Region Archives: Canada West

The next Kaslo and District Community Forest Society meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb.20. Society chair Chris Webster said the society has been refocusing on fire mitigation efforts, community protection and the significant costs associated with fighting fires. Webster also touched on the broader implications of climate change and the need for pragmatic measures to protect tree health. “Cedar has been a big part of our forest, and we’ve got a ton of hemlock, and nobody wants hemlock,” said Webster, adding that other species have been affected and deemed undesirable in part due to diseases. “(Hemlock is) having a real hard time, especially with the heat and the drought.” Webster also reflected on the changes to community engagement and the financial facets that have impacted the society’s operations.

The mission to save the Northern Spotted Owl has hit another setback after its latest released owls were found dead near Hope over the winter. This means all six owls, raised through the conservation breeding program in Langley and released into the wild, are dead. “In June 2024, two male spotted owls were moved to an aviary in a protected forest area in the Fraser Valley and subsequently released into the wild. Unfortunately, both were found deceased later that year,” said the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship via email. “A necropsy on one determined that he was emaciated, and his diminished condition was severe enough to cause death. It is likely the other succumbed to a predator.” Both birds were part of a partnership between the province’s Spotted Owl Breeding and Release Program and Spuzzum First Nation…

Big, dense forests full of highly flammable wildfire fuel surround Hope. But the town itself isn’t as doomed to fiery destruction as one might initially fear. While there is plenty of potential for wildfires in the area, a new report presented to Hope council says Hope itself benefits from several geographic features that keep the risk to homes and businesses to moderate levels. The wildfire risks facing Hope have been comprehensively catalogued in the community’s first wildfire resilience plan, a draft of which was presented to council earlier this month. The report warns that a severe wildfire could burn wide swaths of the forests surrounding the town. The forests are dense and full of coniferous trees that bake in hot, dry summer weather. In Hope, the highest risk areas are those that buttress the nearby woods. 

Additional coverage in Fraser Valley Current by Tyler Olsen: Why Hope’s surrounding forests pose only a ’moderate’ risk

Clearwater County’s West Country and communities such as Nordegg are vulnerable to wildfire. The wildfire risk was brought home last summer. In July and August 2024, two large wildfires burned for weeks and got within 25 kilometres and 50 kilometres of the Nordegg townsite before they were brought under control. To prepare for future wildfires the municipality applied for a grant from the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta for a grant to help reduce the opportunities for wildfires to threaten homes and cabins in the growing community west of Rocky Mountain House. Last month, the municipality was approved for a $200,000 grant for vegetation and fuel management efforts. The money will be used to mulch about 70 acres of tree cones from the forest floor Nordegg’s north subdivision. …Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen has made it clear that communities vulnerable to wildfires need to step up efforts to reduce the risk.

Doug Donaldson

Oliver Brandes

B.C. recently demonstrated its deep reciprocal relations with the U.S. by sending a team of highly trained wildland firefighters to assist with the devastating blazes in the Los Angeles area. This genuine spirit of cooperation and care is the opposite of the sentiment exposed in President Trump’s tariff approach. Historically, we’ve always been there for them, and they’ve always been there for us. But now, as B.C. and Canada fight back against the U.S. tariffs, we don’t know how an erratic leadership south of the border will react. And we don’t know how our longstanding and effective reciprocal relationship around wildfire will be affected. Thankfully, B.C. is a leader in wildfire management nationally and plays an important role globally. Although more needs to be done here at home, a recent report from the B.C. Wildfire Service shows progress on how we plan for and address wildfires in our province. …Now, we just need to go farther faster.

