Region Archives: Canada West

Opinion / EdiTOADial

Consequences To BC’s Old Growth Forest Policy Are Real

By David Elstone, Managing Director
The Spar Tree Group
September 19, 2023
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Elstone

Job losses and reductions in work have been confirmed as real consequences of BC’s initiatives on old growth forest policy. Spar Tree Group’s May 2023 BC forest sector survey found three quarters of timber harvesting and road building contractors were experiencing some amount of work reduction due to old growth deferrals. Furthermore, the survey results indicated at least 1,000 jobs may have been displaced because of the deferrals in timber harvesting alone (not including forest product manufacturers nor the other segments of the forest sector’s supply chain). …After a mild rebound from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the provincial Crown timber harvest has since decreased by 16 million cubic metres or over -30%. For 2023, timber harvesting is down -23% year-to-date to August. …Staying on this path will mean more closures. …To be fair, other factors such as the now-past mountain pine beetle epidemic and ongoing wildfires have definitely contributed to these decreases.

Anti-forestry advocates are calling for more and faster action on old growth forests. Giving into to such pressure is what got us into this trouble in the first place. It is incumbent on local governments and all members of the provincial government to ask what are the potential impacts of the next steps? Perhaps some analysis should actually be done on the outstanding fourteen recommendations of the A New Future For Older Forest report. …Yes – we should improve our efforts in managing for old growth, but it is a complete myth to believe we are harvesting the last of our old growth when at least 75% of the existing old growth forests in this province are not threatened by harvesting. We need to be open to new ways of managing forests in BC that are dynamic and active to promote forest resilience instead of creating static area set asides to achieve a target which meets some environmental or political agenda. 

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Time for a proactive approach to wildfire — we know the solutions and we have the expertise

By Christine Gelowitz, CEO, Forest Professionals BC
The Province
September 18, 2023
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, Canada West

Christine Gelowitz

Wildfires are part of the natural ecosystem — have been for thousands of years and will continue to be in the future. While the scale and impact of wildfire in B.C. appears to be increasing exponentially, there are more steps we could take to protect our communities and the forest, and to improve our ability to respond to and minimize the impact of wildfires. But doing so will not be easy or simple. It takes co-operation among the public, landowners, forest professionals, First Nations, firefighters, emergency responders and, most importantly, elected government representatives. …The core ingredients for a new vision and approach to wildfire is readily available in BC if governments are ready to make the investment and drive the required policy changes. Good ideas abound.

Earlier this year, the B.C. Forest Practices Board released a special report urging the provincial government to align policies and programs across all levels of government to enable landscape-level fire management. …Dr. Mike Flannigan of Thompson Rivers University, estimates that every dollar spent on prevention and mitigation saves $5 to $15 spent on fighting wildfires. The time for waiting and conducting more studies is over. In many communities, the planning is completed and solutions have been tabled. Now they need to be implemented by policy and government funding at a scale comparable with the efforts devoted to wildfire emergency response. B.C. has skilled and competent people who can help move wildfire prevention and mitigation activities forward. …We know the solutions. We have the expertise. Now we just need the will to act.

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Business & Politics

Tolko appoints Pino Pucci as COO, announces leadership changes

Tolko Industries Ltd.
September 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Pino Pucci

Brad Thorlakson, President and CEO of Tolko Industries, announced that Pino Pucci, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Logistics will assume a newly created interim role as Tolko’s Chief Operating Officer. “This role has been created to support our succession planning process, as Pino will eventually succeed me as President & CEO,” said Brad. …Effective October 2, Pino will assume oversight of Tolko’s Solid Wood, Strand Based Business and US Operations and retain his current responsibility for the marketing, logistics and transportation portfolio. There has been no formal date set for the CEO transition to occur. …Brad Eckford, currently Manager, Logistics & Transportation, will succeed Pino as Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Logistics. …Rhys Thompson, currently Manager, OSB Sales and Marketing will expand his role to Include Manager, Logistics and Transportation. …Kiley Sales, Executive Assistant, will support both Pino Pucci and Brad Eckford.

