Region Archives: Canada West

The Regional District of Central Kootenay has more than 1,000 water systems, says RDCK board chair Aimee Watson. But although the RDCK owns 19 of those systems, it has very little authority over the health of watershed ecosystems. “…communities are at the mercy of whatever is occurring on Crown land,” Watson said, and most often that means logging. Timber operations can damage or destroy individual residents’ water systems, and they can cause landslides or flooding. Large new housing developments are also an issue. They tend to tap into water sources without first checking to see if there is enough. “There is nobody overviewing this kind of thing, how it will all work together,” Watson says. “And then you throw in climate change.” The RDCK wants the province to enact legislation that would require developers and timber companies, in collaboration with communities, to prepare detailed community watershed management plans

Jason Krips

There’s a lot of conversation right now about forest harvesting in southern Alberta, specifically in Kananaskis. …Forest harvesting is planned to occur in Kananaskis Country in 2023 — just as it has for the past 70 years. And we still have so much forest to enjoy because forestry operations are 100 per cent sustainable. You wouldn’t see decades-old forest companies celebrating almost a century of industry if they weren’t. …A recent column in the Calgary Herald claimed that harvesting in K-Country would destroy grizzly bear habitat. The fact is that grizzly bears depend on new and disturbed forests for sustenance — berry patches grow in these areas. Grizzly bears… numbers are on the rise and Alberta’s forest industry has played a key role in their recovery. …Sustainable forest management means high-quality forest products, jobs for more than 30,000 Albertans and $13.6 billion in economic outputs. Not to mention clean air and diverse habitat for wildlife, forever.

Anywhere you stand in Vancouver, you are standing on the remnants of old-growth forests. To see just how massive those trees could have been, you only need to walk to the intersection of Beach Avenue and Gilford Street in the West End. …Just a little farther away, the gentle giants of Stanley Park provide an even more immediate reminder. …But Stanley Park is not a pristine old-growth forest. These ancient trees, they’ve been logged for years. …The area now known as Stanley Park was a significant village site for the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations pre-contact. Post-contact, in 1860, the British government designated part of what is now in the park as a military reserve. It was logged by six different companies in the 1860s and 1880s, and finally became a park when Vancouver became a city in 1886.

Steve Kozuki

Kamloops, B.C. – At a press event at River City Fibre in Kamloops, the executive director of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), Steve Kozuki, announced 42 newly funded forest enhancement projects. These projects throughout the province of B.C. will either assist with the delivery of uneconomic forest fibre to pulp and pellet mills or green energy facilities, or will help communities reduce their wildfire risk. …These newly funded projects come as a result of the $50 million given to FESBC earlier this year by the Ministry of Forests to boost fibre supply by utilizing uneconomic fibre and reduce wildfire risk while also supporting workers and communities. …Of the 42 new projects funded throughout the province, 24 projects have direct First Nations involvement, while eight have some First Nations involvement.

Additional coverage in Castanet by Josh Dawson: Forest Enhancement Society approves $8 million for forest enhancement projects in Thompson-Okanagan

Wildfire behaviour in British Columbia received a late-summer boost from higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal rainfall, especially in the north, and provincial officials say dry conditions are expected well into the fall. Neal McLoughlin with the provincial wildfire co-ordination centre said parts of northern B.C. saw 75 per cent less precipitation than typically seen last month, conditions that have intensified this year’s record-breaking wildfire season. …McLouglin said current drought conditions aren’t unexpected in southern B.C., but those in the north are not typical, and dry fuels on forest floors remain “available to burn.” …“Fuels remain critically dry, and temperatures that are above normal, precipitation amounts that are below normal, are not helping,” he said. “And so we can expect similar conditions we’ve had through the summer to persist through the fall.” …Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said 1,200 people remain on evacuation order, with 34,000 still on alert.

