity to help meet the climate emergency head-on by mitigating the impacts of wildfires and restoring balance in forest ecosystems.

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A corner of Northeast BC amid worst drought in Canada

By Sefan Labbe
Vancouver is Awesome
May 30, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A corner of northeast British Columbia representing nearly a fifth of the province has reached high to extreme drought levels, a water shortage so dire it ranks among the worst drought conditions in Canada. Dave Campbell, head of the B.C. River Forecast Centre, said the latest drought data shows a wide swath of land in the Peace and Fort Nelson districts are facing multi-year drought conditions. In Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the region’s rivers have experienced nearly two years of record low flows — conditions that impact both local people and wildlife. …B.C.’s northeast has been a major hot spot for wildfires over the past 18 months. About 160 kilometres to the north, holdover fires from the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire — the largest the province has ever recorded — continue to burn, according to the BC Wildfire Service. This year, wildfires have already prompted the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people across the province’s northeast.

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B.C., Blueberry River First Nations take next step to heal land, balance industry interests

Government of British Columbia
May 30, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Province and Blueberry River First Nations are moving forward with implementation of the Gundy High Value 1 Plan, consistent with the Blueberry Implementation Agreement, to protect Treaty Rights, support restoration and land protection measures, and create more certainty for everyone in northeastern B.C. who relies on resource industry jobs to support their lives and families. …The Gundy plan will establish and implement actions to support the restoration and ongoing practice of Blueberry’s Treaty Rights and essential elements of their way of life like hunting, fishing, trapping and sacred site preservation, while enabling limited petroleum and natural gas (PNG) development under new rules and conditions. The plan provides clearer direction to petroleum and natural gas tenure holders about where they can undertake development causing new disturbance, and where there are protections.

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Forest Enhancement Society of BC Newsletter

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
May 30, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

In this newsletter:

  • A safety tip from the BC Forest Safety Council.
  • Wildfire mitigation and fibre utilization work undertaken by Atli Resources LP.
  • Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. release video on their Pressy Lake pilot project. 
  • FESBC receives Gold Hermes Creative Award.
  • We are looking for a new Executive Director for FESBC.
  • Meet our Faces of Forestry featured person, Aurora Lavender.

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Cut limit reduced for region containing Fairy Creek old-growth trees

By Grant Warkentin
My Campbell River Now
May 30, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The annual allowable cut has been reduced for a section of South Island forest that’s been ground zero for anti-logging protests. Tree Farm Licence 46 covers the Fairy Creek Watershed and Walbran Valley. Both have have been lightning rods in recent years for protests against logging that could affect old-growth trees. This week the chief forester ordered a reduction in the region’s annual allowable cut by 5.5%, nearly 20,000 cubic metres, more than 500 truckloads. The province says the reduction is to support old-growth forests, account for wildlife habitat retention, visual quality and First Nations cultural heritage resources and practices, while allowing for sustainable harvest levels. The licence is held by Teal Jones, which filed for creditor protection in BC court last month.

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Firefighters receive special training to combat wildfires near urban communities

By Karen Bartko
Global News
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

EDMONTON, Alberta — Firefighters from across Canada have gathered in Strathcona County to learn more about responding to wildland fires in urban areas. The county is the first Canadian community in 2024 to host the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Responding to the Interface (RTI) program to further their specialized training in fighting wildfires that burn in areas where communities meet grasslands and forests. On Tuesday, firefighters took part in an operational readiness exercise, acting as if a wildfire was coming towards the Busenius Estates neighbourhood in the county directly east of Edmonton. …“For structural firefighters, we’re used to having a fire, if you will, inside of box and we’re really good at keeping that fire in that box,” said Mark Brise, master instructor with IAFF. The program equips firefighters with tactics, strategies and skills to respond effectively to wildland urban interface fires and be able to train other firefighters.

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Environmentalists reject B.C. claim of ‘unprecedented’ old-growth deferral

By Wolf Depner
Victoria News
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Wilderness Committee is accusing the B.C. government of delays when it comes to protecting old-growth following the release of a forestry progress report. But government says that reports details “unprecedented action” to conserve B.C.’s oldest forests. …Forests Minister Bruce Ralston defends the report and the pace of the work.”Our work includes unprecedented action to conserve our oldest forests through the $1-billion agreement with Ottawa and First Nations, expand actions to prevent wildfires and improve mapping, data and forest research,” he said. Ralston’s ministry also points out that ending all old-growth logging was not among the recommendation of the review, adding that the review specifically stated some harvesting in some areas was possible and necessary. …“Ultimately, the B.C. government is attempting to thread the needle and appear as if they are taking action by discussing intentions on old growth logging while neglecting to follow through with real action,” Tobyn Neame, a forest campaigner said.