VANCOUVER, BC– EarthDaily Analytics, a global leader in Earth Observation data and analytics, is redefining environmental intelligence with its acquisition of SkyForest, a cutting-edge platform specializing in wildfire risk assessment and forestry analytics. This strategic acquisition strengthens EarthDaily’s robust Earth Intelligence offerings, reinforcing its position as an indispensable partner for industries and governmental organizations managing the mitigation of environmental risk. EarthDaily’s expansion is driven by a commitment to providing real-time, AI-powered geospatial insights that address today’s most critical environmental challenges. The integration of SkyForest technology will significantly strengthen EarthDaily’s ability to address key areas like natural disaster mitigation, sustainable forestry management, insurance analytics, and critical infrastructure protection. These enhanced capabilities will be further amplified by the EarthDaily Constellation’s global data coverage and higher frequency, providing improved thermal measurements and multi-band soil moisture analytics.

… private forests are subject to far less stringent regulations than publicly owned forests in B.C. According to Ken Wu, executive director the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, lax regulations for privately owned forests threaten species at risk of extinction, Indigenous land rights, climate security and the economy. …just over a million hectares, or around one per cent of B.C., are classified as “private managed forests,” meaning they can be harvested for commercial purposes. … Mike Ekers, at the University of Toronto says, “the old growth and the hyper-valuable timber that’s been protected through activism on the west coast of Vancouver Island has generally been liquidated” within privately owned forests. …Ekers says the Private Managed Forest Land Act doesn’t make provisions for cultural, spiritual or recreational values to be protected. …In 2022, Mosaic introduced the BigCoast carbon credit initiative, deferring harvesting on 400,000 hectares of private land, trading the timber revenues for carbon credits.

The Town of Comox has launched phase 1 of public engagement for its Urban Forest Management Strategy; a comprehensive plan to assess the current state of Comox’s tree canopy and provide a road map for maintaining and enhancing a diverse, resilient, and healthy urban forest over the next 30 years. …The strategy will provide a community-supported vision and action plan based on public input; baseline data on the state of Comox’s urban forest, including its extent, diversity, benefits, and needs; and, goals, targets, and indicators to measure progress over time. Comox Mayor Nicole Minions says the urban forest is one of Comox’s greatest assets. …An online survey is open until March 31st at Urban Forest Management Strategy.

More information has come to light about the deaths of two endangered northern spotted owls released into the wild last year. According to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, the two male owls were moved to an aviary in a protected forest in the Fraser Valley last June and subsequently released into the wild. In a statement, the ministry said that a necropsy on one of the owls found that “he was emaciated, and his diminished condition was severe enough to cause death.” The statement indicates it’s likely the other owl “succumbed to a predator.” The latest deaths mean that six spotted owls raised in captivity and then released from a conservation breeding program in Langley have died.

It may be the middle of winter, but work is already underway to mitigate the threat of wildfires in the Bow Valley area. Crews are constructing fire breaks, planning prescribed burns and ‘fire smarting’ communities to avoid a major disaster. CTV News had the opportunity to take part in an exclusive tour on Thursday with fire information officers from Banff National Park, Canmore, Lake Lousie and the MD of Bighorn. All of the organizations are working collaboratively to protect the Bow Valley. “Wildfires are not preventable, but we can help mitigate the risk,” said Canmore Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bourgin. “Wildfires are going to happen, but it’s a matter of us working together. It’s a matter of us making sure that we have the mitigation strategies and suppression strategies in place.”

BANFF – Parks Canada is ramping up plans for logging and prescribed fire work to reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire to the Banff townsite following decades of fire suppression in surrounding forests throughout the national park. Much of the work is already underway, with more in the coming year or two, which Parks Canada officials say is on top of 7,000 hectares of logging, thinning and prescribed burns already completed over the past 10 years in Banff National Park and almost 15,000 ha over the past 15-year period. “We have a really busy program here; we are one of the programs that has done the most in the past 10 to 20 years,” said Jane Park, fire and vegetation management specialist for Banff National Park during a presentation to Banff town council Monday (Feb. 10). “We’re trying to mitigate risk from every angle.”

