Region Archives: Canada West

Three First Nations seek to protect treaty forest land and may take a logging company and the province to court. The Pine Creek, Wuskwi Sipihk, and Sapotaweyak Cree nations allege that the logging company Louisiana-Pacific did not have an approved forest management plan in place during their activity on Treaty 4 territory. These actions could violate the Manitoba Forest Act if the allegations prove correct. Chief Derek Nepinak of Pine Creek noted in a press release that “In 2012 Manitoba agreed to consider other logging practices to protect moose habitat, More than 12 years later Manitoba is still without a viable plan”.

On a bright, mid-March morning Raymond James’s booming voice resonates through the crisp, spring air as he rallies his team for the day — two dozen men and women gathered in a field near the small community of Xwisten, also known as the Bridge River Indian Band. “Safety is the No. 1 thing for today,” James explains to the group of community members, volunteer firefighters, and crew members from the B.C. Wildfire Service. This use of fire is called prescribed burning, or cultural burning when it is harnessed by Indigenous communities to also meet ecological objectives, like restoring and enhancing traditional foods or medicinal plants. The land management practice was widely used by Indigenous peoples before colonization. In 1874, British Columbia became the first province in Canada to ban the use of fire in this way. The Bush Fire Act outlawed cultural burning and its knowledge was almost lost.

Garnet Mierau and Alan Waters

In B.C., woody debris from timber harvesting was recognized as a very serious cause of wildfires dating back to the Bloedel Fire, (a.k.a. Sayward Fire or the Great Fire), which burned wildly out of control for more than a month and destroyed millions of dollars of decked and standing timber… For the next seven decades, the BC Forest Service made prompt and excellent fire hazard abatement a priority on Crown and private land alike, where logging occurred. …That all changed when the Wildfire Act and the BC Wildfire Service were created. …Many private landowners are not aware of the legal requirements for fire hazard abatement after harvesting because neither the Ministry of Forests nor BC Wildfire Service informs the landowner when they apply for a timber mark to harvest timber on private land. …How is this unacceptable situation allowed to exist when we are repeatedly facing more extreme wildfire catastrophes, year after year?

Jade Richardson

Fire departments along with local governments attended a summit that the province says will help prepare municipalities for the upcoming wildfire season. The summit was put together to build on recommendations from the premier’s expert task force on emergencies, the FireSmart Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit. This year’s summit was held in Prince George and minister of forests Bruce Ralston says the insight offered from all services after a devastating summer last year will help provide preventative measures this year. “Communities bring critical knowledge, skills and relationships to the table, and we’re growing their role in wildfire preparedness,” he says. “The summit is a valuable opportunity for hundreds of leaders and first responders from across BC to delve into the insights gained from last year.”  …ire information officer Jade Richardson of the Coastal Wildfire Service says so far the shortage of rain, and snowpack could mean an eventful season. 

Wildfire season is here. Dozens of fires have already sparked in British Columbia this season — and many more are expected to ignite as spring turns to summer, and drought conditions persist. The province says it’s been preparing for this summer for months, purchasing new firefighting equipment and recruiting firefighters in advance of what’s expected to be a “challenging” season. “We’re taking action earlier than ever,” provincial Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma said in a news release. …Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forests said it has upgraded its fleet of planes and helicopters, using $56 million allocated in the 2024 budget. B.C. doesn’t own aircraft, but instead contracts them out. The ministry says it has access to 40 aircraft, including airtankers, skimmers and heavy lift helicopters, on an ongoing basis. When short-term contracts are utilized during periods of greater need, they can have access to up to 100 aircraft. 

Sonia Furstenau

The April 20 editorial “In this election, Eby should be put to the test,” notes that the official Opposition “has an obligation, a responsibility, to provide cohesive policy alternatives in the next election” and then laments that “this is not happening.” While this critique rings true for much of British Columbia’s political sphere, it overlooks the efforts of the B.C. Green Party. …Take, for example… the NDP’s plan to use public land for housing is weakened by their willingness to let for-profit private developers use that land. …One of our best defences against climate change is protection of the last remaining old growth forests in this province, yet the NDP has dragged its feet on implementing the Old Growth Review Panel’s recommendations. We saw an increase in the logging of old growth in 2021 — despite all the rhetoric from this government, the destruction of these ancient forests has continued.

VICTORIA, BC — A new report claims a sharp increase in wood-pellet exports is fuelling the loss of primary forests in B.C., but Forests Minister Bruce Ralston says that is not the case. Ben Parfitt… says B.C.’s forests are in crisis after decades of “intense logging” that has “depleted and fragmented” the forest industry, and now the demand of wood pellets is adding to the loss of B.C.’s primary forests. …However, Ralston said “forests are not being turned into pellets,” adding that the source material for making pellets is sawmills, shavings, chips and forest residues. He said all of those materials, which are taken to the Drax mills and made into pellets, would otherwise be burned in slash piles that “releases a lot of carbon and it wastes a lot of valuable forest products… so it’s just way more valuable to trade those logs for the kind of sawdust, chips, bark that is used for pellets.”