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Community watching new owners of Spray Lakes Sawmills carefully

By Editorial Board
The Cochrane Eagle
September 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

COCHRANE, Alberta — With the news this week that longstanding Cochrane company Spray Lakes Sawmills was selling out to British Columbia-based company the West Fraser Timber, many in the community are left wondering what this means for the future. The 80-year-old, family-owned company has contributed so much to the economic and social fabric of Cochrane that in many ways its influence, especially on the early development of the town, is incalculable. …It is hoped that new owners will have the same regard for the community the Mjolsnes family has had. …The signs on the surface seem somewhat positive in that regard in that West Fraser Timber Company was also founded as a family business, but the fact it is also now a major multinational company and that tends to change the DNA of community connection.

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Western Forest Products and Town of Port McNeill collaborate for community development

Western Forest Products
September 13, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Town of Port McNeill expressed its appreciation to Western Forest Products for the Company’s contribution of 2.4 acres of property to the town at its September 12 Council Meeting. The three centrally located parcels of land are intended to meet the evolving needs and aspirations of the town’s population. Western representatives, Clint Cadwallader, General Manager Timberlands, and Brad McRae, Government Relations Director, joined Mayor Furney and Town Councillors for the announcement. “The well-being of Port McNeill has always been enhanced by the contributions of the primary forest companies. …This generous land contribution by Western Forest Products provides Port McNeill residents with future opportunities for public use as we shape our common future,” said Mayor James Furney. Today’s contribution continues the Company’s long-term commitment towards investing in community needs in the areas where its employees live and work. Through Western’s Community Enhancement Fund, the Company provides support to local community events, organizations and initiatives.

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Skeena Sawmills and affiliates face bankruptcy with debts over $143 million

By Viktor Elias
The Northern View
September 13, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A numbered company is petitioning the B.C. Supreme Court to force Skeena Sawmills and its affiliated entities into bankruptcy… seeking to appoint a receiver and manager of all properties associated with Skeena Sawmills, Skeena Bioenergy and ROC Holdings to sell them. The numbered company — registered by Xiao Peng Cui and Shenwei Wu who own the other three companies — is the major creditor. Due to increasing concerns over debt load, the lender made formal demands for payments to the companies on Jan. 26, 2023. Subsequent negotiations culminated in further loans and advances and a payment plan. Despite the agreement, financial challenges persisted. As of Sept. 8, the combined debt and advances reached approximately $143 million. Both Skeena Sawmills and Skeena Bioenergy are now shut down. Several other entities have also pursued legal avenues in the form of contractor liens, to secure their interests against the companies… and the Crown has registered stumpage charges.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Why Western Red Cedar is a builder’s choice

By Western Red Cedar Lumber Association
LinkedIn
September 18, 2023
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

…At the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association our mandate to enhance demand for WRC and drive sales and value means we follow market trends and behavior to capitalize on opportunities that increase usage and grow market share. Architects and designers have been two highly influential groups that the association has targeted in the past; this year we’ve expanded that audience to include custom home and multi-unit dwelling builders and contractors. Ducker Attitudinal Research found that a large majority of builders in this category (roughly 90%) are familiar or very familiar with WRC, and most (about 80%) are interested in knowing more about the attributes and benefits of using WRC. While awareness of Western Red Cedar and an interest in learning more about it are helpful, it’s the attributes that influence product consideration that are more likely to lead to a builder specifying WRC and ultimately result in a sale.

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Kamloops artist and forester turns wildfire wood into art

Sarah Penton
CBC Radio
September 8, 2023
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Casey Macaulay, a Kamloops-based artist and forester took wood burned in the 2021 wildfire in Logan Lake and crafted it into two tables that are returning to the community as art. Aragorn Arts is inspired by the character of Aragorn (aka Strider) from J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings. This is a CBC Audio story. Click the Read More to listen. 

 

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Forestry

David Suzuki returning to Prince George for Conservation North fundraiser

By Neil Godbout
The Prince George Citizen
September 20, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Conservation North is bringing David Suzuki to Prince George for a fundraising event…. doing a keynote address at the House of Ancestors in Lheidli T’enneh territory on Oct. 7. …“We’re honoured that Dr. Suzuki offered his time for free to help us raise money to continue our work protecting precious primary forests,” explains Michelle Connolly, director of the volunteer-based group. …“We need more people to join the movement they’ve created in northern BC to protect what’s left of nature,” Suzuki said in a statement. Conservation North’s latest work includes exposing the logging of primary forests for pellets. The group will be using the proceeds to continue their work towards protecting the last three intact valleys in the Upper Fraser from roads and logging – the Walker, Goat and Raush.

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Wildlife advocates urge end to ‘frivolous’ beaver killings in B.C.