HOUSTON, BC — I read with concern that Canfor is asking its employees and the public to lobby politicians and ministers to guarantee long-term, economic fibre to support the replacement of its closed mill in Houston. This replacement mill would produce less-finished goods, provide fewer jobs and already has a share of the timber supply. Timber supply should not be a political decision influenced by Canfor public relations lobbying. …I support investing in sustainable forest jobs. I have worked with foresters, ecologists, researchers and the public to develop sustainable plan options which maintain local forestry jobs and our economy while maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem. …I disagree with political guarantees of economic fibre based on lobbying and I am for corporations making their own economic decisions.

Bruce Morrow

As a lifelong resident and a professional forester in B.C. for more than three decades, with a 40-year wildfire suppression background, and previously recognized by the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) as a wildfire specialist, I am angered by the present state of wildfire management in our province. The people of British Columbia deserve an independent review of how the BCWS manages wildfires. We need an in-depth analysis of the operations on the fireline, not another high-level report with a laundry list of recommendations that are largely ignored. The present model has proven itself totally inadequate. It has failed to effectively respond to the growing threat of wildfires. A wildfire management model that does not communicate with, organize or utilize First Nations and experienced local forest professionals is guaranteed to fail. …We will only be successful if our entire forest industry is organized and involved in wildfire management.

Mathieu Bourbonnais

In 2023, Canada experienced one of its worst fire seasons in modern history, with more than 25 million acres burned and hazardous smoke covering large swaths of the country at any given time. In response, Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais and a team of researchers at UBC Okanagan are advocating for a specific approach to help prevent these fires in the first place. Start more fires. While it sounds unorthodox, carefully planned, small-scale controlled burns in strategic areas can yield a variety of benefits, says Dr. Bourbonnais. They remove accumulated dry fuel for future fires, make breaks in massive expanses of forest and even help regenerate entire ecosystems that can restart and thrive in burned-out areas. It’s an idea the general public may be hesitant to embrace. …He and his colleagues have established the Living with Wildfire Research Cluster—a multi-disciplinary team of experts from across the university.

In September 2020, the B.C. NDP released a report that made 14 recommendations to overhaul forestry management in the province and promised to implement those changes within a three-year timeline.  This week marks the third anniversary of that announcement, and while the government says it is making good on its promise, critics say the deadline has passed and not enough has been done.  …Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee, was hopeful when the report first came out, but he says its recommendations have yet to become reality and his optimism is waning.  …Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, also speaking to On The Island, said his ministry remains “fully committed” to acting on the report’s recommendations and has already deferred logging on 2.25 million hectares (22,500 square kilometres) of old growth and is currently engaging with over 200 First Nations.

Near-record drought conditions across the province created conditions for B.C.’s worst wildfire season on record, but winter rains may not bring replenishing relief. The soils in drought-shrivelled landscapes become “hydrophobic” — so dried and packed down that rainfall runs off before soaking in — which increases the risk of flash flooding in atmospheric-river storm events. “It depends on when they come,” said University of B.C. hydrologist John Richardson. “If we get sort of gentle rains for a few weeks, that will reduce some of the risks, but there’s nothing that can really guard us against a storm like we had in November 2021.” Climate change stacks the deck in favour of the likelihood for atmospheric-river events to occur, said Richardson, a professor of forest and conservation science at UBC’s faculty of forestry. “It’s a storm’s intensity, not the total amount of rainfall, that will be most important,” Richardson said.

A crew from Catalyst Paper is installing 18 pumps along the company’s weir on the Cowichan River. The weir’s floodgates are fully open and that has some water flowing into the river but with no substantial rain in the forecast, that won’t be the case for long. Currently water is flowing at 4.3 cubic metres per second, below the minimum ideal number of 4.5 cubic metres. …Lake Cowichan Mayor Tim McGonigle the river is in a dire situation as a prolonged drought is stretching into the critical salmon-migration season. “The big concern there is usually with the weir, they will send a pulse to get the fish from Cowichan Bay up into the upper tributaries, and without that storage that would probably not occur this year unless we get significant rainfall,” said McGonigle.

