Region Archives: Canada West

Thousands of trees in Vancouver’s Stanley Park are getting cut down, and the park’s new aesthetic is sparking some mixed emotions from parkgoers. The City of Vancouver says more than 160,000 trees are being cut down in Stanley Park due to a looper moth infestation. According to the city, roughly 25 per cent of trees in Stanley Park have been damaged by the looper moth and the majority of them are Western Hemlocks — the preferred food for the bug. Now that the felling has begun, the tree stumps in Vancouver’s Stanley Park are turning heads. “It’s sad to see the trees on the floor,” one parkgoer said. “This is one of the best things about this park. It’s losing the identity of the park.” “I did notice the trees cut here at Prospect Point and it’s not very enjoyable, to be honest,” another said. “It’s just emptiness.” [You may also want to see the YouTube video version of the story here]

TERRACE, BC / GITANYOW LAX’YIP — The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs stand resolute, ready to contest any attempts to transfer FLA16882 to a non-Gitanyow entity. This forestry license, deeply intertwined with Gitanyow’s traditional lands, presents an unmistakable and high potential for substantial adverse impacts on Gitanyow’s rights. FLA16882, formerly held by Skeena Sawmills in Terrace, BC, is one of three forest licenses. Despite a Cooperative Harvest Agreement previously in place with Gitanyow, Skeena Sawmills’ recent bankruptcy has put its assets, including FLA16882, in receivership. Gitanyow’s offer to purchase FLA16882 was initially declined, as Skeena Sawmills aims to sell assets as a complete package, including the Terrace Mill and all forest licenses. “The Chiefs have formally alerted the Receiver overseeing the assets of Skeena Sawmills and the B.C. government of our unyielding stance to defend Gitanyow’s constitutionally protected rights,” says Simogyet Malii.

In mid-August, with huge swaths of British Columbia consumed by wildfire, firefighting crews in the province’s North Shuswap region made a hard decision: They would intentionally burn a 26-square-kilometre stretch of forest hours before a major wind event, hoping to slow down the raging Lower East Adams Lake wildfire long enough to limit destruction in residential areas. Officials are now defending that move, as residents of the nearby towns of Lee Creek, Scotch Creek and Celista question whether the planned ignition exacerbated the damage in their communities, rather than lessening it. In the days after the fire, a public workers’ union demanded an investigation, arguing that firefighters’ safety had been compromised. Video and internal wildfire service incident reports obtained by The Globe and Mail show for the first time how elements of the operation went wrong on the ground, leaving a fire crew trapped for hours by flames. [A subscription to the Globe and Mail is required to read this full story]

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has sent letters to several property owners affected by the Bush Creek East wildfire that consumed 45,000 hectares, much of it in mountainous terrain. Letters, 1,136 of them, advising that their properties or homes are at risk followed on the heels of a presentation to the November board meeting by BGC Engineering, the company hired to perform initial post-wildfire geohazard assessments in the area. Gerald Christie, manager of development services, advised directors that CSRD hired the company in early September, with the initial geohazard assessment completed in about six to seven weeks. “Thanks to them and their team; they knew about the importance of getting it finished in a timely fashion as a lot of residents are waiting for this work to be completed,” he said introducing Kris Holm, BCG principle geoscientist and Hazel Wong, an engineering geologist working directly with the regional district.

There have long been promises of true First Nations partnerships in forestry in BC, and now we’re seeing some action alongside the industry. In the latest move, the Klahoose Nation has signed a landmark deal with forest company Interfor. …In the first quarter of 2024, four other nations on Vancouver Island aim to complete the acquisition of a 34% ownership stake in a new partnership with Western Forest Products. …BC is also pushing amendments to its Forest Act and other laws, to help address First Nations’ interests in how forests are managed. …As First Nations pursue greater economic and land management opportunities in the forestry industry, it remains critical to ensure that new conservation programs truly balance environmental values with economic realities. …Despite positive announcements, the impact of the BC government’s overarching forestry policies on Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike has largely evaded public discussion. One wonders when the bubble will burst.

COWICHAN VALLEY, BC …the Six Mountains— Prevost, Sicker, Richards, Maple, Tzouhalem, and Stoney Hill — make up the 5,000-hectare Municipal Forest Reserve. The coastal Douglas-fir forest’s future in North Cowichan remains an open question. The results of the final phase of a parallel public consultation released last March showed 76 percent support for conservation management options. The next step is up to North Cowichan and First Nations. …Halalt Chief James Thomas said he supports selective logging that helps store water, while the timber can be used to create local jobs rather than being shipped offshore as raw logs. Selective logging can have many definitions, from, say, thinning to improve the overall health of a forest, to the slippery slope of logging the best timber for the highest profit. How the Municipality ultimately melds the wishes of North Cowichan taxpayers with those of First Nations is the big outstanding question.