By Alanna Kelly
The Prince George Citizen
September 20, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A group of people passionate about protecting animals is calling for an end to beaver trapping in British Columbia. The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals is sounding the alarm on people trapping beavers and the licensing regime of the B.C. government. Ahead of the 2023 trapping season, it’s asking for the province to announce protections for beavers. Their press release states: “According to government data, 1,684 beavers were killed by licensed trappers in the 2022/2023 trapping seasons. The B.C. government receives a $.46 royalty for each beaver killed, amounting to $774.64 in beaver royalties last year.” Aaron Hofman, director of advocacy and privacy at Fur-Bearers, says it’s critical that beavers remain on the landscape to restore habitats and help mitigate future crises. “The province needs to embrace beavers in its fight against climate change and shed an outdated view of these animals for their pelts,” says Hofman.

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Why it makes sense to use market incentives to mitigate wildfire intensity

By Jerome Gessaroli, BCIT, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
The Vancouver Sun
September 19, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

In recent years, we have watched wildfires become an increasing threat to communities in B.C. and across Canada, inflicting dire social and economic hardships on thousands of residents. But while reducing the number of wildfires may be difficult to achieve in the short term, it is possible to mitigate their intensity and the destruction they cause to homes, buildings, and vital resources such as watersheds. Twenty years ago, a B.C. government report titled Firestorm 2003 outlined crucial steps needed to reduce wildfire intensity. …Certainly there are challenges to executing the recommendations, including the estimated $6 billion pricetag and the vast scale of territory to be covered — 11,000 square kilometres. …The provincial government should create incentives that encourage local businesses to engage in forest management for wildfire mitigation. …There is commercial value in the materials removed, such as low-diameter trees and branches and even ground-level organic debris that is cleared. 

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Areas of Vancouver most in need of green space are least likely to have it, says UBC research

CBC News
September 19, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Having access to nature and green spaces has been shown to improve mental well-being. A new tool developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia used to identify which neighbourhoods are in need of more green space has found disparity between western and eastern neighbourhoods in the city. “There is a bit of a gradient in terms of how restorative nature is distributed in the city,” researcher Tahia Devisscher said. The local restorative nature index (LRN) was designed to assess healing qualities of green spaces. It looks at three areas that promote mental well-being: refuge, wild nature and diversity. …The higher a space scores across those three categories, the more revitalizing it is, according to Devisscher. When applying the index to Vancouver, researchers found that more affluent neighbourhoods had higher LRN scores. …the index found that more vulnerable areas scored lower.

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2023 National Conference & 115th AGM extends registration deadline to September 22nd!

Canadian Institute of Forestry
September 19, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Registration for the 2023 CIF-IFC National Conference and 115th Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been extended to Friday, September 22! Hosted in collaboration with the CIF-IFC Vancouver Island Section, this year’s event takes place in-person from September 24-27, 2023, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, BC. The Conference theme, “Forestry for All”, will explore forest management ideologies among groups with differing values. It will also feature technical presentations on the leading edge of forestry innovation and field tours showcasing local culture and history, silviculture, wood product manufacturing, and of course the majestic trees of the area. Throughout the duration of the Conference, there will also be a variety of social events and networking opportunities, including the National Awards Ceremony, Student Quiz Bowl, Poster Symposium, evening social event, and a Silent Auction to benefit Forests without Borders.

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Canfor owes us, not the other way around

By James Steidle, Stop the Spray
Prince George Citizen
September 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

James Steidle

Last week, the politicians were tripping over each other to celebrate Canfor’s “investment” in a new “state of the art” sawmill in Houston, which will utilize artificial intelligence and who knows what other expensive offshore automated equipment. The CBC called it a “rare piece of good news,” even though Houston will have at least 100 fewer jobs at the end of all of this, including a two or three year period with no mill jobs other than the mill demolition and construction. The implication of all this is that we now owe Canfor big time. There better not be anymore pesky old-growth protections, we better not ban glyphosate spraying, we better not do anything that gets in the way of Canfor’s fire-trap landscapes of moose-starving pine plantations. Any time big city money rolls into a small town to replace the rural workforce with urban capital, you better believe we owe them.