THUNDER BAY — Natural resource industry leaders and those looking to enter the field will have a unique opportunity to meet and discuss the latest developments and opportunities in mining, forestry, and energy. The second annual Central Canada Resource Expo, or Cen-Can, is returning to Thunder Bay this week, showcasing some of the technological advancements in the resource sector. “It’s a convergence of exhibitors and manufactures connected to the resource industry, both forestry and mining and a bit of energy,” said Rory Dredhart, with Canadian TradeEx market development. “It’s a networking event that allows manufactures to connect with suppliers and discover latest technologies.” …The Ontario Minister of Mines, George Pirie, will also be attending Thursday and will give an address at the Elk’s Lodge during the lunch hour.

KAMLOOPS — Earlier this year, the province of B.C. announced $50 million in funding for the Forest Enhancement Society of BC. The money was for forest enhancement through fibre utilization and wildfire risk reduction. Tuesday in Kamloops, the society announced that 42 new projects have been funded to help with the delivery of economic forest fibre to pulp and pellet mills. “The logs behind us, as of about a year ago they wouldn’t have been used. They would have been burned in the bush and left behind,” said Regional Manager with Arrow, Kevin Gayfer. …“We are ensuring the long-term sustainability of our forests. We are ensuring long-term jobs and really generating a long-term economy and that is going to be sustainable,” said Paul Donald, CEO Simpcw Resources Group.

Conservation groups are alarmed that endangered old-growth forests continue to fall three years after B.C. promised to protect the ancient ecosystems and transform the province’s approach to forestry. The province hasn’t fully met any of the 14 recommendations of the 2020 Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR), said Torrance Coste for the Wilderness Committee. The OGSR recommendations urged the immediate deferral of logging in the most biologically diverse at-risk areas, protecting more massive trees while working with and involving First Nations and communities in forestry decisions, and improving public transparency and reporting in the industry. …Most egregiously, the government has failed to fully defer logging in the key old-growth areas most immediately at risk of being cut down, Coste said. …There’s an appalling lack of transparency, Coste said. …Communities across the province are mobilizing for a day of action on Sept. 28 to demand politicians uphold the NDP’s old growth pledge, Coste said.

Message from the CEO, Lennard Joe: I want to take the time to acknowledge Chief Bill Williams, who has recently announced his retirement from the FNFC Board of Directors. Chief Williams has served on our Board for over 19 years and through his  commitment and guidance we have developed the platform that allows for effective collaboration with the province of BC and our First Nations and supporting organizations. …The annual First Nations Forestry Forum takes place in Kamloops from October 11-13, along with the virtual “prep” session that we will host on September 13 via Zoom. You should have already received an invitation, but if you are a First Nation interested in attending either event please register. …We are actively working with our Nations at many tables within the provincial government including: Silviculture Matrix, Old Growth, Wildfire Recovery, Cultural and Prescribed fire, Value Added Accelerators, FRPA and legislative Review, BCTS, and Tenures. 

B.C. Premier David Eby and Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma are set to visit the province’s southern Interior today to meet with those affected by this season’s devastating wildfires. The provincial government says Eby and Ma will meet with residents, local authorities, volunteers, and members of the B.C. Wildfire Service. There are more than 400 wildfires currently burning in the province and more than 22,500 square kilometres of land have burned so far in a record-breaking fire season. In the Kamloops Fire Centre where provincial officials are visiting, more than 1,900 square kilometres have burned this season after lightening sparked blazes across the region. Officials in the Okanagan said Sunday that they don’t are expecting to lift any evacuation orders or alerts related to the out-of-control McDougall Creek wildfire. In an update Sunday, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said hundreds of properties remain evacuated, including 122 in the hard-hit city of West Kelowna.

