Region Archives: Canada

VANCOUVER ISLAND — With the dry season in full swing, and the threat of wildfires ever present, Lake Cowichan’s mayor is pleased the town’s application for a $400,000 FireSmart grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities has been successful. Tim McGonigle said Lake Cowichan is closely surrounded by forests so the town initiated a FireSmart program a few years ago. He said the $400,000 in funding for the town’s Community Resiliency Project – Phase 1 from the UBCM’s 2024 FireSmart Community Funding program will be used, in part, to hire a person to oversee Lake Cowichan’s ongoing FireSmart program on a two-year contract. …McGonigle said the town has been undertaking remediation projects in its neighbourhoods for several years, largely funded through grants from the UBCM’s FireSmart program, and the plan is to expand the town’s program with the latest grant.

Don’t blame the federal government for coming too slowly to Alberta’s aid in fighting the monster fire that has destroyed a significant portion of the Jasper townsite. The problem is the reverse: Blame the feds for being to slow to ask Alberta to become part of its integrated firefighting efforts inside Jasper National Park, where Parks Canada is in charge. Parks Canada lacks the technology and experience to fight a fire a night, meaning as two wildfires approached the resort town, efforts to control or at least divert them ceased in the dark. But Alberta has night-fighting capability. Alberta also has the equipment and expertise to throw up giant walls of water in front of giant walls of flame. Parks Canada doesn’t, and didn’t ask for Alberta’s help. Mostly, though, it’s fair to blame Parks Canada for ignoring years of warnings. 

In this newsletter:

• Safety tip from the BC Forest Safety Council.
• FESBC announces its new Executive Director, Jason Fisher.
• City of Kimberley has made progress to mitigate wildfire risk.
• Meet our newest team member, Operations Manager, Tyler Field.
• Meet our Faces of Forestry featured person, Ben Klassen.

Chase’s Keegan Ashley will be living the dream this summer as one of five students to win a 2024 Green Dream Internship in forestry from the Forest Products Association of Canada. The program highlights the perspectives and experiences of students working in the forest sector for six weeks. Winners also receive a $1,000 scholarship for further education. Ashley, who is with the Interfor Adams Lake Division, will use social media to share his insights and create content that provides a unique look at his summer experiences. …”Keegan’s passion for the forest industry is rooted in his family history, which spans more than 100 years in the sector,” the company said on Instagram. “He plans to pursue a career in either manufacturing or the woodlands sector. Through the Green Dream Internship, Keegan hopes to share his journey and promote the opportunities the industry holds for young workers and students like himself.”

With hundreds of wildfires burning across Canada amid a period of extreme heat for multiple regions, how does the season in 2024 rank when looking at the historical and destructive 2023? …To date, Canada has had nearly 3,700 blazes burn approximately 2.2 million hectares of land so far this year, with about 1,000 active wildfires across the country as of July 24. The good news is that it is considerably less than what was burned countrywide around this time last year. Approximately 11.9 million hectares of land had been scorched through July 2023. …Around the same time last year, BC had seen roughly 1.46 million hectares of land burned, thanks to a surge in fire activity. For 2024, the total is noticeably less, with wildfires burning a total of more than 790,000 hectares. …For Alberta, by July 22, 2023, there was 1.75 million hectares burned while there has been roughly 540,000 hectares burned so far this year.

For years, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper have removed trees and branches, logged a firebreak, ignited controlled burns and asked residents to clear yard debris in hopes of protecting the forest-nestled town from a dangerous blaze. Those mitigations may now be put to the test. …”A big part of these treatments is not necessarily to stop the fire cold in its tracks, but to slow the fire and keep the fire on the surface rather than spreading fire in the canopy,” said Jen Beverly, a University of Alberta associate professor. …Parks Canada’s uses strategies like prescribed burns and the maintenance of a fireguard to protect properties and important sites in Jasper National Park. The federal agency and the municipality have been working to thin the forest around the town since 2003. In 2018 and 2019, they also hired Canfor to carefully cut down trees on a slope west of town to create a protective firebreak.

RE: Reconnecting with forests and the need for responsible logging: Dear Brittny. Thank you for your testimonial of our adventure up Sproule Creek in the Nelson Star. It was my pleasure to share the magic of this place and reflect on the disastrous effect on this community watershed if we were to continue to exploit and build new roads through this primary forest. …I appreciate you highlighting the work of local community forests and small scale operations (such as Harrop-Procter). I believe that broad scale industrial forestry has much to learn from these progressive ways. In particular, British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) which is government owned and operated, as well as the Ministry of Forests, who relies on the archaic professional reliance model and the overinflated annual allowable cut method of approving permits. …If citizens are to consider re-electing the NDP, a major overhaul of BCTS is needed. We are counting on you.