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Forest Practices Board to audit non-replaceable forest licence in Mackenzie

BC Forest Practices Board
September 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

MACKENZIE – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices on non-replaceable forest licence (NRFL) A89836, starting Sept. 25, 2023. NRFL A89836 is held by Nak’al Koh Timber Limited with an annual allowable cut of 50,000 cubic metres. The NRFL is within the Mackenzie timber supply area (TSA) within the Mackenzie Natural Resource District in northeast-central B.C. It overlaps the territories of the Doig River First Nation, Halfway River First Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Nak’azdli Whut’en’, Takla First Nation, Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, and West Moberly First Nations. Mackenzie, Germansen Landing, Manson Creek, Tsay Keh, and Kwadacha are some of the towns and settlements in the TSA. Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, wildfire protection, and associated planning from Jan. 1, 2020, until Sept. 25, 2023, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

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Fire resiliency in the Alberni Valley Community Forest

By Susie Quinn
Alberni Valley News
September 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Alberni Valley Community Forest is not just a place for people to recreate outdoors… It is a working forest: timber sales from logging activity provide dividends to the city; timber too small to sell is repurposed as a source for firewood; trees are planted to replace those that are cut down every year. Drought, heat waves and threat of wildfire have affected all aspects of the forest over the past couple of summers. “We shut down earlier than most people. We’ve been shut down since May,” forest manager Chris Law said. “It’s not worth the risk.” …Law says it’s time the province takes a hard look at its forest practices. “For the past 50 years the province’s focus has been on fibre production. That’s coniferous trees for fibre production. In that process they have had government-funded programs to eliminate any deciduous competition.” 

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Saskatchewan Celebrates National Forest Week with a Focus on Growth and Employment

Government of Saskatchewan
September 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed September 17 to 23 as National Forest Week, with the theme, Canada’s Forests: Supporting Biological Diversity. The week will highlight the important role Saskatchewan’s forestry sector plays in the provincial economy and environment. “Since the Government of Saskatchewan launched its Growth Plan four years ago, the province’s forestry sector has grown by more than $700 million in sales over four years,” Energy and Resources Minister Jim Reiter said. “That keeps us well on track to reach $2.2 billion in sales by the end of the decade.” Saskatchewan’s forests are a key renewable resource. They are helping the province meet its 2030 Growth Plan targets, while supporting nearly 8,000 jobs, with significant Indigenous participation. “Saskatchewan’s forestry sector is not only essential to our economy, but also to our identity and the quality of life we enjoy in the province,” Environment Minister Christine Tell said. 

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Indigenous scholarship program supports forestry employment

By Marius Auer
The Merritt Herald
September 18, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new scholarship program is open to First Nations, Inuit, or Métis-decent students interested in attending full-time forestry-related studies in a designated post-secondary institution.  Supports from the BC First Nations Forestry Council’s (BCFNFC) Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program (IFSP) include tuition and living expenses scholarships, paid summer work-term experience, one-on-one mentorship with a program partner, and support from a local Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program centre.  “The program is designed to grow and connect Indigenous talent to BC Forest Sector Workforce opportunities,” said the BCFNFC in a release announcing the program.  …For more information on the Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program, visit the BCFNFC website at www.forestrycouncil.ca.

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School tours return during Forestry Week in Port Alberni

By Susie Quinn
Alberni Valley News
September 17, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Students from at least two schools in Port Alberni will learn about the biodiversity of forests during a BC National Forest Week event on Thursday, Sept. 21.  Forest Week takes place in Canada during the third week in September In B.C. the week will be observed from Sept. 17–23, 2023.   …Sarah Williams, who teaches a Grade 5/6 class at Tsuma-as Elementary School, will be bringing her class back again. Diana Bouchard’s Grade 4/5 class from John Howitt Elementary will also participate this year.  “This year’s theme is biodiversity,” says Dave Robinson, resource manager at South Island Natural Resource District. Students will be planting seedlings at McLean Mill, taking tree measurements of trees already on site and learning how to measure the height of a tree. The seedlings were donated this year by Woodmore Nursery Inc. of Nanoose Bay.

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Kootenay Boundary forestry projects to help utilize waste wood or mitigate wildfire risk

By Timothy Schafer
The Nelson Daily
September 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A total of $3.7 million worth of forest-related projects have been announced for the Kootenay-Boundary region by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C.  The projects range from clearing areas near roads in the Harrop-Procter region to thinning forests around the village of Kaslo, or shipping low-value logs to Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar for processing.  The projects in the Kootenay Boundary region — with 37 from the rest of the province — are expected to 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.   …Of the 42 new projects funded throughout the province, 24 projects have direct First Nations involvement, while eight have some First Nations involvement.