The city of Vancouver and the park board are facing another legal challenge over the controversial removal of thousands of trees in Stanley Park. The Stanley Park Preservation Society filed a petition this week in B.C. Supreme Court seeking a judicial review and calling for an injunction to stop logging in the park. The Vancouver Park Board began removing a third of Stanley Park trees in late 2023. …Four individuals filed a civil lawsuit last year against the city, park board and the consulting firm B.A. Blackwell and Associates alleging negligence. No date for trial has been set in that case. The latest suit seeks to halt removal of trees that have not been properly documented to be hazardous, which the society alleges involves most of the trees being removed. …“So we believe the snags are not dangerous and there’s no reason they should be targeted,” he said.

GRAND FORKS – The Forest Practices Board has finished a complaint investigation into Interfor Corporation’s logging practices north of Grand Forks. The complainant believed Interfor did not properly manage whitebark pine and caused environmental damage during site preparation for planting. The board found that Interfor planned and implemented special management practices for whitebark pine in the cutblock during its operations from late 2021 into early 2022. The investigation also determined that Interfor’s mounding activities – a technique that uses an excavator to scoop and pile soil to create raised planting spots for seedlings – did not cause environmental harm. “Interfor retained whitebark pine trees, avoided scarring them and preserved the species’ natural seed bank,” said Keith Atkinson, chair, Forest Practices Board. “Interfor also planted around 5,200 whitebark pine seedlings on the cutblock, incurring extra expenses to help maintain the species into the future.” 

Additional coverage in Castanet, by Timothy Schafer: Forest Practices Board finds Interfor properly managed whitebark pine despite complaint

NANAIMO — Researchers are getting creative to learn more about how weight impacts the health of the resurgent Vancouver Island marmot population. A pair of Vancouver Island University technicians have been working on weigh scale prototypes over the past two years with the hopes of advancing a potential link between the weight of marmots and their ability to reproduce. Engineering technician Devin Ayotte said their prototype scale successfully recorded the weight of marmots for the first time last summer in the Nanaimo Lakes area, noting an important radio frequency device has since been implanted in their scale …Captive breeding and habitat restoration efforts led by the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation have increased the population to more than 300 from 22 counted in 2003. …Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is funding the Vancouver Island marmot weigh scale project. Several other partners are involved, including VIU, Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation and Mosaic Forest Management.

The Philippine Mars water bomber, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for nearly 50 years, has completed its final flight. The massive plane left its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, B.C., on Sunday, bidding farewell to B.C. After a brief stop in San Francisco, the aircraft landed in Arizona’s Lake Pleasant on Monday evening. Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Aviation, the company that has owned the water bomber for years, confirmed the aircraft will be dismantled before being trucked to its final resting place at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson… In the 1950s, B.C.’s forest industry purchased four of the aircraft and repurposed them into wildfire-fighting machines. Coulson Aviation purchased two in 2007—the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars.

Students at Carihi Secondary School have been hard at work constructing nest boxes for the Western Screech-owl as part of a collaborative project with the We Wai Kai Nation, environmental consultant, Madrone Environmental, and Greenways Land Trust. These nest boxes will be installed in the Beaver Lodge Forest Lands in Campbell River to provide much-needed nesting habitat for this threatened species.  …Building, installing, and monitoring nest boxes in Campbell River’s urban forests, can help support this species, says Greenways. Western Screech-owls easily adopt artificial nest boxes when they are placed in appropriate habitats, making this initiative a meaningful way to contribute to their conservation efforts. This project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program, BC Hydro Fish and Wildlife Compensation Fund, Mosaic Forest Management, Western Forest Products, Pacific Megascops Research Alliance, Strathcona Park Lodge, Campbell River Fish and Wildlife Association.

