Region Archives: Canada West

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.

Invasive earthworms are changing the makeup of soil in Canada’s boreal forests, new University of Alberta research shows. The study highlights how non-native earthworms are directly altering the soil microbial community in the country’s boreal forests. The wrigglers are inducing shifts in the community composition of bacteria and fungi that live in the soil, which is potentially concerning, says Justine Lejoly, who conducted the research at the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. “That means the functioning of the microbial communities is likely changing as well,” affecting vital services the soil performs, she notes. As the main drivers of carbon and nutrient cycling, these microbes can help plants access important nutrients and also participate in soil carbon storage. “As earthworm invasion progresses in these boreal systems, these changes in the soil microbial communities may have an impact on forests at a large scale,” adds Lejoly.

Bob Brash

CAMPBELL RIVER, BC — The executive director of the Truck Loggers Association’s message that senior government policies are not doing the forest industry any favours fell on sympathetic ears Tuesday. Bob Brash delivered that message as a delegation to Campbell River City Council’s Committee of the Whole. …Brash’ message was that not much was going on in the world of forestry to help further the industry’s aims. …“Whether you agree with what government is trying to do or not, there should be sort of an adequate transition plan. And right now that’s non-existent.” …He acknowledged that everyone is total agreement with the notion of reconciliation and transfer of tenures to First Nations, however, that process is “taking a long time and instills yet another level of uncertainty.” Government talks about value over volume, but the “Catch-22” for the value-added sector… is they also need certainty of supply in order to invest.

In Relate Coverage: Forestry sector plagued by misinformation, uncertainty, says Bob Brash

A senior member of Canada’s Forest Stewardship Council said he thinks North Cowichan’s forestry practices and planning for its 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve are of a “high level”. Speaking at North Cowichan’s council meeting on Aug. 16, Orrin Quinn, the FSC’s manager for western Canada, said he thinks the municipality’s forest practices are well aligned with the FSC’s principles and criteria. …But Coun. Bruce Findlay said the municipality’s forestry service is one of the best in Canada. Findlay asked if the FSC is against the type of harvesting that North Cowichan used to do in the MFR in the past. Quinn said while he doesn’t know how North Cowichan harvested in the past, industrial forest management practices like those employed by Western Forest Products and Mosaic wouldn’t meet the requirements. …Coun. Chris Istace said for such a small amount of money it may be worthwhile to be accredited by the FSC.

Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) is applying for a research grant through Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. that could change how Sun Peaks Fire Rescue approaches forest fire fuel mitigation. SPMRM wants to explore chipping and spreading some burn piles – piles of wood thinned from a forest – they collect as fire bans extend longer into the fall, reducing the time fire crews can burn collected fuel. It could also prevent unintended consequences from pile burns that happened last year. On Mt. Morrisey, just over one hectare of trees in two different groves were destroyed after pile burning last fall by forest fuel management crews, contracted by SPMRM, spread underground. These burns were conducted in October after the province lifted the fire ban and after the first snowfall. …The resulting response was shown to council during a presentation in March by Garnet Mierau, a registered forest professional representing Forsite, a company contracted by SPMRM.

Bruce Blackwell

B.C.’s approach to wildfire hazards is out-of-step with its counterparts on the U.S. West Coast that have enacted state-wide building code requirements. Against the advice in its own reviews of catastrophic fire seasons stretching back two decades, the B.C. government hasn’t mandated the construction of buildings using fire-resistant materials and landscaping in wildfire hazard zones. Instead, the province says it’s more appropriate to leave decisions to implement building requirements to individual communities through local bylaws. …Bruce Blackwell, a longtime forestry consultant who has produced dozens of wildfire protection plans for local governments in B.C., said he believes the province has to take charge and not leave it to individual communities. Even where communities implement bylaws, some are done rigorously and some not, and they’re not held to a uniform standard, he said. “The province has to direct high-hazard communities, and mandate building codes that are consistent with FireSmart,” said Blackwell.