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Interior Logging Association offers industry knowledge in changing wildfire landscape

By Jon Manchester
Castanet
September 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Interior Logging Association says it’s ready and willing to lend its expertise to mitigating wildfire risk.  “The Interior Logging Association and our members are committed to offering our local knowledge and operational firefighting expertise to identify and implement sustainable solutions to mitigate future risk to life and property,” ILA general manager Todd Chamberlain says in a press release issued Friday.  The statement from the Vernon-based industry group follows B.C. Premier David Eby’s comment that the province “could be doing a better job” of leveraging local knowledge when it comes to preventing and fighting wildfires.  “Our members have been an integral part of fire prevention and firefighting efforts for well over 60 years,” says Chamberlain. “We’ve prided ourselves for protecting people and communities from the threat of wildfire over the years.”  Chamberlain says the ILA “can contribute valuable insight and planning to reduce immediate and long-term risk.

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Historic agreement aims to foster improved relations among forestry and Indigenous band

By Simon Ducatel
MountainView Today Alberta
September 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

SUNDRE – A good relations agreement hailed as historic by its signatories is intended to forge mutually beneficial ties between West Fraser Mills and Montana First Nation.  Representatives from West Fraser met with members of the band council on Aug. 21 at Sundre Forest Products to sign the agreement in front of a teepee that had been purchased from Montana First Nation for the ceremony.  Chief Leonard Standing on the Road, who is also the Grand Chief of Confederacy of Treaty 6, offered a prayer followed by a traditional smudge by all the agreement signatories before the document was signed.  …“We’ve been talking to Montana First Nation for a couple of years through the consultation program that we have on our forest management area,” said Tom Daniels, Sundre Forest Products woods manager, when asked how the agreement came to fruition.

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Interior Logging Association comments on 2023 Fire Season

Interior Logging Association
September 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vernon, British Columbia — As expressed by Premier David Eby in a CBC News Release, “We could be doing a better job of leveraging local knowledge and expertise when it comes to preventing and fighting wildfires.” The Interior Loggers Association and our members are committed to offering our local knowledge and operational fire-fighting expertise to identify and implement sustainable solutions to mitigate future risk to life and property. For over 65 years, the Interior Logging Association (ILA) has been representing forestry related businesses throughout B.C.  …The ILA Board of Directors and Membership can contribute valuable insight and planning to reduce immediate and long-term risk. We welcome the opportunity to provide input and ideas to assist the government in the future protection of communities, and British Columbia’s most important resource prior to the 2024 wildfire season.

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Some insects feast on burnt trees after wildfires. Experts worry they could cause further destruction

By Michelle Gomez
CBC News
September 17, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

As wildfires intensify, experts worry tree-destroying insect populations may grow in their aftermath. As burnt trees take up more space in B.C. forests, so do insects that feast off of them, like wood borers and bark beetles — including the Douglas fir beetle and western pine beetle. “Firefighters are busy during fires, and then the entomologists get busy afterwards,” said Lorraine Maclauchlan, entomologist with B.C.’s Ministry of Forests. Bark-destroying insects are attracted to dead and weakened trees that have been ravaged by fire, and while these insects are important for the natural decomposition of burnt trees, Maclauchlan says if they grow in population too rapidly, they can cause serious damage by going after live trees. …Maclauchlan says intense drought across the province this year is an added wrinkle: there are many trees that are alive but weakened by drought, that are the perfect target for the insects.

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BC Forests Minister’s statement on National Forest Week

By Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 17, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Bruce Ralston

Our forests have been front of mind for many British Columbians this year as wildfires and drought have left their mark on people and communities, as well as waters and lands in all corners of the province. Forests are at the foundation of our communities, our local economies and our lives. Forests are places of beauty, home to wildlife and of immense importance to First Nations, but this year they faced exceptional challenges. This year, we grieve and reflect on all those who have put their lives at risk to protect our homes, communities and environment. On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to pay special thanks to all the hard-working firefighters who bravely faced the worst fire season on record in B.C., and to the courage and dedication shown by First Nations, local government partners, the First Nations Emergency Services Society, B.C. forest industry contractors and the BC Cattlemen’s Association. Thank you.