The provincial government is requesting Hinton and other communities in Alberta undertake more wildfire mitigation work in the wake of the Jasper wildfire last summer. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen sent Hinton Mayor Nicholas Nissen a letter outlining the actions the province would like to see taken, including establishing larger fireguards around the community. “While I am pleased that many communities have applied for fireguard funding, I have concerns that the proposals are not broad enough to reduce the negative impacts of a Jasper-like wildfire event,” Loewen wrote. Surrounded by coniferous trees, Hinton is situated in a wildfire-prone region that has seen multiple blazes over the past few years, including the Jasper wildfire and the 2023 fire that forced Edson to evacuate. “The Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) Fireguard Program is intended for large-scale mitigation work,” Loewen wrote. 

Fort St. James, B.C. – With funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, uneconomic residual fibre is being delivered from locations farther from town to BioNorth Energy, a joint venture partnership between Arrow Group of Companies, the Nak’azdli Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Nak’azdli First Nation, and low-carbon infrastructure developer, Nexus PMG. The project, which began in the fall of 2023 after an intense wildfire season, will finalize this winter, helping reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere while also generating economic and social benefits for the community of Fort St. James. …The project focuses on grinding residual logging debris into feedstock for BioNorth Energy, a 40-mega-watt biomass power generation plant in Fort St. James. 

Len Apedaile, RPF, is the general manager of Tiičma Forestry, a small market logger based up in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations (KCFN) territory on Vancouver Island’s north coast. He thinks, if anything, the American tariffs scenario of 25% on all Canadian imports will give businesses the opportunity to re-evaluate how they fundamentally do things. …“This doesn’t happen overnight, but I think that you’ll see that this will spur on those efforts over time,” said Apedaile. …“We really don’t understand where these tariffs are coming from because they just don’t make sense for the Americans or us. …Tiičma Forestry operates in a high-cost area of Vancouver Island. The relatively new First Nations forestry company sells west coast old and second growth logs to a Terminal Forest Products sawmill on the mainland who exports primarily to the U.S.

The BC government is providing Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC) with a $620,000 grant to improve and expand the use of registered forest professionals in managing BC’s forests for wildfire. “The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires has shown that we need to be more proactive in managing our forests and the forested lands near our communities to make them more resilient to wildfire and enhance public safety,” said Christine Gelowitz, RPF, Forest Professionals BC chief executive office. “Working in partnership with BC Wildfire Service, we will set robust practice standards in wildfire prevention, planning, and recovery, allowing forest professionals to better manage forests for wildfire and help reduce the risk to the public and the environment.” The funding will support the Wildland Fire Joint Panel Initiative, which includes Forest Professionals BC and the BC Wildfire Service.

A crisscross network of logging roads in the Cariboo Chilcotin are being rehabilitated back into a more natural habitat for wildlife. Daniel Persson, Forestry Superintendent of Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. said most of these roads are not used today other than for hunting. “When not rehabilitated back to their original, natural state, these roads create “predator super-highways which allow wolves and other species, including human hunters, to move more quickly and for longer distances than they normally would, becoming more effective hunters at the cost of other wildlife.” Persson said the planning of this rehabilitation work began in late 2020 and this the first year that we are actually getting into it. …Ann Nielson, Silviculture Superintendent with Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd said some of these roads are 20 to 30 years old.

Colleen Sutheimer

University of Alberta research offers new guidance that can help recover habitat for woodland caribou in forests across the province’s Athabasca oilsands region. The study lays out a strategic method energy companies and provincial land managers can use to determine which seismic lines — narrow clearings cut into the forest for underground petroleum exploration — need human intervention to help regrow trees. Such restoration can help recover habitat for the caribou, designated as a threatened species. Knowing which of the tens of thousands of the lines crisscrossing the northern Alberta region need active restoration can help energy companies and land managers best focus their efforts, says study lead Colleen Sutheimer, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Agricultural. …The research is the first to explore how long it takes for trees to start growing on Alberta’s seismic lines and how fast they grow once established, called growth trajectories.