Three years after the BC government released a review which called for an overhaul in the way it manages forests, conservation groups say logging continues to threaten old-growth ecosystems. The old-growth strategic review urged a “paradigm shift,” offering 14 recommendations. …Garry Merkel, a member of the panel, said …“I don’t see a lack of intent, what I see is a whole bunch of things that have caused this to be implemented slower than we needed to.” …In the midst of global biodiversity and climate crises, which have seen unprecedented declines in nature, Indigenous leaders and conservation groups are demanding the government do more. ….Forest Minister Bruce Ralston said the province has updated laws and regulations to adopt an ecosystem health approach to forestry and created an innovation program to increase alternatives to clear-cutting….The TLA’s Bob Brash said, “our concern today is the total lack of any real transition plan for the forest sector.” 

EDMONTON — This year’s summer of fire in Western Canada has been a real test on many fronts… leaving a lot of people with the wrong kind of memories. …The fires and accompanying evacuations have also created a lot of pressure on Edmonton, and in particular for our emergency reception facility at the Expo Centre. The venue was stood up in response to three major evacuations — Drayton Valley, Edson and Yellowknife. …The centre has so far been active for 55 days and has assisted more than 12,300 evacuees. …With Edmonton situated on the edge of huge swaths of boreal forest to the west and north, and with climate change ready to serve up bigger, longer and more severe wildfire seasons, our city is going to have an increasingly common role as an evacuation hub.

As severe drought conditions have helped usher in BC’s most devastating wildfire season on record, experts and elected officials are warning of increased flooding risks and lingering damage even after wetter weather returns. More than 80 per cent of B.C.’s water basins are experiencing Level 4 or 5 drought conditions, meaning ecological and economic damage are likely or almost certain, according to the province and environmental experts. …The concurrent drought and unprecedented fire season are exacerbating one another and leaving the province increasingly vulnerable to severe flooding, according to experts. Drought kills vegetation and leaves soil exposed and hardened, said Tom Pypker (Thompson rivers University), with no root systems to help the soil absorb water when rain does fall. Those trees and vegetation are easily uprooted, said Pypker, adding that they can be carried away by heavy rains, turning into debris that can clog water systems and cause unexpected flooding. 

This season of record-breaking wildfires in Alberta and across Canada makes clear the urgent need to develop integrated wildland fire and forest management plans to limit the destruction of priceless ecosystems. In pursuing this vital aim, Indigenous knowledge and modern science can work as complementary tools. We take as an example the devastating fires that have affected Indigenous treaty right holders of northern Alberta, the Wood Buffalo National Park and the Wabasca wood buffalo herd. There is an opportunity to develop a regional plan that draws on the knowledge base of the local Indigenous knowledge keepers and the head start of a local Indigenous organization, the ShagowAskee foundation. The result might serve as a base and stimulus for thinking and the development of regional plans elsewhere in Canada.

Prince George RCMP is investigating an arson at a logging site that damaged approximately $1 million worth of equipment. Police say when employees returned to the site Tuesday (Sept. 5) after the long weekend, they found three of their machines burned beyond repair. They had last been at the site on the Mackenzie Lookout Forest Service Road on the Friday before. Prince George RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said the area where the machines are stores is “fairly remote and not visibly” from the forest service road. RCMP is now looking to speak with anyone who was in the area over the weekend and “may have noticed some unusual activity or anything suspicious.”

Port Alberni – Huu-ay-aht First Nations announces completion of an Old-Growth Interim Report that outlines the work completed to date on an Indigenous-led integrated stewardship approach to ecosystem health and biodiversity, including old-growth forests. In partnership with Huu-ay-aht Forestry Limited Partnership, C̓awak ʔqin Forestry, Mosaic Forest Management, the Old-Growth Interim Report is a step towards finalizing the Hišuk ma c̓awak Integrated Resource Management Plan (HIRMP). The HIRMP integrates a full range of values and stewardship measures across the entire Huu-ay-aht Ḥahuułi (Traditional Territory). As part of the HIRMP, the partners developed a draft design of the M̓aƛasap (to take a bite out of) Network that integrates old forests, riparian habitat, rare ecosystems, wildlife habitat and features, and cultural and traditional use areas to maintain connectivity across the Ḥahuułi. 

