Region Archives: Canada West

Jennifer Gunter

Jennifer Gunter has been with the BC Community Forest Association since its inception nearly 22 years ago, translating her post-secondary research on the emerging concept of a community forest into a leadership role with community forests in BC. As co-founder and executive director, she supports communities building a model of landscape management that advances their economic, social, and ecological sustainability goals. …”Right now, there is so much change in B.C.’s forest sector,” said Gunter. “Some of the positive change includes  an increased focus on relationships with Indigenous nations and moving towards co-management and Indigenous-led decision making. Community forestry in B.C. has always included First Nations. About half of the existing community forests in the province are held by First Nations or a partnership.” Gunter also spoke to climate change, saying, “community forests have worked for decades to reduce the risk of wildfire to their communities. …a landscape-level approach to wildfire is critical”.

The Dene Nation is calling for a full, independent public inquiry to begin as soon as possible into the Northwest Territories’ 2023 wildfire response. In a news release on Thursday, Dene National Chief Gerald Antoine said a public inquiry should encourage everyone in the NWT to talk about their experiences. The NWT government has already said it is planning a wildfire review, though the scope of the only request for proposals issued to date does not include public engagement. Behchokǫ̀, Fort Smith, Jean Marie River, Hay River, Kátł’odeeche First Nation, Enterprise, Ndılǫ, Dettah, Yellowknife, Kakisa and Wekweètì all evacuated this summer – with some communities facing multiple evacuations and some residents displaced for more than a month at a time. …The territorial government’s wildfire response is directed by its Forest Fire Management policy, which asserts that fire management should “draw upon local knowledge.”

B.C.’s Forest Practices Board has opened an investigation into B.C. Wildfire Service’s response to the catastrophic Bush Creek East wildfire that devastated communities on the north shore of Shuswap Lake in August. Shuswap Lake resident Jim Cooperman filed a complaint for what he alleges was “gross negligence” on the fire service’s part for lighting a back burn just before a major wind storm that he argues blew it out of control and overwhelmed the communities of Scotch Creek, Celista and the Skwlāx First Nation, destroying 176 homes. A Forest Practices Board spokesperson, said an investigator is arranging to travel to the site this month to conduct interviews at the start of an investigative process that could take six months to a year. “Ultimately, I’m looking for accountability,” Cooperman said. And he offered the opinion that the officials responsible “for this disastrous back burn basically are losing their jobs.”

British Columbia’s chief forester has set a new allowable annual cut (AAC) level for the Lillooet Timber Supply Area (TSA). The new AAC for the Lillooet TSA is 375,000 m3. This is a 34% reduction from the previous AAC, while remaining 9% above 2016-2021 harvesting levels. The change brings the AAC in line with recent harvesting levels; supports old growth management areas, riparian areas, and wildlife habitat areas; and accounts for First Nations cultural heritage resources and practices. Within this AAC, there are two partitions: a maximum of 300,000 m3 from live trees; and a maximum of 180,000 m3 from live trees where the ground is sloped less than 40%. As well, to encourage the continued harvest of trees killed by the mountain pine beetle outbreak, the ongoing spruce bark beetle outbreak and by wildfire, the chief forester added 75,000 cubic metres from dead trees to the AAC.

The Nature Trust of B.C. is ­aiming to raise $1 million by the end of the year to purchase 38.7 hectares of mature Douglas fir forest on Denman Island. The goal is to conserve rare coastal rainforest and at-risk species, including the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. The trust announced this week that it has been given an opportunity to buy the land, but needs the funds by the end of the year. The land is located adjacent to a Denman Conservancy Association conservation area called Central Park, and the Denman Island Provincial Park and Protected Area. Acquiring the 38.7 hectare property would increase the conserved area to 187 hectares that will never be sold or developed, the Nature Trust said. The trust said the property has timber value “and its purchase will ensure that its sensitive, rare, mature forests and wetlands are protected in perpetuity.”

The clashes between environmentalists and industry workers on the topic of old growth logging are nothing new to British Columbians or the UVic community. In the fall of 2020, the B.C. government announced their commitment to the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR). …Environmental NGOs are calling for the other recommendations to be met in all due haste. …However, the response from nations on the topic of allowing old-growth logging in their territory has been mixed. As things stand, nations who approve the logging are in a position to work with logging companies and receive partial monetary compensation from the profits. No such compensation is currently available as an incentive to oppose the logging. Both the Sierra Club and B.C. Green Party have called for “conservation financing” — provincial government funding to offset the loss of revenue for nations who wish to protect old-growth in their territory. 