Do you know a forest professional who has done an outstanding job in helping manage BC’s forests? Is there someone you work with who is constantly finding new and innovative ways to practise forestry? Someone who mentored you and other forest professionals you look up to as an example of dedication and outstanding service to the forestry profession? If so, nominate them for a 2023 FPBC award, recognizing registrants and others for outstanding achievements in the practice of forestry and service to the profession. Nominations are now open. Awards are presented at the 76th FPBC annual forestry conference and AGM, scheduled for Kelowna, February 7-9, 2024. Awards include Distinguished Forest Professional, Professional Forester of the Year, Forest Technologist of the Year, Forest Innovation Award, and the Jim Rodney Memorial Volunteer of the Year. A full list of all awards and the nominations requirements are available on the FPBC website. Deadline for nominations is October 31. 

In the province of British Columbia, Canada, four of the most severe wildfire seasons of the last century occurred in the past 7 years: 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023. To investigate trends in wildfire activity and fire-conducive climate, we conducted an analysis of mapped wildfire perimeters and annual climate data for the period of 1919–2021. Results show that after a century-long decline, fire activity increased from 2005 onwards, coinciding with a sharp reversal in the wetting trend of the 20th century. Even as precipitation levels remain high, moisture deficits have increased due to rapid warming and increased evaporative demand. Bottom-up factors further influence fire activity, as the legacy of past wildfires, insect outbreaks, and land-use practices continually influence fire regimes. The compound effects of climate-induced moisture changes and altered fuels now force British Columbians to confront the harsh reality of more frequent years of intense and prolonged wildfire activity.

The planned ignition BC Wildfire Services completed on Tuesday by Hidden Creek was much bigger than originally thought. …favourable conditions allowed crews to continue north and northeast of the Hidden Creek Forest Service Road, ending with a 146-hectare successful ignition. This provided an anchor for fire crews to safely work and develop systems for water suppression operations. Crews stayed late overnight to monitor guards in the area and respond if a hot spot occurred. On Wednesday, crews are starting small hand ignitions within the containment lines. BC Wildfire Service is also going to continue with the next phase of its bigger planned ignitions early Wednesday afternoon. This planned ignition is set to be 350 hectares in size and will burn unburnt fuel on the north and northwest sides of Carrot Mountain, adjacent to the Powers Creek Drainage, where the fire has been most active lately.

B.C.’s Forest Practices Board has denied an appeal of a decision to allow logging on Spallumcheen’s Rose Swanson Mountain. In an Aug. 15 decision, the board declined to appeal amendments to the BC Timber Sales forest stewardship plan – but it is encouraging public discourse on reaching an acceptable compromise. That comes in response to public concern over the potential logging from the Friends of Rose Swanson Ecosystem Society (FORSES) and others. While timber harvesting will now go ahead, the board says “the local community has a significant interest in the future of the Rose Swanson Mountain area, with many people opposed to any timber harvesting there.” Forest Practices Board chair Keith Atkinson continues: “The government has an opportunity now to address the public’s concerns by developing a new management plan that takes the local community’s knowledge and input into account.” …Spallumcheen residents have been fighting the proposed logging since at least 2021.

Additional coverage: Forest Practices Board open letter response to a request from a member of the public to appeal a decision made by government.

Metro Vancouver lost the equivalent of six Stanley Park’s worth of natural habitat in the past decade, according to a report sent to the authority’s regional planning committee. From 2009 to 2020, the region lost 250 square kilometres of forests, fields, wetlands and other ecosystems, mainly from logging, agriculture and development. “The speed and scale of the loss observed is concerning,” said Laurie Bates-Frymel, a city planner. Metro hopes to increase protected natural lands from 40 to 50 per cent of the regional land base by 2050. The natural habitat lost since 2009 represents roughly 1 1/2 per cent of the region’s land. …To combat forest loss from logging, which occurred primarily in the Ridge-Meadows region, the report recommends implementing policies to protect land designated for “conservation and recreation.” …Moore acknowledged the conflicting demands facing municipalities, which are trying to increase housing while simultaneously preserving natural spaces. 

Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Corporation (HSPP) has submitted an application for a disposition of Crown Land to consolidate some in-water and upland tenures for chip transportation. HSPP intends to consolidate nine pre-existing log handling and storage tenures to continue chip transportation and unloading activities at the company’s Port Mellon site. HSPP’s current tenures have a variety of expiry dates, and the application notes four have expired and a fifth is set to expire in the first quarter of 2024. These tenures are used to receive and offload chips and temporarily store empty scows. HSPP began working on renewing some of the water lot leases in 2021, said Blair Dickerson, HSPP’s vice president of public affairs. The leases, which are typically 25 years, were reaching the end of their terms. The existing tenures covered a 17.8 ha which is being merged into a single smaller tenure covering a total area of 8.41ha.

COWICHAN LAKE, BC — The pumping of water from Cowichan Lake into the Cowichan River will begin as early as Sept. 11 while extremely dry conditions persist. Catalyst Crofton will manage the pumping that will continue until water levels are naturally restored later this fall. According to Paper Excellence, water will be pumped at a rate designed to maintain current flow conditions in the Cowichan River. That’s about 4.5 cubic metres per second. …Low lake levels have resulted and reduced flows which now requires water pumping from the lake to preserve the river and its habitat. The pumping is authorized by the B.C. Ministry of Forests. …“Catalyst Crofton has been collaboratively managing Cowichan River since 2002 with First Nations, local government and other key stakeholders,” stated Bruce Eby, general manager. “While curtailed, the mill’s water requirements are significantly reduced.”

On the outskirts of Merritt, a logging truck driver has created the prototype for a new way to haul logs. It’s a hybrid electric/diesel truck that promises more horsepower with a fraction of the fuel costs and emissions. …Chace Barber believes that since logging trucks generally go up the hills empty, and come down loaded, they are perfectly suited for this. “Electric makes the most sense for the logging industry in BC,” said Barber. …Because of range limitations, Barber said fully electric trucks only work for about 10% of the industry. He believes his hybrid model is the answer for most of what remains.

Vernon Seed Orchard Company jointly owned by West Fraser Mills ltd, Canadian Forest Products Ltd and Lakeland Mills Ltd recently unveiled its new Interior Extraction Facility. (VSOC) established in 1989 has been engaged with the Province of BC’s tree improvement program and produced well over 1.5 billion seedlings to date. This new facility will allow seed producers the opportunity to decrease wait times, reduce transportation environmental impacts, manage storage more efficiently and receive their product in a timelier manner. With conifer seed production orchard locations in Vernon and Quesnel (VSOC) is one of the largest seed producers in Canada. “We are committed to reinvesting in our long-term tree improvement goals by building a state-of-the-art facility that will enable seed to be extracted in the interior of BC” stated Jeff Mycock VSOC President and West Fraser Chief Forester.

…a drama is about to unfold in the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. The case pits Teal Cedar Products Ltd. against the Province of B.C. and the Haida Gwaii Management Council. Teal is suing for $75 million — the cost, it claims, of being forced to stop logging old-growth forests on Haida Gwaii. …eye-opening testimony offered a window into the government’s thinking on reconciliation, resource extraction and ecological protection. Trial resumes today, with more high-profile witnesses to come. Chief among them is Pat Bell, B.C.’s former minister of forests, who Teal claims made the company a verbal promise it would be “kept whole” in the wake of sweeping forestry reforms on Haida Gwaii more than a decade ago. Teal’s lawsuit is a dark-mirror inversion of the conflict playing out at Fairy Creek where an awkward fact remains: the elected and hereditary leadership of the nations there oppose the blockades and support Teal-Jones.