The outdoor recreation and forest conservation advocacy group trying to protect the West Bragg Creek/Moose Mountain area from the loggers’ saws says it is being kept busy chasing its tail by the timber company set to clearcut this year, and the provincial department responsible for giving them permission. The loggers are telling them to talk to the provincial minister of forestry. The minister is telling them to talk to the loggers. Shaun Peter of Guardians of Recreational Outdoor Wilderness (GROW) said they are trying to convince the powers that be to commit to implementing the FireSmart program in the area, as a prudent protection, in light of the increase in wildfires across North America in recent years. To that end, GROW met with West Fraser Timber Company (formerly Spray Lake Sawmill in Cochrane) on October 11, and were told they can’t follow FireSmart guidelines without direction from the minister.

Chase council learned the community is in the line of fire after a report from FireSmart coordinator Michael Henderson. At the Jan. 28 meeting, Henderson provided a wildfire risk assessment that said after nearly a century of no-fire policy, climate change and the mountain pine beetle, “the area is primed for wildfire.” …Henderson also referenced a recent study that ranked Chase seventh in the top 10 for the highest burn probability among small communities across Canada, with Sicamous, Sorrento, Grindrod and Nakusp also making the list. …Henderson added that he and staff are looking into introducing a wildfire development permit area and related bylaws to ensure properties are built to FireSmart specifications from the start, which he said other communities such as Vernon already have. That would allow the village to enforce FireSmart measures among residents, who so far haven’t really embraced it.  

Dear Minister Ravi Parmar: I am writing to you in reference to your recent Minister’s Statement regarding photos of tree spiking claimed to be of Fairy Creek, submitted to you anonymously and without verification.  I understand from the reporter who subsequently interviewed me that the purported sender was “Friends of Fairy Creek.”  My name is Kathy Code and I am a Fairy Creek Forest Defender. …Thus, I was dismayed to read your statement.  Not only are you giving public voice to unsubstantiated claims from an unknown sender, but the weight of your office gives some credence to the underlying accusations. …I ask on behalf of the citizens of BC that you withdraw your statement as a means of maintaining the dignity of your office.   

Rhonda Millikin

The Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF) will test a green fuel breaks recommendation from Whistler ecologist Rhonda Millikin who has lobbied the municipality to rethink its approach to mitigating wildfire. Millikin has argued against fuel-thinning and other FireSmart practices, believing it isn’t effective in Whistler’s wet, coastal rainforest, and is actually adding to the community’s fire risk. She advocated for rainwater catchments, sprinkler systems, and natural green fuel breaks. …It is the biggest breakthrough yet for the retired ecologist, whose research has been met with mixed reactions… Forester Bruce Blackwell, who helped author Whistler’s wildfire strategy, has criticized Millikin’s research, arguing her approach would have little impact on fighting a large-scale, out-of-control wildfire. …Millikin’s advocacy led to Forestry Professionals British Columbia issuing a cease-and-desist in December, following a complaint… prompting Phil Burton, a professor at the University of Northern B.C., to decry the FPBC’s “heavy-handed” response to Millikin’s work.

The overall goal is to have a working forest while sustaining ecological and cultural values so that future generations have access to forest areas just as diverse and healthy as those currently enjoyed. For Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) operations manager, Warren Hansen, ecosystem-based management (EBM), a tool introduced in its operations in 2021, “came from the heart” of what the community wants from SCCF. In his opening remarks at a Jan. 30 Community Advisory Panel and public information webinar, he noted that SCCF’s board and community advisory panel are committed to using EBM in stewarding its tenure by harvesting timber in a way that curbs losses of biodiversity. The overall goal is to have a working forest while sustaining ecological and cultural values so that future generations have access to forest areas just as diverse and healthy as those currently enjoyed. To do that, SCCF relies on advice from contractors including Laurie Kremsater and Anna Yuill, who presented an overview of EBM to about 35 people tuned into the webinar.