The Alberni Valley Community Forest board has once again delivered a $300,000 dividend cheque to its sole shareholder, the City of Port Alberni. The dividends came from operating revenue in 2023 and were presented at the AVCF annual general meeting on May 22, 2024, community forest manager Chris Law said. The AVCF has contributed between $4 million and $5 million to the city since it was established, he added, including $2.5 million toward the purchase of the Somass Sawmill lands. Law and the AVCF board were busy this spring assessing their cut level to ensure it remains sustainable. “We’re only cutting half of what we’re allowed,” Law noted. “We’re not sure that’s sustainable in the long run.” …The AVCF is up to date on replanting what has been harvested, he added. Ongoing drought conditions have been challenging as mortality of seedlings is higher, however, anything that was lost due to drought has also been replanted at additional cost.

Adam Yeadon

The Adam Yeadon Memorial Scholarship is currently accepting applications. This scholarship aims to assist students from the Northwest Territories (NWT) who are seeking education in forestry or wildfire management. “As someone who chose to pursue a career in this field, I can confidently say there are many rewarding paths this industry can provide for your future. I encourage anyone interested to apply,” says Jay Macdonald, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The Adam Yeadon Memorial Scholarship was created in 2024 to commemorate Yeadon’s legacy. The anniversary of Yeadon’s passing, who died on July 15 while defending his community on the fire line, was observed by family, friends, and the NWT Fire team in Fort Liard as they came together to remember and heal. Scholarships will be awarded to full-time post-secondary students who are enrolled in approved diploma, degree, or training programs in forestry or wildfire management.

Richard Cannings

South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings says Canada needs to “do things differently” as wildfires continue to rage nationwide and dozens of evacuation orders remain in place. Cannings, who serves as the NDP Emergency Preparedness and Climate Change Resilience critic, reiterated his call to the federal government to create a National Wildfire Fighting Force. The MP’s call comes as more than 380 blazes burn across B.C. and severe wildfires prompt the evacuation of Alberta’s Jasper National Park. …”Sadly, this is becoming our new normal, and we clearly need to do things differently. Canada needs a serious plan to deal with it — one that supports local efforts to combat these fires.” Cannings says such action would help local fire crews, including volunteer teams, and give Canada “the resources it needs to support people without relying on the military.” 

An expert panel called for the end of salvage logging, the practice of logging areas after a fire or insect outbreak, earlier in the month. The panel, hosted virtually by Conservation North and attended virtually by around 200 people from across western Canada, said salvage logging “usually causes more damage to a forest than the fire itself… reducing biodiversity, contributing to climate change, increasing the vulnerability of the forest to further fires, and often causes soil degradation and erosion.” Michelle Connolly, the Director of Conservation North, said 200 attendees from across BC tuned in for the discussion held on July 15th. …She said the general panel consensus was that “salvage logging has negative impacts on carbon and wildlife population.” “It is mostly for economic reasons, never for reasons of protecting nature, improving wildlife habitat, or helping the climate somehow.”

It’s something you’d think you wouldn’t have to remind people about after years of devastating wildfires. Yet, some motorists are still throwing cigarettes out their vehicle windows. A Kelowna man says he confronted people in a car along Clement Avenue Sunday night who were tossing cigarettes out the window. “They were smashing their butts on the side of the car and embers were floating around on the ground.” He reported the incident to police and he’s not alone in his vigilance. The Kelowna RCMP told Castanet that since July 1, 2024, there have been five files generated from members of the public reporting cigarette butts being tossed from a vehicle. WKFR chief Jason Brolund notes it’s not just cigarette butts. They get calls almost daily about things like campfires on the beach or in someone’s backyard. …The fine for throwing a cigarette out a car window in B.C. is $575.

The Osoyoos Indian Band’s (OIB) Nk’Mip Forestry and the Infinity-Pacific Stewardship Group have officially launched their joint venture company Siya Forestry LP. The partnership between the OIB and the land and resource management firm saw Siya Forestry established in February 2024 with the new company dedicated to “cultivating a thriving local economy through sustainable forestry”. The collaboration brings together dedicated resources and forestry experts from both companies to advance sustainable practices and support community development across the Okanagan, Kootenay, and Boundary regions through a First Nations lens, the companies said in a statement. This commitment involves creating jobs for OIB members and local forest technicians and professionals, addressing community values and priorities, and setting new standards for environmental stewardship in the region.