Additional coverage in the Cowichan Valley Citizen, letter by Peter Rusland: Logging losses can be recovered by other means

Stefan Labbé

Seven environmental groups are calling on the Canadian government to adopt a definition of “forest degradation” that includes “any reduction in a forest’s ecological integrity” caused by human activity. The call comes a day after countries of the world signed a new draft agreement to combat climate change and signal an “end to fossil fuels.” The revised global Stocktake stated that achieving the current global goal of halting global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius (ideally 1.5 C) can in part be achieved by “enhanced efforts towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.” …Jennifer Skene, Natural Resources Defense Council, said there has been unprecedented ambition from policymakers, investors and others when it comes to halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation around the world.  “Canada has unfortunately been active internationally in opposing these efforts,” said Skene. “The international community can no longer afford Canada acting as a laggard.” 

Nominations are now open for the Lynn Orstad Award, recognizing women working in wildfire resiliency. Lynn was a community leader and a driving force for better wildfire risk management. This award was created in her honour to continually recognize and elevate the female leaders who work hard to make our communities safer. The award recipient will receive a personalized award and a $1000 grant towards furthering wildfire resiliency efforts focused on increasing education and community engagement – fundamental elements of Lynn’s work and achievements. Nominations will be reviewed by a working group made up of representatives from FireSmart BC, FireSmart Alberta, and Co-operators. Nominations will be open until February 27th, 2024 and the winner(s) will be announced during the Wildfire Resiliency & Training Summit in Prince George, BC from April 20th – 24th, 2024.

John Brink

PRINCE GEORGE — A local business owner involved with the forestry industry in British Columbia for over 50 years, is sounding the alarm about the current state of the sector. John Brink is the owner of Brink Forest Products Ltd., and has served as a director of the Council of Forest Industries (COFI), and has also represented Canada in softwood lumber disputes with the United States. He says that the forestry industry “is broken” and the “policy around it is broken.” Brink says that British Columbia needs to “totally from the bottom up, redesign our forest policy.” Brink says that due to lack of access to fibre in B.C., companies are pursuing opportunities elsewhere and major primary manufacturers are going to places like Sweden and the Southeastern U.S. due to access to fibre and being able to plan ahead in terms of fibre availability.

In 2021, all eyes were on Fairy Creek, [with] protests taking place in then premier John Horgan’s own riding. …On April 12, 2021, the Pacheedaht First Nation released a statement saying, “We do not welcome or support unsolicited involvement or interference by others in our Territory, including third-party activism”. …I filed a freedom of information request asking for any correspondence between the government and the Pacheedaht First Nation preceding the statement. …According to email correspondence included in the draft’s release—five days before the statement was made public—Rod Bealing, Pacheedaht First Nation’s forestry manager, sent a draft statement internally within the nation to elected chief Jeff Jones and a band manager, asking for suggestions. Five hours later, Bealing sent an email to Eric Kristianson, who was then assistant deputy minister for “strategic initiatives” in the BC premier’s office: “Please find our proposed statement attached. Please call if any questions,” Bealing wrote.

Lori Daniels

The Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia has set up a new wildfire-focused research initiative… The Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, backed by a $5-million donation from the Koerner family, will focus on mitigating catastrophic risks, said Lori Daniels, a UBC forestry professor who will become the inaugural holder of the school’s Koerner Chair in Wildfire Coexistence. …The use of the term “co-existence” flags what Dr. Daniels sees as a big part of the UBC initiative’s purpose: building awareness of how wildfires and prescribed burns can contribute to healthy ecosystems and reduced wildfire risk. …Dr. Daniels expects to work closely with local communities, including Indigenous groups, all levels of government and other academic institutions, including Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, which this month approved plans for an Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency at its campus. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to access the full story]

Additional coverage from the UBC Faculty of Forestry: Revolutionizing Wildfire Preparedness in BC: Centre for Wildfire Coexistence

UBC News: UBC Forestry to launch Centre for Wildfire Coexistence thanks to $5M donation from the Koerner family

Sustained leadership, and a spirit of innovation and partnership today, can help forge the models of Crown-Indigenous relations that can carry Indigenous communities, sustainable natural resource management, healthy ecosystems, and vibrant local economies into the future. …One year ago, we stood with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he announced a historic commitment to support four Indigenous-led conservation initiatives: in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, northern Ontario, and in our marine territories on British Columbia’s north Pacific Coast, also known as the Great Bear Sea. Taking place at COP15, the announcement set an ambitious tone for the global gathering, which culminated in an agreement among 196 countries to reverse biodiversity loss. The announcement also uplifted an innovative conservation finance approach called Project Finance for Permanence, which was born in Canada more than two decades ago in our traditional territories, as part of an initiative that weaves together nature, economy, and community in the Great Bear Rainforest. [to access the full story a Hill Times subscription is required]

MACKENZIE, BC — A unique feeding program for an at-risk B.C. caribou herd appears to have helped the population more than double its numbers over the last decade. The program is spearheaded by Doug Heard, a retired wildlife biologist who formerly worked for the provincial government, and takes place in Kennedy Siding, a 223-hectare section of critical habitat for threatened woodland caribou located about 200 kilometres north of Prince George. …Heard, or a technician from the McLeod Lake Indian Band, distributes nutritional pellets in a series of covered feeding troughs in the Kennedy Siding area, at the base of the Rocky Mountains, about 30 kilometres southeast of Mackenzie, B.C. The pellets are a combination of corn and grains. …The B.C. government has also carried out wolf culling programs in the South Peace region since 2015 to improve survival rates for caribou herds, including the Kennedy Siding group. 

