Region Archives: Canada West

SPUZZUM, B.C. – Two northern spotted owls that had been released into a British Columbia forest last year have been found dead, potentially reducing the known wild population in the province to a single female. Spuzzum First Nation Chief James Hobart and Jasmine McCulligh for the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program… said the two male birds’ remains were found with their GPS trackers in early May. Minister Nathan Cullen says the cause of death is unknown. Hobart said efforts will be made to retrace the birds’ final days to work out what could have been done differently. McCulligh said her team would use the experience to help move the breeding and release program forward. …Protection of spotted owls has fuelled decades-long disputes between environmental groups and the forest industry as their future is often tied to saving old-growth forests where the birds live. 

Additional coverage by Spuzzum and the Government of British Columbia: Joint statement on death of two spotted owls released into the wild in 2022

Meghan DeGraff

Planting trees in places scorched by forest fire can help its ecosystems recover and restore its capacity to capture carbon. But when tree planters are called in to do the job, Meghan DeGraff, a supervisor for All Star Silviculture in Enderby, B.C. said they can sometimes be met by this deathly concoction of conditions. But emerging technology provides alternatives. Where a human might feel unsafe, tree-planting drones can fly safely above. In the past decade, British Columbia has experienced its three worst wildfire seasons. …Toronto-based reforestation company Flash Forest is branding itself as a solution for recovery. Using drones equipped with artificial intelligence and mapping capabilities, its technology is designed to fly above a planting site and shoot specially designed seed pods into the ground. These pods are designed to nurture tree seedlings in the first few stages of their lives. By 2028, the company aims to have planted one billion trees.

The Woodland Almanac is an informative quarterly newsletter which includes updates on woodlot licence business, government updates, articles related to forest management and human interest stories. The Spring 2023 edition is now available.

…drone aircraft are coming to help plant trees in 83,000 hectares devastated by the White Rock Lake Wildfire in 2021. This week, Flash Forest, an Ontario-based company co-founded by two Kelowna brothers, is starting to replant some of the burnt forest using drones firing seed pods into the soil from 15 to 40 metres above. …The big advantage to drone planting is not only how fast it can be done – a tree planter using a shovel can do only about 1,500 plantings a day – but also accessibility. “We try not to go into the site,” Cameron Jones, the company’s chief operating officer said. “We don’t want to put our planters at risk because we’re planting in high severity burns. It’s very dangerous territory. You have a lot of snags.” …The drones range up to two kilometres from their base and crews can position themselves in safe areas to replace batteries and reload with them with up to 8,000 seed pods for each drone.

Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC) offers a new webinar focusing on the development and implementation of winch-assist harvesting systems in BC. The webinar, Winch-Assist: Making Steep Slope Harvesting in BC Safer and Productive, also covers planning, development, and operational processes. After attending, participants will: understand winch-assist harvesting systems history; understand steep slope safe work regulations and processes; understand the planning, development, and operational steps to implement a winch-assist operation. Audience: Forest professionals working in harvest operations and OHS. Date: June 14. Time: 1:00-2:30 PM. Presenters: Ryan Potter, RPF, Tolko; John Ligtenberg, RPF, WorksafeBC; and Darcy Moshenko, RPF, WorksafeBC.

Stark images of an ancient tree cut down in western Canada expose flaws in the government’s plan to protect old-growth forests, activists have said, arguing that vulnerable ecosystems have been put at risk as logging companies race to harvest timber. As part of an effort to catalogue possible old growth forests, photographer TJ Watt and Ian Thomas of the environmental advocacy group Ancient Forest Alliance travelled to a grove of western red cedars on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. But when they arrived to the forest in Quatsino Sound, they found hundreds of trees that has recently been logged. …“Progress is being made, but clearly there are still loopholes. We need to make sure that the province is following through on all of their commitments to protect these endangered ecosystems, and not letting anything slip through the cracks,” said Watt.

…a debate has emerged about the Alberta provincial budget for fighting wildfires, and whether past political decisions play a role in Alberta’s current crisis. On Tuesday, former members of the disbanded Wildland Firefighter Rappel Program drew attention to the UCP government’s decision to shutter that unit in 2019, saying that they could have been “difference-makers” in the current crisis. …The rappel team was part of Alberta’s wildfire response strategy for decades. Created in 1983…when the UCP government under former premier Jason Kenney announced in 2019 that it was closing down the rappel program, the unit had 63 members… Then forestry minister, Devin Dreeshen justified the cut saying less than two per cent of firefighters rappelled into wildfires in Alberta, and the cuts would save $23 million. …[Later] documents showed that closing the program saved only about $1.4 million. 