In the midst of the wildfires raging through the Central Okanagan in August, came visits by B.C.’s premier and the prime minister. Premier David Eby toured areas devastated by the McDougall Creek, Walroy Lake, and Clarke Creek wildfires by helicopter on Aug. 22. “The devastation for families who have lost everything, homes burned to the ground, will be some time recovering, for community members and so many affected individuals,” the premier said during a news conference. Eby, who was joined by Emergency Minister Bowin Ma, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, and Federal Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan, also visited Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna, the reception centre for those evacuated due to the McDougall Creek fire. …Trudeau did not announce any funding or programs to help those affected by the wildfires during his visit. However, on Aug. 18 Sajjan did offer the federal government’s support to those impacted by the wildfires.

Grizzly bears seen starving in the rainforests of BC’s south coast because there isn’t enough salmon to sustain them raises alarm bells for wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory. The science is “crying out” for greater habitat protections for the iconic species as industrial activities eat away at the landscapes the bears depend on, he said. …McCrory said the province’s draft plan to adjust grizzly management doesn’t meaningfully address habitat loss and could prove “disastrous” for the bears. He is among the signatories of an open letter sent to provincial officials last week as public engagement closed for the draft grizzly stewardship framework. The letter published by Pacific Wild and signed by more than 50 scientists, advocates and conservation groups says the proposed plan minimizes the threats posed by the “severe fragmentation” of grizzly habitat in B.C. by logging, road building and other industrial activities against the backdrop of climate change.

Despite starting almost exactly 20 years to the day after the Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire, no one batted an eye when the McDougall Creek wildfire was first reported. …Over the month and a half the Grouse Complex took over the Central Okanagan, so many incredible and emotional stories came out as well as bringing up many memories of 20 years ago. Over the four fires, 189 structures were damaged or destroyed, including firefighters who lost their homes. Not many people would ever think the fire would cross Okanagan Lake causing two more large blazes to ignite, but it did. Not many people experience stopping their lives in order to save their family or their home – they did. While wildfires happen every single year, the 2023 Grouse Complex is something the Central Okanagan hasn’t seen in years and something residents hope they don’t have to experience again for a long time.

VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC — We live in the coastal temperate rainforest… on the west coast of what is now known as Vancouver Island. …The resource extraction companies have already come for the nearby mountainsides. …Climate change is both a consequence of and larger than what the resource-taking industry has done here. Drought, extreme heat, torrential rains, floods, unpredictable storm patterns and wildfires are already here. …Fifty kilometres down the coast from us, Tofino’s precipitation records show an average annual rainfall of 327 centimetres. In the first eight months of 2023 — January to September — there was less than 97 centimetres of precipitation. …What becomes of the rainforest when it no longer rains? When do we slip below the level at which a rainforest can sustain itself as a rainforest …How long will it be until our home is no longer our home?

The British Columbia government has announced new funding to strengthen wood-product manufacturing and to further support local First Nations economies around the province. According to a news release, the funding announced is part of the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF), which supports non-for-profit organizations to plan and launch high-value industrial and manufacturing projects. In the release, Brenda Bailey, minister of jobs, economic development and innovation, said the provincial government continues to work and support First Nations and manufacturing companies in order to achieve long-term growth in the industry. “By investing in innovation, we’re getting more value from the wood harvested in B.C., while creating and preserving high-quality jobs in the forestry sector,” she said. In addition to non-for-profit organizations, the BCMJF is also supporting three Indigenous-led planning projects, including Stuwix Resources, which is located in Merritt.

A Boundary professional forester was honoured for his hard work in community-based forest management and education. Dan Macmaster was honoured with the prestigious Canadian Forestry Achievement Award at the 2023 Canadian Institute of Forestry National Awards Ceremony. The award “recognizes individuals who have made unique and outstanding achievements in the field of forestry”. This award acknowledges Macmaster’s accomplishments and commitment to the natural environment, forest education, and community-based forest management. “Dan has an admirable influence towards the forestry profession and beyond, and is deeply deserving of this Award,” stated Mark Pearson, CIF executive director. Currently, Macmaster is the Forest Manager of the West Boundary Community Forest and the Osoyoos Indian Band’s Nk’Mip First Nations Woodland licence. …He firmly believes that learning experiences, like those provided through the West Boundary Community Forest and its Outdoor Education Centre, are essential for the future well-being of community forests and the forest sector.

