Region Archives: Canada West

When he was a boy, Ron Tomma would leave after breakfast to run freely with his brother through their ancestral territory. …Now, when Tomma hunts, he has to move carefully so he doesn’t trip or twist an ankle. Tomma, a knowledge keeper in his First Nation in B.C., has to push through undergrowth in a forest that was once as clear as hiking trails. Most of the berries are gone and the water is undrinkable. He blames the change on pesticide use by cattle ranchers and logging companies. So, it was no surprise to him when the Bush Creek fire tore through Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw, his First Nation about 70 kilometres from Kamloops. …Tomma has a message for other bands. Take a good look at your forests and do what you can to clean it up. Harvest it for firewood or other resources, and ensure the community is protected.

The Nature Trust of British Columbia, one of the province’s leading non-profit land conservation organizations, has started a fundraising campaign to protect 129.2 hectares (319 acres) of wetland, riparian forest, and mixed forest ecosystems. The property, known as Ferguson Lake-Wetlands, is located in the city of Prince George. The land is adjacent to the Ferguson Lake Conservation Area, a 31-hectare conservation area owned by The Nature Trust of BC. With the purchase of Ferguson Lake-Wetlands, the contiguous protected land will expand to be 160 hectares. These private conservation parcels are connected to provincial Crown land parcels, forming a natural wildlife corridor and increasing connectivity within the region. Ferguson Lake – Wetlands has merchantable timber value and its purchase will ensure that its mature and old growth riparian forests and wetlands are protected in perpetuity.

The Towns of High River and Okotoks are requesting a moratorium on logging in Southern Alberta. Both were approached by the Calgary Climate Hub (CCH) requesting signatures of support for a pause on a planned logging project from Spray Lake Sawmills. The project would see the company harvest 1,100 hectares of Kananaskis Country forest and has seen opposition from several groups in Alberta, particularly due to the claim that the project was accelerated from 2026 to 2023 in a matter of months. CCH reasons for a moratorium include potential negative impacts on the Highwood Watershed, harm to several threatened species, a lack of engagement with First Nation Communities, harm to Kananaskis Country despite the province’s stated goal of protecting the region, and a claim that “Spray Lake Sawmills does not have a proven track record of restoring clearcut areas in the timeframe that demonstrates the forest is regenerating.”

Conservationists say they have high hopes a proposed shift in B.C. policy could result in revolutionary change for forest protection. The province is currently conducting consultations on its draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework, which it describes as “a new and strategic direction for a more holistic approach” to stewarding land and water resources for future generations. …“Despite a very boring name, it may actually be one of the most consequential conservation policies in Canadian histories if it lands correctly,” Ken Wu, executive director of the endangered ecosystem alliance, said of the proposed framework. …The industry group B.C. Council of Forest Industries told Global News Thursday that it was still reviewing the plan. “Its potential direct impacts on our sector are not clear yet, and will depend on what the final policy looks like,” the council said in a statement.

The Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) summarized timber supply area apportionment decisions from the Ministry of Forests at their meeting on Nov. 9. The summary indicated that the ministry has allocated 400,000 additional cubic metres of harvest in the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA) on top of the 970,000 cubic metres listed in the apportionment from Community Forest Agreements, Woodlots and First Nations Woodland Tenures. Director of RDBN from Electoral Area B [Burns Lake] Michael Riis-Christianson pointed out that more than 400,000 cubic metres for Lakes TSA are needed to harvest two sawmills within the area. Director of RDBN from Electoral Area E [Francois/Ootsa Lake] Clint Lambert said Cheslatta Carrier Nation lost $3.8 billion in timber this summer because of Lucas Lake, Wells Creek and East Ootsa Lake wildfires. He said these timber feed the sawmills and the town’s economy.

OTTAWA – The federal agency tasked with reviewing complaints against the RCMP says the police force is causing “significant delays” to an investigation of a unit set up to deal with protests against energy and logging projects. In an investigation update this week, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP says it has received “little information or records” since July from the police force’s E Division, headquartered in Surrey, B.C. The commission says it has made progress in its probe of the controversial Community-Industry Response Unit, but says finishing the investigation will be delayed. It says a recent meeting between the commission and the RCMP outlined “concerns about the delays,” and the force has since provided it with more than 400 files, though “significant” information is yet to be provided.

…On Thursday evening, Nov. 23, about 300 people packed into the North Shuswap Community Hall in Celista for a meeting hosted by resident Jim Cooperman. Titled Shuswap Firestorm: The Last Straw, the meeting offered an opportunity for the public to see a PowerPoint presentation Cooperman has provided as evidence for the B.C. Forest Practices Board’s investigation into BC Wildfire Service’s planned ignition that took place around 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire (later renamed Bush Creek East when the two wildfires combined). “When I started talking… you could hear a pin drop,” said Cooperman, noting the crowd was there to take in the information he’s gathered with help from others, including registered professional forester Rob Morrow who, after viewing the planned ignition site on Oct. 3, shared his own findings with Cooperman.