With no logging planned for North Cowichan’s municipal forest reserve until the forestry review is completed, staff is anticipating the municipality will have to turn to general taxation to help cover the reserve’s expenses for the first time since the review process began in 2019. At a committee of the whole meeting on Nov. 28 to discuss the upcoming budget for 2024, forester Shaun Mason… said all that’s left in North Cowichan’s forest reserve fund as of the end of 2023 is $230,490, which leaves a $112,000 deficit in the department for 2024. The fund has been covering the lost revenue since the municipality decided to suspend logging in the reserve in 2020 until the review is complete. Mason said the forest department’s main focus for 2024 is on the forest-review process and continuing with general maintenance and management in the forest reserve. 

Ross Muirhead

Another ad by Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) appeared in the Nov. 24 Coast Reporter paper this time about its 2023-2028 logging plan. The plan was first revealed at a Nov. 20 meeting and SCCF is now asking community members for feedback by December 20 – 30 days and counting. Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) attended that meeting there was a lack of detail on each block and certainly not enough for the average person to provide reasonable feedback besides “not opposed” or “opposed.” This is a ridiculously short timeframe for feedback and ELF recommends it be extended to April 1, 2024 to provide us time to get the public out to each forest and look at what could be lost. …These are two areas where no logging should be taking place in the first place due to the sensitivity and importance of drinking watersheds. In terms of protecting biodiversity, each watershed area is well represented by the mountain hemlock and alpine ecosystems.

Last week a letter writer proposed that ELF could get the public out to each planned forest cut, and deliver meaningful feedback by the 1st of April (Reexamine logging plans by Ross Muirhead).  Thirty thousand untrained Coast residents are imagined by Elphinstone Logging Focus to perform this inspection under the guidance of ELF and with ELF’s explicit  purpose to “look at what could be lost.”  I’d hazard this could take several years, if ELF has the personnel to manage it. But we already have fully trained professional foresters who can right now tell you what will be lost, and more importantly what will be gained by the work that our Community Forest has done and continues to do. [END]

KAMLOOPS, BC — A new research institute that Thompson Rivers University says would position it as an “international leader” in wildfire science and education has been given final approval. The university said the Institute of Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency aims to conduct research aimed at preventing, mitigating, responding to and recovering from wildfires. TRU’s board of governors gave approval for the establishment of the institute during its meeting last week. …The initial research team will be headed up by Mike Flannigan, a BC Research Chair, professor and renowned wildfire expert., Jill Harvey, a Canada Research Chair in fire ecology, and Lauchlan Fraser, an NSERC industrial research chair in ecosystem reclamation. Flannigan said during the university’s senate meeting in October that a new building has already been opened and is housing the researchers, grad students and postdoctoral researchers. Funding for the institute has been secured for three-years.

Two projects on the North Island will remove forest fire fuel from the woods and put it to better use. The Forest Enhancement Society of BC is getting $50 million from the province to remove windfalls and logging leftovers from forests. The wood will go to mills that can use it, and removing it from the forest will help prevent future wildfires. Provincial forests minister Bruce Ralston says there are two North Island projects worth nearly a million dollars near Port McNeill. He says they will also help North Island forestry businesses and create some new jobs. “One of the big challenges in the sector right now is the hunt for fibre, marketable fibre, in order to accomplish the work that forestry companies want to do,” he said. …Both projects will be done by the Atli Chip LP company owned by the ‘Namgis First Nation.

The 2023 wildfire season has been long and challenging. Between April 1 and October 31, 2,245 wildfires burned more than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land resulting in the most destructive wildfire season in British Columbia’s recorded history. “We started really early, snow melted three to four weeks early, we were experiencing very aggressive fire behaviour in early May and that has persisted right into the month of October,” Neal McLoughlin, Superintendent, BCWS Predictive Services. It has also been emotionally challenging with devastating impacts to multiple communities and the tragic loss of six members of the wildland firefighting community. This video acknowledges the conditions and impacts of the 2023 wildfire season. It also honours personnel and partners while paying tribute to the fallen wildland firefighters. Read our 2023 season summary to learn more about wildfire response around the province this year: https://ow.ly/aBEV50QgyRP

The Community Forest is once again paying dividends for the City of Port Alberni. The Alberni Valley Community Forest Corporation presented the city with a dividend cheque of $300,000 on November 27. The cheque represents the operating year of 2022, said chairman Jim Sears. “We are in good financial position at this time, with a healthy retained earnings position, and we are expecting that we will complete our 2023 operations by the end of this year,” he said. Sears added that the corporation is holding back “a fairly hefty retained earning” for some future bridge building. …“Our community forest does a fantastic job of balancing community needs with the potential to give back, in terms of revenue,” said Mayor Sharie Minions. “It’s a great model to show companies how land bases can be managed.”