Logging in the Horsefly River watershed will be the topic of discussion at an open house set to take place Saturday, Oct. 14. Hosted by the Horsefly River Roundtable, representatives from the Ministry of Forests, Tolko, West Fraser and BCTS are expected to be in attendance. The meeting was initially requested back in June when the Horsefly River Roundtable and stakeholders requested an immediate moratorium on all industrial forest-related activities in the Horsefly River Fisheries Sensitive Watershed as they sought more information on logging activities. “Obviously we don’t want logging to stop but we would like to put on some pressure to have the area assessed by boots on the ground,” Helen Englund, a member of the roundtable, said at the time.

ANACLA, B.C. –  Today, Huu-ay-aht First Nations hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Bamfield Main Road at Kilometre 76 to mark the completion of the Bamfield Main Road Reconciliation Project. Following, was a celebration at the House of Huu-ay-aht. This project started back in 2020 with Huu-ay-aht and the Province sharing the same vision of creating a safer route between Bamfield and Port Alberni, and today both partners have made it a reality.  Providing mitigation towards a safe route is one substantial task completed. The Bamfield Main Road is an active industrial road. It supports multiple users from industry to residents living in the Bamfield and Ditidaht area and the growing number of visitors. Over the years, the Bamfield Main, known as a dusty gravel road, has put many road users at risk and in some cases taken their lives. 

BANFF – Banff’s elected officials are keen to look at extra tactics to better protect the townsite from future wildfire in the wake of an alarming record-breaking fire season in Canada. Council has directed administration to bring to service review deliberations later this year broad-based funding tactics, including options on where enhancements could be made to address climate resiliency. Coun. Chip Olver said the intent is to help the community of Banff better prepare and respond to the increased frequency, duration and severity of weather events due to climate change. …As well as the Town of Banff’s FireSmart work and incentive programs, such as rooftop sprinkler systems, Parks Canada also does fire protection work on neighbouring national park lands, including logging large-scale fireguards as well as prescribed fires that not only have environmental benefits – including for wildlife – but would also make it easier to fight a future wildfire.

Osoyoos, B.C. – Extending its reach from South Okanagan into the Kootenay Boundary region, the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) has taken a lead role in a project important to users of Mount Baldy. With funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, this project centres on creating an 8.5-kilometre fuel break along Mt. Baldy Road, squarely aimed at mitigating the persistent wildfire threat and creating a safer egress route for public and firefighting crews in the event of a wildfire. “…mitigating wildfire risk is vital for keeping people, communities and First Nations in B.C. safe – now more than ever,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. …Peter Flett, operations manager with Nk’Mip Forestry, OIB’s forestry department said, “completion of this fuel treatment will decrease the risk of a high-intensity wildfire starting along the corridor by removing surface, ladder, and crown fuels in areas where the forest is dense and overgrown.”

It’s official — B.C. has now more than doubled the previous record for area burned during a single wildfire season.   As the extreme weather of climate change makes destructive summers like this year’s more and more likely, the province’s independent forests watchdog is calling for radical action to make our landscapes more resistant to fire.  “The urgency is really unfortunate. The numbers this year are devastating. The casualties, loss of life is horrific,” Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board told CBC News.  …Atkinson described 2023 as an “alarming” year for wildfires, but said it hasn’t necessarily come as a shock.  …In June, as the wildfire season was ramping up, the Forest Practices Board released a report calling on the B.C. government to take “bold and immediate action” to change how the province’s land is managed. 

Nathan Cullen

People and communities can look forward to more freely accessible high-quality data to support informed and effective decision-making on climate resiliency and land-use planning as the LidarBC program is now underway.  Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data can be used to help communities plan for and respond to climate emergencies, support habitat and ecosystem protection and inform sustainable forestry management.   …“B.C. covers almost a million square kilometres and almost none of it is properly mapped and understood. Working with First Nations, industry and other interest groups, B.C. is taking action to map every corner of the province,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. …B.C. has signed a contract with Kîsik Geospatial and Aerial Survey (Kîsik) to collect LiDAR elevation data. This process delivers highly detailed and accurate three-dimensional mappings of landscapes for all of B.C.

Diane Haughland

ALBERTA — When you walk past a tree in Edmonton’s river valley, you may notice multicoloured growths, decorating them in yellow, green, grey and bluish spots. These are lichens. They work closely with their photosynthesizing partner — usually algae — which live inside lichens. Lichens are important determinants of air quality, said Troy McMullin, a lichenologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. “They get their nutrients and minerals from what is floating by, what’s in the air,” he said. “Essentially, they’re eating the air and if there’s pollutants in the air, they’re going to eat those too.” Different lichens have different sensitivities to pollution and other environmental conditions. …Lichenologist Diane Haughland wrote the guide on lichens of Alberta. We took a walk with her to learn more about some of Alberta’s common lichen species, and learned what their presence – or absence – can tell us about local air quality.