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This small nation is taking big steps for the B.C Great Bear Rainforest

By Danielle Paradis
APTN News
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Kwiakah First Nation is a small nation of 21 members but it is fighting to save the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. The M̓ac̓inuxʷ Special Forest Management Area covers 7,865 hectares of forested land. …“We as Kwiakah people have a vision of the future — where grizzly bears roam through the mossy, misty forests of our territory, and where the youth only know their forests as protected and abundant,” said Chief Steven Dick. The protected forest area will also help create forest steward jobs and a research centre for an Indigenous-led conservation economy. This is the ninth management area within the Great Bear Rainforest, which prohibits commercial harvesting and allows Kwiakah to practice regenerative forestry to bring the forest back to its pre-industrial state.

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Logging in Canada’s Most Famous National Park to Save It From Wildfires

By Norimitsu Onishi
The New York Times
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

BANFF, Alberta — The loggers’ work was unmistakable. Flanked by dense forests, the 81-acre expanse of land on the mountainside had been stripped nearly clean. …The harvesting of trees would be routine in a commercial forest — but this was in Banff, Canada’s most famous national park. Clear-cutting was once unimaginable in this green jewel, where the longstanding policy was to strictly suppress every fire. But facing a growing threat of wildfires, national park caretakers are increasingly turning to loggers to create fire guards: buffers to stop forest fires from advancing into the rest of the park and nearby towns. “If you were to get a highly intense, rapidly spreading wildfire, this gives fire managers options,’’ David Tavernini, a fire and vegetation expert at Parks Canada, the federal agency that manages national parks, said as he treaded on the cleared forest’s soft floor. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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New salmon habitats in Northern BC

Paper Excellence Canada
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Paper Excellence is delighted to share the successes that our partner, Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), has accomplished in the past year. We value the work PSF does to preserve salmon habitat and restore the salmon population because it supports our commitment to protecting freshwater and marine ecosystems. One of their recent projects is the creation of new salmon habitats in Northern B.C. by the Kitsumkalum Band.

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B.C.’s snowpack well below normal levels

By John Arendt
The Abbotsford News
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Snow levels in British Columbia are well below normal levels, according to the most recent data from the province. The May 15 snow survey and water supply bulletin, released by the province last week, showed the provincial snowpack is at 57% of normal levels across the province. The May 1 data was 66% of normal. On average, around 17% of the seasonal snowpack had melted by May 15, but this year, 31 per cent of the peak snowpack had melted by that date. This was the result of low elevation melt in April and warm weather from May 9 to 12. …The Vancouver Island snowpack was at 34% of normal as of May 15, while the Stikine snowpack was at 101% of normal. This was the only snow pack reporting above-normal levels. Because of the low snowpack in much of the province, reduced flood risk is expected. In addition, there is an increased risk of drought this year.

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Wildfire season has already caused significant damage

By Black Press Editorial Board
Summerland Review
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Although it is still early in the fire season, wildfires are burning in parts of British Columbia. Figures from the BC Wildfire Service show wildfires have been reported in all parts of the province except the northwest. The majority are in the Prince George Fire Centre’s coverage area. The fire activity at this time of year is disturbing, especially when watching past fire statistics. …So far this year, more than 140,000 hectares have been destroyed by fire. This figure is far lower than 2023, 2018 or 2017. However, this is significantly greater than the amount of land burned during the entire fire season in 2022, and around 10 times the amount of land destroyed by wildfires in 2020. …This year, because of the level of wildfire activity this early in the fire season, there is cause for concern. …The 2024 wildfire season has started aggressively and it is possible this year will result in destruction similar to that seen in recent years.