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UNESCO approves report outlining threats to northern Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park

Canadian Press in CTV News
September 14, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The United Nations body that oversees World Heritage Sites is approving a report that finds Wood Buffalo National Park’s place on that list is in danger. At a meeting in Saudi Arabia, UNESCO delegates voted to approve an investigation that found the park remains under environmental threats from dam construction in British Columbia, oilsands development and climate change. Delegates voted to recommend that Canada implement 17 recommendations in the report. …The report did not recommend removing the park from the list of World Heritage Sites but said about half of what makes it a special place is deteriorating. Of 15 objectives for the park, UNESCO says two are improving, five are stable and seven are deteriorating. …Mikisew Cree First Nation representative Melody Lepine told the delegates she hoped Canada would accept the new report as a chance to look back on progress while accepting more work needs to be done.

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Old-growth logging, road building can proceed in B.C. without First Nation consent, says memo

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
September 14, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The B.C. government-run corporation responsible for auctioning off 20% of the province’s AAC gave a green light to companies looking to log certain old-growth forests slated for deferral. In a BC Timber Sales (BCTS) memorandum dated May 15, 2023, BCTS told industry that in cases where First Nations said they needed more time or hadn’t responded to proposed old-growth deferrals, the forests should be deemed “available for harvest.”  …The details of the guidance document have prompted a number of critics to slam the government for backtracking on commitments to overhaul forestry policy. …A spokesperson for the ministry said BCTS “respects the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review”. …The latest memo, meanwhile, refers to a “very small number of instances” in which First Nations need more time or haven’t responded to the proposed deferrals, said the spokesperson. “This represents a very small area and does not result in any net decrease in deferred old growth.”

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Regional District of Central Kootenay to press province on water protection and planning

By Bill Metcalfe
Nelson Star
September 14, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, 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

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Forestry in Kananaskis has a tradition of sustainability

By Jason Krips, Alberta Forest Products Association CEO
The Calgary Herald
September 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

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.

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Walking Among Vancouver’s Urban Giants

By Solana Pasqual
The Tyee
September 13, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

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.

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Newly funded projects to help utilize waste wood and mitigate wildfire risk in BC

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
September 13, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

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

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B.C. facing wildfires through fall after hot, dry summer

The Canadian Press in the Vancouver Sun
September 13, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

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.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, sees fire protection work as a biofuel opportunity

By Liny Lamberink
CBC News
September 15, 2023
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kele Antoine, the chief of Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation… said timber and brush cleared from the land should be used completely — bigger logs can be used for building projects around the community. What can’t be used for construction projects can be used to heat people’s homes — offsetting the cost and emissions that come from using heating oil or diesel instead. “Let’s not waste, let’s use what’s there and in the best way that we can,” said Antoine. And, he pointed out, there’s no shortage of dense forest around his community — a cause for concern, as the N.W.T. continues to battle an unprecedented wildfire year. The Liard and Mackenzie rivers may offer Fort Simpson some protection from wildfire — but the village is still flanked by dense forest. …”We need to widen fire breaks, we need to harvest any of the biomass that’s available.”

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Health & Safety

The Wildfire Smoke Threat to Tree Planters

By Aldyn Chwelos, Kristen de Jager and Paul Voll
The Tyee
September 18, 2023
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A thick grey haze brewed above Alberta’s Slave Lake region. Seth Forward thrust his shovel into the earth to carve a home for green-needled seedlings. “It was pretty much a summer of drowning smoke,” says Forward. …This summer’s worst recorded fire season in Alberta, BC and across Canada means many more tree planters have been exposed to harmful pollutants contained within smoke. But an investigation by the Tyee reveals regulations in place for outdoor workers during Canada’s wildfire seasons haven’t done enough to protect those like Forward. Silviculture safety and wildfire experts are calling on the provinces and territories to create work safety regulations specific to wildfire smoke that include monitoring air quality and introducing clear and enforceable measures to reduce exposure. WorkSafeBC, the safety regulator in the province, says it has no plans to introduce specific wildfire smoke protections.