A massive western red cedar tree found near Nitinat Lake is large enough to be protected by provincial legislation, but it’s surrounded by trees that could be logged, which activists say highlights the need to protect intact old-growth ecosystems. Joshua Wright, an old-growth activist who documents large trees before they’re cut, found the tree in Looper Creek near Nitinat Lake. He measured the largest at 3.88 metres in diameter.  Its size puts it just above the province’s threshold for protection from being harvested. The province sets out the minimum diameter at which trees must be protected, by species. The threshold is highest for western red cedars in coastal zones, at 3.85 metres. For several others, the threshold is above two metres, including yellow cedars, black cottonwoods in coastal zones and Douglas firs on the coast.

The following is from the Nov. 9 issue of Tree Frog News entitled “Forest Management in Finland –Learnings for BC Forestry” by Cam Brown, Ken Day and eight others. I discussed some of the basic comparisons in an August 2023 article but this report provides some important differences such as Finlands “extensive private land ownership, greater resolution of Indigenous ownership, more homogeneous ecosystems, gentle topography, extensive road and bio-energy infrastructure. …The large amount of privately owned forest may seem too extreme to B.C. residents who are used to lots of crown land to recreate on but in Finnish policy, Every Person’s Right, “allows everyone access to private lands which helps support a positive societal view of forest lands. The culture appears biased toward ‘active forest management’ outside of national parks. …It is the differences in the management of their forests that we should take a close look at.

It’s been an extraordinary month for nature protection in British Columbia. A slew of unprecedented funding and legislative announcements have come in almost too fast to keep up with. Taken together, they underscore a sea change in the stewardship of Canada’s most biodiverse province. This marks a historic turning point for B.C., and a potential road map for the rest of Canada — one that was unimaginable when Premier David Eby first took office under the cloud of an ugly tussle with the environmental movement just one year ago. …What’s happening before our eyes is a whole-of-society restructuring … trying to recover from the hangover of 150 years of colonial plunder. …In light of those developments, we should pause to acknowledge and celebrate the moves that B.C.’s NDP is making. Not just to be nice, but to show them — and the rest of Canada — that these kinds of deals can win elections, too. 

A group of protesters gathered at a controversial Spray Lake Sawmills bridge in Kananaskis Saturday to highlight their demand for an immediate pause in plans to clearcut over 2,700 acres in the Upper Highwood drainage. They say extreme drought and water shortage conditions are expected to continue, necessitating a pause in logging. Their call represented a new rationale for clearcutting opponents in Alberta and also highlighted the addition of significant new members to the list of those seeking a pause to the impending logging operation, which could start as soon as Dec. 1. In addition to opponents like environmental and recreational groups and wildlife advocates, Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn sent a letter dated Nov. 24 to Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz requesting a moratorium on logging in southern Alberta, and High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass has sent a letter to the Calgary Climate Hub supporting their call as well. 

Island First Nations are looking forward to finalizing a deal with Western Forest Products that will give them more say over logging activities in their territories. Earlier this year the Nanwakolas Council, which represents nations from the Comox Valley to Campbell River and north, signed an historic deal with the forestry company to gain a 34% interest in a new partnership. It will create and oversee a new tree farm licence in the Campbell River-Sayward region, providing annual production of more than 900,000 cubic metres of wood. Ted Nash with Nanwakolas says the new deal will benefit everyone. “We’re in a partnership on both sides: developing the future forest management regime, and benefitting economic development in the area,” he said. “We think through doing that we’re going to create significant stability on a go-forward basis.” Nash told the Strathcona Regional District board that the new partnership will be finalized sometime next spring.

Researchers are working on ways to make life easier for anyone facing a wildfire evacuation. University of Alberta Civil Engineering Assistant professor Stephen Wong along with two other researchers are collecting data from five communities in BC and Alberta that includes Quesnel. “We are mostly first interested in identifying communities that have high fire exposure.” Wong said, Finding places that you would have that high level of risk but then would also have risk related to it’s transportation system.” Wong said when it comes to the transportation system they were interested in places that had limited ways of egress or ways to get out of a city in the event of an evacuation. …Wong said the primary need of this research is that wildfire evacuations unfold in a very dynamic interaction between forest, roadway infrastructure as well as people.

