Region Archives: Canada

Randal Stark

Visiting his home in northern British Columbia for Christmas, Randal Stark noticed a problem: the internet was slow. “Comparing the internet to anywhere else in the world, it’s pretty laughable. …Will Cadell, the founder of an online mapping company and chair of Prince George’s Innovation Central Society said access to the internet and cloud computing was becoming increasingly important, even in traditional resource industries. …He used the example of forestry companies monitoring how well their machines and workers perform in sub-zero temperatures as a way of deciding when it no longer becomes worthwhile to operate. …Tim Caldecott of FPInnovations… said much of the industry was operating the same as it had in the 1980s. …”If you want to see the next major leap in the forest industry in B.C., I think that will be one way to make that happen.”

On Nov. 22 author Ed Struzik was interviewed in the media recently about his new book (Firestorm, How Wild Fires Will Shape our Future). He concludes we need to have a radically different approach to managing our forests to reduce the impact of future wildfires and he suggests we learn from the traditional first nations approach to using periodic fires to reduce fuel accumulations and enhance timber, wild life and recreation values. During the interview he describes how the mega fires have become much more frequent and behave in ways never witnessed before. The intense heat from the dry timber are creating smoke that extends much higher into the atmosphere and travels around the world similar to the volcanic smoke and ash.

VICTORIA — Indigenous groups on both sides of the Canadian and U.S. border are working with the B.C. government and others to save a critically endangered species of woodland caribou. The Kalispel Tribe in Washington state is among those leading a project building a caribou maternal pen on land owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in the mountains of B.C.’s West Kootenay. Tribe spokesman Mike Lithgow says the eight-hectare pen is being built where it’s expected about six south Selkirk mountain caribou will give birth later this year. The pen is 4.57 metres high, has electric fencing on its exterior and is covered with a fabric that acts as a visual barrier for predators. Lithgow says the cows will be caught using a net gun from a helicopter and then relocated to the pen to protect them from predators that have killed as many as three-quarters of the offspring in the past.

…While not new by any stretch of the imagination, the fact that we were still talking about the problem of dust and mud coating Youbou from logging trucks heading out of the bush and through town was significant. …Also at issue was the fear that TimberWest could be getting ready to log the steep hill above the town. …Youbou residents object to logging on the spot for a number of good reasons. It would certainly impact the view (clearcuts are not known for their picturesque qualities) and thus tourism. …TimberWest did go ahead with additional paving of the road leading into town where trucks pick up the pesky dust, but community members remain dissatisfied. There is surely more to come between TimberWest and Youbou in 2018.

Who among us would have thought 30 years ago that the Stein Valley would be nominated by the Canadian government as a candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site? …We retain vivid memories of the 25-year, often bitter debate over the future of the valley. Would it be open for “development” (another word for logging), would some areas be logged or would the entire intact watershed be protected? The forest industry and logging companies argued that it was a resource just waiting to be used and that it would create jobs. The environmentalists maintained it should be protected because of its spectacular scenery and because it was the last unlogged watershed easily accessible from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

Black Press legislative columnist Tom Fletcher sat down with Premier John Horgan to talk about his plans for 2018. Here are excerpts. Video of the interview is below, with a transcript of the premier’s comments on action need in the forest industry after the 2017 forest fire season. …”I appointed George Abbott, a former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister, member for Shuswap, so he knows the Interior, and Maureen Chapman, an indigenous leader from the Sto:lo Nation, to work together to provide us with some answers on not just what happened. We’ve had successive reports that have said we need to address the interface between the forests and communities and getting fuel off the forest floor is critical to managing fires.”

Can we expect better silvicultural outcomes through collaboration? Our February 28, Winter Workshop at the Vancouver Island University will tackle this challenging silviculture issue like a “team player” – by exploring new information and ideas about professional collaborative efforts to improve the silvicultural scorecard. In any trial or research exploration, the key is defining the problem. Many questions need to be asked – collaboration and communication are vital. The CSC Winter Workshop will try to provide answers. The “players’ roster” for the CSC Winter Workshop includes a diverse, professional team of presenters who will discuss the challenges and successes of silvicultural trialling, research, and integrated planning.