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New harvest level set for part of southern Vancouver Island

By the Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s chief forester has set a new allowable annual cut (AAC) level for Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 46, located on southern Vancouver Island. The new AAC for TFL 46 is 360,000 cubic metres, a 5.5% reduction from the previous AAC set in 2012. This decision recognizes the suspension of old-growth harvesting in the Fairy Creek Watershed and the Central Walbran Valley through orders, identifying them as temporary deferral areas within TFL 46. The current temporary deferral areas remain in place. This new AAC supports old-growth forests, accounts for wildlife habitat retention, visual quality and First Nations cultural heritage resources and practices, while allowing for sustainable harvest levels. The determination includes two partitions… with specific rules: one outlining that no more than 180,000 cubic metres can be harvested from forest stands more than 250 years old; and the other outlining that no more than 180,000 cubic metres can be harvested from stands 250 years old or less.      

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Did B.C. keep its old-growth forest promises?

By Shannon Waters
The Narwhal
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Garry Merkel

It’s been four years since a pair of professional foresters hired by the BC NDP government urged the province to take a radically new approach to old-growth forests. In their strategic review, Garry Merkel and Al Gorley said the government should manage B.C.’s old forests as ecosystems rather than a source of timber. …A BC government old-growth update says “significant progress” has been made on implementing 14 recommendations made in the foresters’ review of old-growth strategy. Yet it also cautions it “will take years to achieve the full intent of some of the recommendations.” Environmental groups and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs were quick to criticize the update, saying it lacks concrete commitments to urgently protect B.C.’s remaining old-growth forests. …But Merkel, who is working for the government on contract, urged patience, telling The Narwhal much of the work is taking place behind the scenes. 

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Prominent ecologist speaks about land use planning in Alberta’s Bragg Creek region

By Howard May
Airdrie City View Weekly
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brad Stelfox

BRAGG CREEK, Alberta — According to landscape ecologist Dr. Brad Stelfox, the Greater Bragg Creek ecosystem is an iconic landscape. …One of Stelfox’s slides was a picture of a grizzly bear as it ambled through the West Bragg Creek parking lot adjacent to where a BC logging company is planning on clearcutting next year, in the middle of a heavily-used recreation area. “There is a growing and significant amount of anxiety about a swing towards land uses that are modifying this landscape very quickly, and a new approach to decision-making may be in order.” …Stelfox is an adjunct professor in Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta and the Department of Environmental Design, University of Calgary. …All land uses have benefits, Stelfox said, just as they all have liabilities. The key is to manage land use from economic, social and environmental perspectives at the same time. It’s all about trade-offs. “

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Wildfire experts say burn scars helpful in mitigating, lowering intensity of raging fires

By Josh Dawson
Castanet
May 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

As wildfires turn large swaths of forests into seas of charred spires, wildfire experts say the blackened blotches on the B.C. landscape can have a lasting effect reducing fire risk and severity. Mike Flannigan, a wildfire researcher at Thompson Rivers University, said historic wildfire scars have less fuels available, meaning fires will burn less intensely and can be used as a break to slow the spread of a raging wildfire. “Because it’s lower intensity, fire management can manage it effectively and suppress it as opposed to a running crown fire, which they can’t,” Flannigan said. “When things are really extreme, really hot, dry and windy, it will burn through, but it generally will be lower intensity, so you can still manage it more effectively than if it was in a forest.” 

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Solutions the focus of Kelowna wildfire conference

By UBC Okanagan
Castanet
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais isn’t going to rehash what everyone in the Central Okanagan already knows about wildfires when he opens the three-day Wildfire Coexistence Symposium in Kelowna next week. The Assistant Professor in UBC Okanagan’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences says the event is tailored toward innovative wildfire solutions. “We want to move beyond recognizing the problem to finding and implementing solutions that address the whole-of-society issue of wildfire,” he says. “This is about understanding what’s happening around our communities and making us better prepared.” Dr. Bourbonnais as well as his colleague and co-presenter from UBC Vancouver, Dr. Lori Daniels, have tailored the symposium to as broad an audience as possible. They will touch on new technology and new tactics. They’ve designed the symposium to be engaging, with panels, moderated questions and audience interaction with over 20 experts in various fields.