People in B.C. are invited to provide input to help inform the next stage of the Sunshine Coast Forest Landscape Plan (FLP). The FLP is being co-developed with First Nations, with input from communities, subject-matter experts and forest licensees. FLPs are a new approach to forest stewardship that establish clear direction for the management of old growth, biodiversity, ecosystem health, climate change, watershed health, wildfire risk and other forest-related values. The FLP area includes the Sunshine Coast Timber Supply Area and portions of the Pacific Timber Supply Area, encompassing roughly 1.25 million hectares of land from Howe Sound in the south to the summit of Mount Waddington (B.C.’s highest peak) in the north. The area features some of the most biologically diverse forests in British Columbia and overlaps the territories of 15 First Nations.

Parks Canada has resumed its seasonal program of making Jasper National Park safer from the possibility of wildfires. This means that crews will be removing forest fuels by hand in strategic areas and burning the vegetation debris onsite, conditions permitting. This is one measure that Parks Canada uses to not only reduce the risk of wildfire but also manage the impacts of the mountain pine beetle. The work is based on a larger wildfire risk evaluation and has undergone both environmental and cultural impact assessments. As a result, there will be visible smoke in the air over the coming months. There is no need to call emergency services to report this smoke.

Jonathan Seinen

Woodlots are a thriving business with the emphasis on longer term thinking, says the Houston woodlot licensee who is the recipient of a provincial award. “The ownership doesn’t change very often over the generations and there are successful operations that will be producing quality fibre indefinitely,” says Jon Seinen who was presented with the Minister’s Award for Innovation and Excellence in Wood Management for 2023 from forests ministry officials the end of October. …The licence is made up of mixed species and Seinen buys his seedling stock from Woodmere Nursery in Telkwa. An average of four hectares a year are harvested and planted. “The majority of the wood has gone to local Canfor mill. Although I do occasionally sell a small portion to a the local pellet plant and few smaller mill operators,” Seinen said.

Foster, Wayne and Britton Coulson

PORT ALBERNI – Coulson Aviation has been awarded a three-year firefighting contract with Corporation Nacional Forestal of Chile for a C-130H Hercules Large AirTanker and a Citation 550 air attack lead plane with its partner BRYSA. Coulson Aviation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coulson Aircrane Ltd., a privately-owned family company has been in the aviation business for over 36 years, operating a diverse fleet of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The company’s operations have included helicopter logging, forest fire suppression, power-line construction, airliner passenger, transport and many other industrial heavy lift operations. “We have been successfully fighting fires in Chile for the past three years. This new contract solidifies Coulson’s presence with the largest airtanker in the country. It also recognizes the value our C-130 and Citation 550 working together to provide an efficient and productive aerial firefighting response,” said Britton Coulson, President and COO, Coulson Aviation.

SOOKE, BC — Initiatives aimed at preventing forest fires from burning homes are getting a boost in Sooke, which has received a $198,000 grant to reduce wildfire risk and prepare the community for any fires that do break out. The funds will go toward community-based programs such as free FireSmart home assessments, and initiatives like disposal events for yard waste. …The funding comes from the Union of B.C. Municipalities FireSmart Community Funding and Supports Grant. “Basically it’s about getting the information out there and educating people,” Ruiter said. “The goal is to work with community groups to provide them with the tools they need to mitigate the threat of wildfire.” Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said a community like Sooke, which is surrounded by forests, is more vulnerable to wildfires than areas like Victoria or Oak Bay.

CLEARWATER – The Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation (WGCFC) will be holding a Community Forest Input Session November 20. The goal is to share updates with the public regarding current and upcoming forestry projects, as well as get a better understanding of the community’s perception. “We are given the opportunity to share some of the goals we have as a community forest, while also giving community members lots of time to ask questions and provide their feedback and ideas,” shared George Brcko, General Manager of the WGCFC. “We then will take this input from community, and together with the best practices for good forest management, we will develop a forest management plan and our operational objectives.” Joel Steinberg, President of the WGCFC Board of Directors, believes this is a great opportunity to get member of the community more involved.

The BC Forest Discovery Centre in North Cowichan is receiving $222,000 in federal funding to develop an online exhibit on sustainable forestry from pre-colonization to modern day. Question is: will the exhibit take a biased approach to logging — like the centre’s industry-funded Forests Forever exhibit — or explore a full range of management options, including potentially no logging? …Despite being located in North Cowichan, the centre makes no mention of the fact the municipality’s forest reserve overlaps the coastal Douglas-fir forest, the rarest forest type in B.C. — described as “imperilled” by the watchdog Forest Practices Board. Private land development and logging are contributing factors. …It’s time for the BC Forest Discovery Centre to recognize the value of protecting the forest in its own backyard and to portray logging with fairness and balance. The expenditure of almost a quarter million in federal taxpayers’ dollars on the centre’s newest exhibit only emphasizes the point.