CHETWYND, BC — The province has removed its initial response wildfire team from Chetwynd, sparking worries the fire-prone region in northeast B.C. will be more vulnerable to flames. Chetwynd’s mayor and chief administrative officer both say wildfires are only escalating in their region, pointing to a fast-growing fire that closed a main highway and forced the evacuation of several properties Wednesday. …But in 2024, unlike previous years, Chetwynd will not have an initial attack crew, which the B.C. Wildfire Service describes as three or four-person teams “strategically” placed around the province in order to be first on scene when a fire is detected. …Forests Minister Bruce Ralston assured local leadership that the move wouldn’t impact wildfire defence, because the Dawson Creek team is only about 20 minutes away from Chetwynd by helicopter. Officials say that timeline was met when crews were deployed to respond to this week’s fire. 

In this newsletter:

• Message from executive director Steve Kozuki.
• A safety tip from our friends at the BC Forest Safety Council.
• Wildfire mitigation and fibre utilization work by NorthPac Forestry Group.
• Addressing forestry’s role in rural development at the “Keeping it Rural”conference. 
• FESBC 2024 BC Cleantech Awards finalist.
• Meet our Faces of Forestry featured person, Trish Dohan.

James Steidle

One definition of insanity I heard is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. And yet that’s exactly what the Ministry of Forests is doing up on Tabor Mountain with taxpayer money in their various reforestation schemes. Well, almost. But this is a pretty succinct summary of forest management, past and present, so bear with me. In 1961, two massive wildfires swept over Tabor Mountain…  Almost immediately, government started with its “rehabilitation” efforts, which of course meant planting conifer trees and suppressing the all-important deciduous regeneration- the aspen, birch, and cottonwood, with either herbicides or brush saws. …In forestry’s reductive mind, the forest is battleground of competition, and anything that isn’t a “crop” tree is a weed, and must be exterminated. …Maybe the government figures the rules are different for them.  Maybe doing the same thing and expecting a different result is a special privilege only government can enjoy.

Archie MacDonald

Archie MacDonald, a retired professional forester, is urging changes to B.C.’s approach to wildfires. “We’re concerned about the lack of any tangible actions being put forth by the provincial government to mitigate wildfires,” said MacDonald during a presentation to the board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. “The lack of action can be best described by looking at the 2024 provincial budget, where $0 were allocated towards wildfire mitigation. They did allocate some money for wildfire suppression and a little bit for post-wildfire recovery, but $0 for wildfire mitigation.” MacDonald, formerly with COFI, has spent the early part of this year with fellow retired forester Murray Wilson, visiting local governments to build support for their calls for better management of wildfires. Programs like FireSmart, which help property owners guard their homes against wildfires, are good, added MacDonald, but don’t do anything to promote forest health.

Members of the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) sought out the Carmanah Valley’s largest Sitka spruce trees which stretches approximately 21 storeys into the sky in an effort to highlight the importance of conserving and protecting old-growth forests. They noted that this tree is protected, as it grows within the Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park in Ditidaht territory. “This giant is by far the most spectacular Sitka spruce tree that we’ve come across during our decades-long search for big trees in BC,” said TJ Watt, AFA campaigner. …The tree is 12.9 feet wide near its base, 233 feet tall and has an average crown spread of 72 feet. …BC’s Big Tree Registry marks this as the largest tree in the Carmanah Valley, despite the “Carmanah Giant” being taller, and the fourth-largest Sitka spruce on record in BC.

NANAIMO — An Indigenous land protector will spend an additional 48 days in jail following sentencing arguments in BC Supreme Court in Nanaimo. Angela ‘Rainbow Eyes’ Davidson, 38, was sentenced to 60 days in custody with credit given for 12 days served and 75 hours of community service after being found guilty earlier this year on seven counts of contempt of court. During a lengthy hour-and-a half long ruling in front of a packed, emotionally charged courtroom gallery, Justice Christopher Hinkson said Davidson continued violating the court injunction after her first arrest for contempt. “Ms. Davidson has shown herself incapable or unwilling to abide by conditions in the past, as a result, I’ve concluded that a conditional sentence would be inappropriate.” …Once Justice Hinkson finished outlining his rationale for judgement, the crowd reacted with chants of “shame!”, and “time to retire” as Hinkson left the courtroom.

Additional coverage: Green Party of Canada Reacts to Sentencing of Deputy Leader

A sweeping fire restriction has been put in place across Alberta as hot, dry weather leaves forests tinder-dry. Emergency officials are urging extreme caution in the weeks ahead as a persistent and severe drought pushes Alberta’s wildfire danger to the extreme. On Wednesday, following a wildfire information update, the province introduced a fire restriction in the province’s forest protection areas in effort to manage the risk. With the exception of Calgary’s forest protection zone, all outdoor fires are now prohibited on public lands, including backcountry and random camping areas. Wildfires have already prompted a handful of communities to temporarily evacuate and put hundreds more Albertans on notice to leave their homes at a moment’s notice. …As of Wednesday morning, 70 wildfires were burning across Alberta, including 63 that have ignited in forest protection zones. The risk of new wildfires igniting is the most extreme in the northern parts of the province…

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Tactical evacuations have started in northeastern British Columbia as wildfires tear through the area. An update from the B.C. Wildfire Service Wednesday night said efforts are focused on protecting public life and safety in the Peace River Regional District and the District of Chetywnd, which are both within the Prince George Fire Centre. The service said the fire covering approximately 50 hectares also forced the closure of Highway 97. This year’s wildfire season is off to an early start, with more than 170 blazes burning in British Columbia and Alberta, and both provinces issuing fire bans. On Wednesday, the BC Wildfire Service announced a five-month open fire ban, from May 3 to Oct. 11, covering a swath of the province’s Interior. …”This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,” the service said.