Hosted by the UBC Faculty of Forestry, this webinar features forestry professors Younes Alila and Lori Daniels. Climate change has elevated the risk of extreme weather the world over. In British Columbia, a natural flood risk mitigator lies all around us in the water-absorbing power of trees. In fact, research has shown that even a modest loss of forest cover due to wildfire, logging and disease can cause surprisingly large increases in the frequency of extreme floods. Will dykes, dams and levees be enough to protect against property loss and devastation from floods in the future? How can nature-based solutions, such as forests, and the restoration of natural floodplains and wetlands contribute to flood mitigation? What considerations need to be taken as BC develops its flood risk management strategy? When: May 30, 2023, from 12 – 1 PM Where: Online via Zoom

EDMONTON — Alberta’s decision to cancel funding for an elite wildfire-fighting crew in 2019 came despite pleas to keep the Rapattack program from at least three municipalities, including one that has since been evacuated during this spring’s blazes. “Rapattack is a pivotal program in the fight against wildfire and without them communities will be losing a valuable resource,” wrote Jim Hailes, then mayor of Fox Creek, to Devin Dreeshen, then the United Conservative forestry minister. …Rapattack firefighters are rappelled from helicopters to douse wildfires while they still only covered a few hectares. …There were once 63 such firefighters stationed around the province before the government cancelled the program in 2019, saving $1.4 million. …On Monday, former Rapattack members, as well as current firefighters, said the program’s cancellation deprived Alberta of a powerful weapon it could have used against this spring’s fires.

ALBERTA and BRITISH COLUMBIA — A heat wave that’s expected to push daytime temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal norms is raising the wildfire risk in Alberta and BC, where crews are already battling early-season blazes. The hot, dry conditions will prime forest fuels for ignition, said UBC weather and wildfire researcher Chris Rodell, who’s concerned that lightning could spark fires. As the heat eases, Rodell said he expects instability in the atmosphere could lead to thunderstorms and strengthen winds Tuesday or Wednesday. …John Cragg, a meteorologist with the weather office, said the heat is coming from a “blocking pattern,” when the normal fluctuation of low and high pressures stops, and warm air flows into an area without relief from an influx of cooler northern air. The forecast shows temperatures are expected to hit 30 C and higher in parts of Alberta that are already grappling with early season wildfires.

A category 2 fire prohibition is planned for May 11th, beginning at 12:00pm across the Cariboo Fire Centre. Areas included are the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District, the 100 Mile House Forest District, the Quesnel Forest District and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area. The prohibition includes the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, burn barrels or burn cages of any size, binary exploding targets, and air curtain burners. The purpose of the prohibition is to reduce human caused wildfires and protect public safety.

VANCOUVER — An Indigenous-led report into a massive wildfire nearly six years ago that destroyed more than 100 homes and scorched a vast swath of British Columbia’s Interior says the blaze resulted in up to $1 billion per year in ongoing nature and ecosystem losses. The Elephant Hill wildfire burned more than 1,900 square kilometres of forests, grasslands and properties in the summer of 2017, directly affecting numerous First Nations and other communities. The report was released Wednesday by the Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society, based in Kamloops, B.C. The society was founded by eight Secwepemc communities directly affected by the Elephant Hill wildfire and has been working to pursue landscape recovery and restoration throughout their territories.

The future of forestry didn’t look much different, year to year, for decades on end. …as an industry, the evolution was slow. Now, the changes are evolutionary and revolutionary. It’s not just hardware that’s developing, it is the financing of forestry, the governance of forestry, the partnerships required to operate, and instead of just lumber and pulp, the product possibilities are reaching the realistic point of shocking. …Being the epicentre of the mountain pine beetle disaster, followed by mega-fires that decimated what forests were left, made Quesnel a natural place to ponder what this beleaguered but exciting industry now represented. Add to that all the different kinds of forestry production that goes on in Quesnel, most of it thanks to West Fraser’s diverse holdings in its original hometown, and it makes even more sense that this was the place where the Quesnel Future of Forests Think Tank was launched in 2018.

Additional coverage, by Frank Peebles in the Quesnel Cariboo Observer: Minister Bains in Quesnel with call for worker focus in forestry

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is renewing its call on the B.C. government to commit hundreds of millions of dollars to protect old-growth forests. The latest call for funding comes after conservationists found a clear cut of ancient forest in Quatsino Sound. They say they were exploring northwest Vancouver Island late last summer when they stumbled across a cut block that left them speechless. …The AFA has been calling for at least $300 million from the province. …“The province has committed to creating a conservation financing fund by the end of June but so far has not publicly committed any of their own money towards it. They said they’re going to rely on private and philanthropic donations,” Watts said.The money would be used for conservation financing and go toward economically sustainable alternatives for communities and First Nations.