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Firefighters hang welcome banners as evacuees return to Fort Nelson

Canadian Press in the Vancouver Sun
May 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

For more than two weeks, firefighters battled to bring the Parker Lake wildfire threatening the northeast B.C. community of Fort Nelson under control. With the fire declared as “being held” on Monday, some found time for another task — hanging a banner from a ladder truck to welcome home returning evacuees. Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality which includes Fort Nelson, said he got more hugs on Monday afternoon than he has received in a long time. The evacuation orders covering Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson First Nation ended at 8 a.m. …A statement from the municipality said the community had been deemed safe to re-enter but there were still active fires in the area. An evacuation alert, requiring people to be ready to leave at short notice, is now in place for Fort Nelson and the First Nation.

 

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Relationship between BC aviation firm and Province strained by ‘politics’

Kelowna Now
May 28, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The president and chief operations officer of the world’s “largest aerial firefighting company” has said not a single one of its aircraft is being contracted out in its home province of BC. Britt Coulson sat down with NowMedia this week to discuss the recent announcement that Coulson Aviation will be converting its first Boeing 737-700 into the world’s highest capacity Large Air Tanker (LAT). Last week, Bruce Ralston, minister of forests, told NowMedia all the leases were signed for aircraft for this year’s wildfire season. On Monday, NowMedia asked Coulson if the Port Alberni-based company had any aircraft contracted to BC. …He said that based on historically political issues with past provincial governments led the company to “go where we’re wanted,” which includes contracts in the US and Australia. Coulson said in the past there was “a negative stigma” attached to the use of the Martin Mars bombers in the early 2000s because they were owned by a private company.

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New park in West Vancouver will be twice the size of Stanley Park

By Gordon McIntyre
The Vancouver Sun
May 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

WEST VANCOUVER, BC — The District of West Vancouver and the B.C. Parks Foundation announced the creation of one of the biggest municipal parks of its kind. The 7.8 square kilometres of land donated by West Vancouver makes the park almost twice the size of Stanley Park. …Mayor Mark Sager called it a monumental day during a ceremony at Cypress Pop-Up Village. “This area will help preserve sensitive ecosystems and wildlife, and store carbon to fight climate change,” Sager said. “It will also ensure that old-growth trees will continue to stand in our stunning municipality, which we know is very important to our residents and people across the globe. …Together the new park, West Vancouver’s existing parks, the surrounding Capilano and Seymour watersheds, the Old Growth Conservancy and Cypress Provincial Park form a protected area for wildlife and mature trees covering more than 320 square kilometres.

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Investigation into illegal firewood nets Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc $12K fine

By Ben Bulmer
InfoTel News Ltd
May 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc forestry company has lost the majority of an appeal after it was fined $12,000 over a load of unmarked timber discovered during an investigation into an illegal firewood operation. According to a May 6 Forests Appeal Commission decision, the case dates back to 2019 when the province was investigating an illegal firewood operation in Knutsford, outside Kamloops. The investigation led officers to search a lumber yard at LeBeau Bros. Logging where they found eight decks of unmarked and unscaled timber being stored. The decision says at the time LeBeau Bros was the sole contractor for Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc owned Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation, and the law makes Tk’emlupsemc responsible if a contractor breaks the rules. …The Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation argued it had done its due diligence in making sure that all timber followed the correct procedure. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Net zero by 2050, an ever-receding target?

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
May 30, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Progress on the energy transition in Canada is highly fragmented, with provinces like Quebec doing more, according to a new provincial report card published by Clean Energy Canada. Another new report, published by Clean Prosperity, suggests Canada’s net zero targets can’t be met without substantial amounts of nuclear power. Meanwhile, the Fraser Institute published an essay by Canadian energy expert Vaclav Smil that puts the chances of industrialized economies like Canada achieving net zero targets by 2050 at close to zero. …The report card gives Quebec an A grade. B.C. gets a B grade. …Alberta and Saskatchewan both received a D. Ontario is middle of the pack, with a C grade. …In its report, Clean Energy Canada appears to have a bias against nuclear power. Clean Prosperity’s report says nuclear power will be crucial. …The chance of any country achieving net zero by 2050 is “highly unlikely,” Vaclav Smil says in the Fraser Institute essay.