Dan Macmaster

UBC Forestry wishes to congratulate Dan Macmaster, MSFM’13, on being named a recipient of the 2024-25 Alumni Builder Awards. An exceptionally dedicated volunteer with the Master of Sustainable Forest Management Program, Dan Macmaster has consistently gone above and beyond in advancing the education of future forest managers. His extensive contributions range from serving on the Master of Sustainable Forest Management Advisory Committee and guest lecturing to volunteering at field camps and organizing multi-day field activities for students.

David Eby

Leaders from across the forest products sector will be descending on Prince George, B.C. from April 2 to 4 for the COFI 2025 Convention. Organized and operated by the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI), the convention offers attendees a wide variety of panels and presentations over two days, as well as multiple networking opportunities with leaders of B.C.’s forestry sector and beyond. “The 2025 COFI Convention in Prince George comes at a time when the forest sector is facing transformation and turbulence. Looking at where we stand along themes such as competitiveness and sustainability, this event will explore market diversification, industry innovations, and solutions to critical challenges like wildfire and fibre access. It’s the must-attend gathering to shape the future of B.C. forestry,” says COFI’s director of communications Travis Joern. 

Chris Duncan

Chris Duncan, partner and national leader of forestry and forest products at MNP unpacks the forest industry’s biggest challenges and successes of 2024 and look ahead to 2025. Topics include shifting markets, labour shortages, the threat of U.S. tariffs, rising fibre costs, and the impacts of wildfires and storms. They also explore how AI, automation, and sustainability trends are shaping the future, alongside key takeaways from BC’s 2024 election and recent regulatory changes. This podcast offers a must-listen year-end review and outlook for Canada’s forest sector.

BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews have returned to B.C. after two weeks supporting the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) with wildfire fighting efforts in Los Angeles. “In times of need, we will always be there for our friends; that’s who we are as British Columbians and as Canadians,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Firefighters don’t ask questions, they run into fires. I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of the crew members who made the trip south.” On Jan. 11, 2025, the BCWS deployed a senior management team of 13 technical specialists to support CAL FIRE’s efforts to control the fast-moving Palisades wildfire. Working directly alongside the American incident management team, B.C.’s team supported in planning, logistics, operations, aviation, fire weather and information roles.

The West Coast’s smallest First Nation is taking great strides toward the creation of an innovative stewardship economy that puts sustainability and conservation first. The Kwiakah First Nation, led by munmuntle, Chief Steven Dick, consists of 19 members mostly based on Vancouver Island. …The nation intends to revitalize its lands and waters — much of which were badly damaged by logging and other resource industries. …After years of hard work, the nation successfully established the M̓ac̓inuxʷ Special Forest Management Area last May that covers 7,865 hectares of forested land within the Great Bear Rainforest. The Kwiakah SFMA bans logging in favour of regenerative operations aimed at bringing the forest back to its pre-industrial state. The nation also intends to expand its protected forest area to 56,000 hectares by purchasing other logging licences in its traditional territory, Frank Voelker, the nation’s band manager added.

The BC government has approved a legal order to extend temporary protections in the Fairy Creek watershed until Sept. 30, 2026. It applies to the same forest lands that were deferred in June 2021. The deferral protects almost 1,200 hectares—all the Crown land in the Fairy Creek watershed. The watershed falls within the Pacheedaht and Dididaht First Nations’ territory. The extension feels like a small bit of clearing in a forest of uncertainty. … “The [added] time provides the Pacheedaht FN the opportunity to do the extremely important work of developing their resource management plan,” Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar told Capital Daily. …The forestry sector in BC has struggled in recent years with a reduction in access to fibre and the sawmills to process it. The slowdown has led to numerous mill closures and the loss of thousands of jobs across the province.

PORT ANGELES — The recent pause on some older tree sales in state-managed forests will not affect parcels that already have been approved or auctioned, despite some environmentalists’ hopes. When Dave Upthegrove was sworn in as the state’s public lands commissioner on Jan. 15, he immediately enacted a pause on the approval for auction of state-managed “legacy forests,” a campaign promise. …Some environmental activists had hoped the pause also would apply to legacy forests that already had been approved for auction, or those that had been auctioned but not yet logged. …However, after reviewing his administrative options, Upthegrove said he “do[es] not see a successful path forward for me to unilaterally stop them.” “It’s always incredibly difficult to unwind an action after it’s been approved and implemented, and the legal and procedural challenges of administrative action here make it virtually impossible,” he said in a statement.