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Forest Fires

More evacuation alerts for southern B.C. wildfire but cooler weather could help

Canadian Press in Vancouver Sun
September 19, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Most of the District of Peachland along the west side of Okanagan Lake is now on evacuation alert as drought, heat and windy conditions in southern British Columbia fuel the late-season Glen Lake wildfire. The Central Okanagan Regional District expanded evacuation alerts Monday as the BC Wildfire Service said the suspected human-caused blaze had grown to nearly eight square kilometres after being sparked on Saturday. …A break for firefighters could come as clouds and cooler temperatures are forecast for the region, along with a special weather statement from Environment Canada warning of up to four centimetres of snow along higher elevations of Highway 97C, which marks the northern boundary of the Glen Lake fire evacuation zone. In the central Interior, the Cariboo Regional District has replaced an evacuation order with an alert for communities around Horn Lake affected by the 163-square kilometre Hell Raving wildfire…

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Peachland fire crews are preparing in the event the Glen Lake fire reaches the municipality

By Wayne Moore
Castanet
September 19, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Parks has formally closed Eneas Lakes and Darke Lake provincial parks due to the nearby Glen Lake wildfire. Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says officials are not expecting any additional evacuation alerts or orders tonight within the RDCO or District of Peachland.n“However the fire expanded southward impacting the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and BC Parks,” emergency officials say. …The Glen Lake wildfire, estimated at 763 hectares in size, is burning about six kilometres from Peachland’s limits. “Today, helicopters bucketed the northeast side of the fire and structural protection units were deployed in Peachland neighbourhoods. Cooler temperatures, less wind and higher relative humidity aided the fire fight,” said Central Okanagan Emergency Operations. BC Wildfire Service information officer Evan Lizotte could not say exactly how much rain fell on the wildfire site Tuesday.

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Evacuation orders issued near Peachland, more than 400 wildfires burn across B.C.

The Kelowna Daily Courier
September 17, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

PEACHLAND, B.C. – An evacuation order has been issued for eight recreational properties due to the Glen Lake Wildfire, about 15 kilometres west of Peachland, B.C. The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says it also issued an evacuation alert for all areas south of Peachland Forest Service Road. …In Central B.C., another evacuation order was issued by Cariboo Regional District for 28 properties in the Horn Lake Area. This comes as the BC Wildfire Service says fire behaviour on the nearby Hell Raving Creek blaze, which is now 114-square kilometres in size, has increased due to strong winds. …Late Sunday, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen issued an evacuation alert due to the threat from the Upper Park Rill wildfire. That alert covered properties along the west side of Willowbrook Road from 2592 Willowbrook Road, north to the south side of Orofino Road.

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Wildfire danger HIGH in Grande Prairie Forest area

By Nathaniel Leigh
Everything Grande Prairie
September 17, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Increased fire behavior is expected for the northern parts of the Grande Prairie Forest area. This is due in part to a lack of rain in needed locations. There are currently nine wildfires burning in the area, including a 7 hectare fire near the Saddle Hills forestry tower. Firefighters have responded to the blaze, performing multiple air tanker drops, placing containment lines and slowing the growth of the fire, but the risk to the area is still considered to be high.

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B.C. to end state of emergency as wildfire risk winds down

Canadian Press in Vancouver Sun
September 14, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s state of emergency ended Thursday just under four weeks after ferocious wildfires ripped through several communities, burning homes and businesses and forcing thousands to escape. The B.C. government said in a statement the wildfire risk is diminishing in much of the province as temperatures cool, allowing most residents to return home. Bowinn Ma, the minister of emergency management, said while the provincial state of emergency is no longer required, the wildfire season isn’t over, and many communities still have local states of emergency. Ma said in a statement the expiration of the emergency declaration doesn’t affect wildfire-fighting resources or their ability to continue to provide emergency supports to communities. …The centre says about 350 properties are still under evacuation order and close to 5,000 are on evacuation alert as the fire remains out of control, nearly a month after it was reported.

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Resources, warnings accompany people home in aftermath of B.C. wildfires

By Gary Barnes
North Island Gazette
September 13, 2023
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

As an out-of-control wildfire still burns near West Kelowna, officials say evacuated residents should brace themselves for a return to neighbourhoods they may no longer recognize. As people continue to return home or begin rebuilding , officials from the Regional District of Central Okanagan say crews are still busy addressing the aftermath of the McDougall Creek wildfire and also issued a reminder that affected residents are not walking that road alone. …Elsewhere in B.C., the latest evacuation order issued due to a wildfire covers a rural area north of Prince George. The regional districts of Fraser-Fort George and Bulkley-Nechako issued the order Monday night as the 10-square kilometre Ocock Lake blaze moves toward properties in the Noonlang Lake area, about 150 kilometres north of Prince George. …The BC Wildfire Service reported Tuesday that close to 400 active blazes are burning across the province, with 158 ranked as out of control.

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