FERNIE, BC — Residents are waiting with bated breath for a decision on the fate of an application to rezone a stretch of forest. If approved, it could pave the way for a new estate-style neighbourhood just outside Fernie, B.C., that’s drawn criticism over concerns it would sever an important grizzly bear travel corridor, destroy part of a network of well-loved Nordic ski trails and fail to resolve an affordable housing crisis. At issue is a proposal to rezone 185-hectares of private property, known as the Galloway Lands, to develop 90 single-family homes on lots that are at least 0.4 hectares or about an acre in size. The developer says the project will improve affordability issues in the city through a “trickle-down” effect by making more housing available and has committed to setting roughly half the land aside for conservation and recreation. Not everyone’s convinced.

Last in a six-part series. Is this the end of forestry as we know it, or is this a chance for a new beginning? …Why can’t we go back to what once worked, that something called Land and Resource Management Plans?  With a few tweaks, such as sitting the local First Nations as equals at the head of the table with government, we can do the same process over, make them listen to what everyone else has to say, including those indigenous peoples not presented by the current Treaty 8 bands and, from that, develop a local plan that fully addresses local needs. If it comes back to what’s proposed today, great — it then will have considered all needs with buy-in from all. But if it’s something different, also great, as that will also have the much-coveted buy-in. Yes, it’s called work and, yes, it would take some time; but better to take the time to get it right than hurry through and suffer the consequences.

Lennard Joe

The Selkirk College Board of Governors held their annual alumni awards luncheon in April. This year’s recipients are Distinguished Alumni Lennard Joe, Distinguished Alumni Dr. Laurene Rehman, Distinguished Educator Monica Vogler and recipient of an Honorary Diploma in Liberal Arts Robert Watt. …Lennard Joe: Leader in Provincial Forest Sector A leader in the nation’s forest industry, Joe’s traditional connection to the land is what fuels his passion for natural resource stewardship that focuses on increasing self-determination and the role of governance for Indigenous peoples. …Joe has been actively involved in developing new businesses and opportunities in the resource sector within his territory and community, as well as throughout Canada and the world. With leadership that emphasizes respect and excellence, he has helped transform ways of Indigenous governance, built vital relationships with provincial, federal and industry partners, given his expertise to academia, and lead efforts for sustainable forestry certification.

Thank you, Premier Eby, for laying the law down on the forest industry. Our unaccountable companies have been getting away with not applying value added to our timber for too long. With their cut-out and get-out quick profit attitude, they have left many mill towns and their employees in the dust. For years, they have been sending barges loaded with raw logs to countries like Japan while mill after mill was shut down in B.C. On top of that, with no consideration for the future and climate change, they have left the forests in a mess and failed to decommission logging roads, leaving adjacent highways and communities open to mud slides and flood disasters. Yes, Premier Eby, as a taxpayer in this province, I thank you again for demanding an accounting by those who have abused this province, its people and our natural resources. [end]

VICTORIA – The BC Forest Practices Board has released its 2023-26 Strategic Plan, setting new priorities for advancing the public interest in forest and range practices in B.C. The plan reaffirms the board’s mission and purpose statements, but includes new values and priorities in recognition of the changing landscape in British Columbia. “Forest management is undergoing a transformation in B.C.,” said Keith Atkinson, chair, Forest Practices Board. “The priorities in our new strategic plan reflect the diversity of values provided by forests and the collaboration required to sustain them.”

Strategic priorities in the 2023-26 plan include:

• encouraging forest and range policies and practices adapted to the effects of climate change and supporting ecological resilience, including conservation of biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
• supporting the inclusion and engagement of Indigenous Peoples in forest and range stewardship;
• growing and maintaining a professional team; and
• increasing the awareness and impact of the Forest Practices Board’s work.

Dry vegetation, record temperatures and powerful winds: this “perfect storm” of weather phenomena fueled the massive forest fires in western Canada’s Alberta province this year, according to researchers. The extent of the fires and their appearance so early in the year illustrate the impacts of climate change, scientists say. …”It is an exceptional year insofar as the accumulation of burned areas is very rapid, as is the number of very large fires at the same time,” Yan Boulanger, a specialist in forest fires at the Canadian ministry for natural resources, said. The vast majority of fires are of human origin, including cigarette butts, campfires that weren’t properly snuffed out or sometimes malicious acts, he said. …Diana Stralberg, a researcher in Edmonton for the Canadian Forest Service, explained that human-caused climate change is making the fire season longer and causing “extreme fire weather conditions” to occur more often.

Real, actual experts in forest industry education are eyeing a Burns Lake asset with hope and interest. Burns Lake Community Forest has one of only three special simulation units in B.C. that teach the ways of operating a Ponsse forwarder-harvester. They use that kind of machine to do some of their timber cutting, hauling, and processing. Their rubber tire design allows them to tiptoe through a forest landscape, rather than the bull in the china shop effect of past harvesting machinery… During a forestry think tank held in Quesnel May 2 and 3 …two of the speakers brought up the importance of that simulator in Burns Lake. Of them was someone who has one of the three, himself. Dominik Roeser is an author, researcher, the former senior director of FP Innovations, and is now an associate professor at UBC’s school of forestry, specializing in forest operations.