For years the B.C. government has faced criticism over significant gaps in legislation and policy that leave nature vulnerable to exploitation. Now, in the midst of a global biodiversity crisis, the province is developing new ways to protect species. But B.C.’s forestry watchdog says the province should make better use of the tools it already has under the Forest and Range Practices Act to stem the habitat losses driving species decline. “Although government has a range of flexible and adaptive tools, its overall approach has not achieved a reduction in the number of species at risk. Instead, many species like the northern goshawk have become more imperiled as threats to habitat availability increase,” the Forest Practices Board wrote in a recent report. The Ministry of Forests said the “government is working on a variety of initiatives related to managing habitat for species at risk.”

This summer, ecologist and Whistler Naturalists co-founder Bob Brett cored a sturdy Douglas fir near Loggers Lake, in the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF), that initially indicated it was about 750 years old. However, Brett said he only got about halfway in before hitting rot. “I’m still planning to go back and core from another angle with less rot, and hoping to get more rings,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s upwards of 900 years old, or even closer to 1,000.” …“This tree … is in a different league,” Brett said. “The bark is unbelievable. This is a really spectacular tree. It’s not even that big. It’s less than two metres in diameter.” The area had been slated for logging by CCF foresters, but with the moratorium on old-growth logging first implemented in 2021 still in place indefinitely, the tree is protected for now. 

The upcoming Forest of Fungi event being held in the Beaver Lodge Lands on Sept. 23 will help demystify the various species of mushrooms growing amongst the trees. The event will be part of National Forest Week, a public outreach and education week held across the country to help expand people’s knowledge about forests. “This year’s theme is supporting biological diversity,” said Heather Soo from the Canadian Institute of Forestry. That theme fits nicely with Soo’s other interest: mushrooms. …Soo will also be taking part in the Cumberland Fungus Festival, which will be the week after the Campbell River event.

Terrence Coste

In the long battle over old-growth forests in B.C., September 2020 was a moment of hope. After promising to deliver solutions on the contentious issue of logging in threatened ancient forests, the NDP government finally released the results of its Old Growth Strategic Review panel: a comprehensive report based on the largest public review on forest policy ever done in the province. It showed status quo forest management was broken and prescribed a paradigm shift. This was seen as vindication for conservationists who had been saying the same for decades. …Talk-and-log has been the norm in B.C. for decades, with governments vowing to answer the public desire to protect old-growth, … then continuing to permit the destruction of irreplaceable forests. Unfortunately, the NDP has proven itself loyal to the broken status quo. So far, the B.C. government has not shown the will or the courage to deliver the paradigm shift it promised three years ago.

Controversial logging on Spallumcheen’s Rose Swanson Mountain is set to go ahead after an appeal of a decision to allow the logging was denied by the Forest Practices Board. Before any logging happens, the board says more consultation with the public would benefit the harvesting plans. Rose Swanson Mountain was designated as a sensitive area in 1996, and recent plans by BC Timber Sales to harvest in the area have been met by pushback from the community, as the mountain is a well used recreational site. …In July, the Forest Practices Board reviewed a request from a member of the public to appeal the approval of amendments to BC Timber Sales’ forest stewardship plan. The board decided not to appeal amendments to the forest stewardship plan. However, … the board is encouraging public consultation to take place before any logging is done.

The onset of large, severe wildfires that threaten communities year after year has occurred earlier in B.C. than previous research projected, and experts say the record-shattering 2023 season must serve as a springboard for action. The surge stems from a combination of climate change and entrenched forest management practices, which have together created a landscape more conducive to large, high-intensity blazes, says Lori Daniels, a professor in the department of forest and conservation sciences at the University of B.C. “Society is already paying a huge cost for these climate change-fuelled fires,” she says. “The thing we can control in the short term is the vulnerability of the landscape.” Reducing that vulnerability means transforming how B.C.’s diverse landscape is managed. Shifting away from a timber-focused approach that prioritizes conifers over less-flammable broadleaf trees and ramping up prescribed burning are key steps toward protecting communities by supporting healthy, resilient forests, Daniels says.