Jordan Coble

As wildfires worsen across the province, cikilaxwm (prescribed fire) is gaining more traction as a way to mitigate blazes before they begin, say experts at Westbank First Nation’s (WFN) forest and resource management company. For the past 10 years, Ntityix Resources has treated more than 300 hectares of land in syilx Okanagan homelands through cultural burns and other wildfire mitigation projects. Last year, the band-owned company conducted their first cultural burn outside of kiʔlawnaʔ (Kelowna), treating grasslands and open forestry that had not seen fire in decades. “Capacity is being built,” said Dave Gill, the general manager of Ntityix Resources. “(Cultural burns) are happening five or six times more than they were just a few years ago.” …“Fire is medicine. But just like any other medicine, you misuse it; it can consume you, it can destroy you,” said Jordan Coble, a WFN councillor and the president of Ntityix Resources.

MISSION, BC—Mission Municipal Forest has recently achieved third-party forest certification under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), SFI Indigenous Peoples and Families Module. ‘We are extremely pleased to be certified under the SFI system – this gives both our citizens and timber buyers confidence that we are managing the Mission Municipal Forest in a sustainable fashion. The City of Mission is committed to continually improving how we manage forests around the community, and we are working on implementing a number of new, progressive initiatives over the next few years with this in mind,” said Chris Gruenwald, Director of Forestry. …The SFI Indigenous Peoples and Families Module was created for small-scale forest licences, managed by Indigenous Peoples, Communities, and Families. Management under this standard is based on 13 principles.

Provincial figures peg the total cost of planting 50 million trees this year at $75 million with the province’s share being $55.5 million. The rest of the money is coming from an agreement with Natural Resources Canada. B.C.’s forests ministry released that figure last week as part of marking the planting of the 10-billionth tree since the start of the reforestation program in 1930. The ministry said two billion of those were planted in the past seven years. Last year, 305 million seedlings were planted in B.C. forests. April marks the start of the tree-planting season, usually running through August. This year’s season is starting against the backdrop of what may turn out to be a worse fire season than last year’s, which caused significant damage to provincial forests. Provincial figures estimate fires burnt 2.84 million hectares, more than double the area of forest and land fire had burnt during any previous year on record.

Premier Scott Moe and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman unveiled details on four re-purposed land-based airtanker aircraft, consisting of two Dash 8-Q400AT models and two Dash 8-Q400MRE models, being purchased for an approximate cost of $187.06 million. The planes will replace the current fleet, which consists of four Convair 580 airplanes. Those planes will approach the end of their useful lifespan in 2027. “Saskatchewan relies on land-based airtankers as part of its approach to managing wildfires,” Minister Merriman said. “These aircraft are used in instances where waterbombers may not be able to access lakes to fill up their tanks.” The Dash 8-Q400AT planes are dedicated air tankers, while the Dash 8-Q400MRE models can be fitted as an airtanker and reconfigured to provide multiple roles for air operations (e.g., air evacuations, patient transport, cargo hauling, etc.). Both models have increased capacity and efficiency, and produce 30 per cent less emissions than a similar sized airtanker.

David Coletto & David Elstone

A public opinion expert sees both opportunity and new challenges as British Columbians become more aware of forest management and wildfires. Abacus Data CEO David Coletto… said while public perception of the forestry industry previously hinged on its relevance and proximity to a given community, after a record season of wildfires and previous natural disasters, all of the province understands the sector’s significance. …“What we learned from research was that the crisis around the wildfires has created a moment where, regardless of your political stripe, where you live in B.C., you know this is a problem. You think it’s going to get worse and you know that forestry is actually part of the solution,” Coletto said. He added the awareness of the industry is an opportunity for forestry to bring new audiences into a conversation. …“Some of that work, the active forest management, can be part of the solution,” Coletto said.

The Province, First Nations, local governments, municipal fire departments and FireSmart BC are coming together to help B.C. communities prepare for the wildfire season. Building on recommendations from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, the FireSmart Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit brings together hundreds of local and municipal firefighters to collaborate and train with the BC Wildfire Service. “People are feeling the impacts of climate change and longer wildfire seasons, and we know that the only way forward is to work together. Communities bring critical knowledge, skills and relationships to the table, and we’re growing their role in wildfire preparedness,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. …The five-day event includes two days of collaborative training between local fire departments and the BC Wildfire Service. Classroom and field work will focus on fire line operations, deployment of fire engines, large water-supply operations and overall approaches to structure protection in the wildland-urban interface.