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Alberta’s drought shaping up to be ‘worse than we saw in the 1920s, 1930s’

By Tyler Dawson
National Post
May 29, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

…For months, Albertans have been worrying about what the unusually dry winter with low levels of snowfall and a summer forecast of light rain. Would it mean a bad wildfire season? The past few years have been dry, but it’s been almost 25 years since Alberta has been this dry. Some counties have announced states of agricultural emergency. …There are five stages to Alberta’s drought plan… The province is currently in stage four, which means a “significant” number of water users — agricultural or industrial — are unable to withdraw their allotment of water. …With dry conditions it’s far easier for fires to begin, whether caused from a careless human or a lightning strike. Across the province, dozens of fires continued to smoulder over the winter….Already, Canadians are seeing haze from drifting wildfire smoke. Failed crops would send soaring food prices even higher. As the ancients did, Albertans and all of Canada may want to pray for rain.

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Health & Safety

BC Forest Safety News

BC Forest Safety Council
May 30, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

In the June edition of the BC Forest Safety Council News, you’ll find these articles and more:

  • Preparing BC Forestry Workers for Wildfires
  • How Workplaces Can Prepare for Wildfire Season
  • Forestry Employers Need to Get Ready for New First Aid Requirements
  • 20 Years of Forestry Safety
  • Spotlight on Safety: Nominate a Champion of Safety from your Organization
  • 2024 Interior Safety Conference – Safety at Work: Inside and Out
  • Use the BCFSC FIRS App and Streamline Your Audit Submission
  • Validation Session on Faller Practical Field Assessment
  • Resource Road Driver Internal Training – PROGRAM UPDATE
  • BCFSC Improves Both Faller Safety and Airport Safety
  • BCFSC Safety Alerts Keep Industry Informed
  • Wildfire Smoke and Your Health

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B.C. researcher says people coping with wildfires not receiving enough mental health support

By Tiffany Crawford
Vancouver Sun
May 29, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ashley Berard, a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria is calling for better mental health support for B.C. residents coping with the trauma of wildfires. Berard is studying the social impact of disasters and found that many people in wildfire-affected communities have heightened feelings of anxiety and depression, an overwhelming sense of grief and loss, and increased stress about smoke inhalation. Of the 35 people she interviewed in communities in B.C’s Interior such as Kamloops and Lytton, only one said they were receiving counselling. The interview subjects included those who lost their homes to fire, evacuees, and some people experiencing adverse health impacts from wildfire smoke. She said a common thread in the interviews was financial stress, such as having difficulty navigating insurance or resources to help rebuild their houses, and the concern about not being able to afford counselling for mental health issues and trauma.

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Forest Fires

99% of hectares burned in BC this year coming from PG Fire Centre

By Brendan Pawliw
My Prince George Now
May 28, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — Another wildfire has popped up in the Fort Nelson area – this after the Evacuation Order for the Parker Lake Wildfire was rescinded by the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. Even though the Parker Lake blaze is now being held, a holdover fire from the weekend is 455 hectares in size but is not a threat to the community. Information Officer, Pedro Roldan-Delgado said while much of the fire centre benefited from rain and cooler conditions during the weekend, the same could not be said for the Peace Region. …The Prince George Fire Centre responded to two other new starts, which were less than a hectare in size over the weekend and have since been extinguished. Since April 1st, 183 wildfires have ignited in BC resulting in 285,070 hectares being burned – 99% of it is located in the PG Fire Centre.

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Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfire is now classified as under control

Government of Alberta
May 27, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfire is now classified as under control. This means that this wildfire is contained and will be extinguished. …There were many challenging days and long hours but it’s rewarding to see this wildfire has been updated to under control… at 18,745 hectares. The closest point of the fire remains at about 5.5 km from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 km from the intersection of highways 63 and 881. Temperatures tomorrow will be approximately 23°C with winds out of the southwest 15km/h gusting 30km/h at times. There are 176 firefighters and 15 helicopters assigned to this wildfire.

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Forest History & Archives

Calgary’s historic Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber building moved to permanent location

By Melissa Gilligan
CTV News Calgary
May 29, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber Co. building, an important piece of Calgary’s history, has been moved once again, but now sits at the spot it’s expected to stay indefinitely. … The Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber Co. was established in Calgary in 1886. The company soon grew to become the largest supplier of lumber in the Northwest Territories, and eventually became the parent company of numerous other local industrial firms, including the Calgary Iron Works, the Calgary Milling Co. and the Calgary Water Power Co. Ltd. The building, which was actually the second office erected by the lumber company, was built in 1903/1904. …The building has excellent historical significance for being the sole survivor of this important group of companies that involved prominent Calgary businessmen.

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