TJ Watt has spent half his life as a forest explorer, a self-described “tree hunter” in British Columbia. He wades deep into endangered forests to find pristine towering trees that are hundreds of years old and massively wide but have never been photographed or documented.  He draws attention to the enormous old-growth trees to show the importance of saving the natural wonders from logging. The day he approached a gargantuan western red cedar he’d been trekking with a friend for several hours in a remote area on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound in Ahousaht territory off the west coast of Vancouver Island. …As he drew closer to the tree, Watt said he was overcome with disbelief: He was dwarfed by a tree standing 151 feet tall and 17 and a half feet in diameter. The tree, believed to be more than 1,000 years old, was the find of a lifetime.

Vancouver police say 800 protests have already occurred in the city and it is expected the grand total will reach or surpass 1,000 by year’s end — a significant and steady increase from 563 recorded in 2020, 785 in 2021 and 810 last year. Police Chief Adam Palmer signalled to the Vancouver Police Board in June 2021 that protests were on the rise in the city,saying “by far and large, the greatest number of protests we’re seeing are environmental — whether it’s logging, [protecting] old-growth forests, TMX pipeline — those sorts of protests [are] way more than anything else.” Palmer updated his comments at a police board meeting last month, where he said the VPD anticipated 1,000 protests or more will have occurred in Vancouver before year’s end. Statistics supplied to Glacier Media show a steady increase on money spent to manage protests and demonstrations, with $478,460 in 2018, $1,033,297 in 2019, $2,835,584 in 2020 and more than $3 million last year.

An old piece of local logging history has made its way back to its original home in Powell River. The city says a steam donkey, also known as a steam powered winch, has been installed at Lindsay Park. It was built in 1918 by Vancouver Engineering Works and was used by the Anderson Sawmill, run by Andy and Clara Anderson on Powell Lake in Block Bay from 1932 to 1960. …After their business was unable to run, they decided to donate the entire sawmill to the Burnaby Village Museum, who said they would get the steam donkey up and running again. However, that proved to be too costly. In 2014, through a grant from the Powell River Community Forest and partnerships with Powell River Forestry Heritage Society, the city and qathet Museum and Archives, the steam donkey has been brought home and installed close to where it was once used.

ALBERTA — Spray Lake Sawmills is in hot water again with environmental and recreational groups concerned about logging in Kananaskis, as the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has launched an investigation into the forest products company surrounding the construction of a bridge this summer. The Alberta Wilderness Association says the bridge Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) built over the Highwood River to access forests they plan to clearcut this winter requires a permit from the federal fisheries department. However, SLS did not receive such authorization. SLS insists they have followed all the rules. …SLS’s Ed Kulcsar said, “In general, DFO permits are only required if a project proponent is unable to protect fish and fish habitat while conducting their works. At SLS, we follow all approval processes and implement all measures and best management practices to ensure the protection of fish and fish habitat on all our bridge installations.”

Prince George urban forests are threatened by fragmentation from suburban development and we need to change development pathways to protect biodiversity. Fragmentation is a ubiquitous phenomenon, with nearly 20% of the world’s remaining forest now found within 100 m of an edge, 50% within 500 m and 70% within 1 km. Typically, this means that forests are separated by roads, agriculture, utility corridors, subdivisions, or other human development. It usually occurs incrementally, beginning with cleared patches here and there, perhaps a new subdivision or utility corridor and over time, these non-forested patches tend to multiply and expand until the forest is reduced to scattered, disconnected forest islands. You can see this in Prince George using Google Earth. New subdivisions and other land use seriously threaten the health, function, and value of the remaining forest. …We therefore need to take the impacts of fragmentation into account when making decisions about land use and development within our city.

The amount of old-growth forests cut in British Columbia in 2021 was almost a fifth higher than the provincial government reported, according to a new analysis. The report, released Wednesday by the Sierra Club BC, found 45,700 hectares of old forest were logged that year, more than 19 per cent higher than the 38,300 hectares later reported by the B.C. government. “We need more honesty about what’s happening,” said Jens Wieting, the Sierra Club BC’s senior forest and climate campaigner. “We found some really disturbing numbers. …Wieting says the province is using an outdated system to compile annual logging information. That system relies on inputting cutblock information from logging companies and from Landsat satellite data into a government database. …In a statement, the ministry said it has been been working to make data on B.C.’s forests more accessible to the public through satellite-based change detection and data collection.