Stillwater Consulting and Lil’wat Forestry Ventures (LFV) have partnered to deliver two fully funded, six-week training programs on wildfire and community resilience at the Ts̓zil Learning Centre in Mount Currie. Students will learn from LFV staff, Lil’wat elders and a dozen instructors brought in by Stillwater over six weeks of training in forestry and wildfire mitigation. Those hours will be split between class time and hands-on experience. “It’s set to get people ready to work in the field,” LFV general manager Klay Tindall told Pique. “It’s not to get them ready to work in an office, that’s for sure.” …The program also expands beyond core wildfire fighting skills with additional certifications involving working safely under power lines, bear safety, danger tree assessment, and natural resource field studies like silviculture and tree planting. Tindall said the broader approach is meant to ensure students are employable outside of the fire season. 

One of the biggest policy changes needed in B.C. is to forestry policy. B.C. policy for the last 50 years has resulted in a rapid clear-cutting of a large part of our forests even as all the research indicates that: Within a 60-80 year time span, only 20-30 per cent of forests can be cut in any one area without harming the hydrological cycle. On this basis, most BC commercial forests have been severely over-cut making a mockery of the Annual Allowable Cut. …Clear-cutting results in increased risk of forest fires up to 30 years when replanted. …Re-planting is a form of green-washing giving companies cover for the forest damage they do. …Due to the increase in forest fires partially due to logging, BC forests have [become a] carbon source. …The Power of Forests: Protecting Communities and Nature with a New Forest Act effort was launched by the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society.

It’s been almost a year since the B.C. NDP government moved to snuff out a growing political brush fire sparked by the latest and largest step in its bid to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People across the province. Changes to the province’s little-known Land Act were abruptly withdrawn by the government in February 2024 after a series of opposition town hall meetings brought out big crowds demanding answers on the implications. Premier David Eby’s promise of more consultation before moving ahead with what it termed shared decision-making on Crown land meant that if it was successful in the election, the NDP would move ahead. …Indigenous rights initiatives tend to start in B.C. and extend across the country. …Enshrining the UN declaration started here, and Justin Trudeau’s government followed suit, with a yet-undefined law to implement it across the federal government as B.C. has begun to do. 

Our new forest minister has been touring the North, trying to learn about forestry, and I hope, forests. I sure hope someone is telling him about the need to stop clearcutting Douglas fir forests… Douglas fir represent only two per cent of our forests in the Prince George Timber Supply Area. It’s a relatively fire-resistant conifer species with good biodiversity values we could use more of, not less… Douglas fir seedlings have a higher rate of failure compared to lodgepole pine. They are vulnerable to frost damage. During heatwaves the sun can cook them… This report identified another threat to Douglas fir regeneration: the elimination of our critical deciduous species. Douglas Fir, the report argues, are protected and enhanced by the deciduous “brush” that we currently eliminate from our regenerating stands, either with herbicides or with brush saws.

On January 30, the Parks and Open Spaces Department will begin safety work on the Grandfather Tree following its fall during the windstorm earlier this month. To ensure public safety, the Grandfather Tree trail will be temporarily closed to all bicycle and pedestrian traffic during this time. The Town of Cochrane kindly asks residents and visitors to respect posted signage and follow any guidance provided by staff working in the area… Propagation specialists have successfully collected seeds and meristem cuttings from the top of the tree. They are working closely with a grower to propagate the seed and are also exploring innovative tissue culture micropropagation techniques to create potential clones of the tree. These efforts aim to preserve the Grandfather Tree’s unique genetic legacy for future generations.