Region Archives: Canada

For decades, much of Sealaska’s revenue has been tied to the extraction of resources from its significant landholdings, including the patch of old-growth forest where the canoe was found. The scout who discovered the site was far from the waterline, high up in the kind of steep terrain considered ideal for helicopter logging, when he noticed an unusual number of stumps for a site where cutting had not yet begun. Then he noticed that many of the fallen logs next to those stumps were missing sections of their trunks up to 10 meters long. Only after finding a single canoe that had been carved but not hauled away did he realize where the missing sections had gone.

Halalt First Nation in the Cowichan Valley has launched a class-action lawsuit against private forest giant Mosaic Forest Management and three levels of government for damages related to flooding on the band’s reserve on the lower Chemainus River. The B.C. Supreme Court action names several “forestry defendants,” and the Municipality of North Cowichan for logging that contributed to downstream flooding. …The suit alleges the forestry defendants “conducted their forestry operations in a careless and reckless manner” by overharvesting and failing to manage and clear harmful logging debris. It also says logging caused increased surface runoff, sedimentation and riverbank erosion in the Chemainus River watershed. …The suit also names the federal and provincial governments, Island Corridor Foundation and Managed Forest Council, which is an independent provincial agency. All three levels of government also declined to comment on the legal action. …Halalt Chief James Thomas declined to comment at this time.

The Mackenzie Region of Alberta has been named the Forest Capital of Canada for the second year in a row. The FCC designation has been a tradition across the country every year since 1979 and is awarded by the Canadian Institute of Forestry. The award aims to celebrate communities or regions for their connection to the forest, and Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen says his riding, Grande Prairie-Mackenzie, continues to embrace the natural beauty in its own backyard. “Congratulations to the Mackenzie Region for being recognized as the Forest Capital of Canada for the second consecutive year,” he says. “This title reflects the region’s connection to our natural environment and its commitment to forestry education and responsible stewardship.”

Dead or dying trees, also called snags, are sometimes viewed as an eyesore, but a B.C. scientist is warning that if they don’t present a safety hazard, it’s important to leave them be… Among B.C. bats, 14 of 15 species roost in trees, 11 roost in dead trees and eight of them roost exclusively in dead trees… Other species, like chickadees and nuthatches, require trees that were dead for even longer, so their beak can penetrate the ‘spongy’ wood… A solution was the wildlife danger tree assessor’s course, developed as a partnership between the B.C. government and the University of Northern B.C., which teaches professionals to identify the differences between a safe snag and a dangerous one. These factors include the tree’s root system and the direction the tree may fall.

A benchland overlooking B.C.’s Chilcotin River is an ideal location to recreate an historic forest landscape from the region’s past. It was an ecosystem of grasslands interspersed with groups of trees and it reflected how much of the region once appeared. A group of First Nations forest companies are working to re-establish the diversity of yesterday’s landscape while making the forest better equipped to survive the more devastating wildfires predicted, as global warming conditions intensify. …The forest fire season of 2017 won’t soon be forgotten in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. …The decision was taken to replant the burned area near the Chilcotin River in 2021. But the elements hadn’t finished creating their havoc. “That was the heat dome year,” reminds Daniel Persson, forestry superintendent with Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd (CCR) based in Williams Lake. The heat dome wiped out about 95 per cent of the newly planted seedlings, continues Persson.

VALEMOUNT – A forestry audit of the Valemount Community Forest Company Ltd. (VCF) reveals that bridge construction and maintenance continue to be a pervasive issue in B.C. forestry. The Forest Practices Board audited all activities carried out by the VCF between July 1, 2021, and July 28, 2023. While the licensee complied with most requirements, the report identifies five significant non compliances, two of which are related to bridge construction and maintenance. Auditors had no safety concerns with the bridges installed during the audit period. However, the licensee did not have any of the legally required documents outlining how it would ensure these bridges were safe and structurally sound for industrial use. “We continue to see licensees fall short of practice requirements for their bridges,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the board. “This can put the safety of truck drivers and other industrial road users at risk.” …The report also identifies two significant non-compliances related to wildfire protection. 

Additional coverage in Business in Vancouver by Nelson Bennett: Loggers warned to take more care with fire prevention

British Columbia’s government expects to plant nearly 60 million fewer trees next year — a 23 per cent drop from this year’s planting season at a time the province has seen a major spike in wildfire activity. The projections come from presentation slides obtained by Glacier Media and shown to industry in September, less than 10 days before the B.C.’s provincial election campaign kicked off. During the campaign, the BC NDP promised to plant 300 million trees annually across the province to “help increase forest resilience.” That promise came off the back of two of the most destructive wildfire seasons in B.C.’s history. In 2023 alone, more than 6,000 fires torched 15 million hectares of land, an area larger than England, according to Natural Resources Canada. But according to the province’s own projections, the government expects the number of trees planted to sink to 233 million in 2025, down from 291 million in 2024 and far short of its election promise.

For decades, forestry companies in B.C. have used chemical herbicides like glyphosate to kill off plants that might compete with trees destined for timber. Trembling aspen, named for its almost heart-shaped leaves that seem to quiver in the wind, is often on the hit list. But after years of destructive wildfires that have wiped out whole neighbourhoods and sometimes whole towns, more and more people are questioning the wisdom of killing off this tree. Because when wildfires sweep across the landscape, aspen can help calm the flames… “Anytime we apply herbicides, we are changing potential fire behaviour,” wildland fire ecologist Robert Gray explains… in areas where aspen and other deciduous trees are killed, a natural fire break is lost too.

British Columbia’s planting program will drop abruptly next year to approximately 237-million seedlings… Recognizing the risks this poses to the province’s forests and the ecosystem resilience contracting sector that grows and plants trees, BC has committed to rebuild the annual program to at least 300-million seedlings. Given the decline is driven primarily by B.C.’s shrinking annual harvest, making up for the downfall could represent doubling the Ministry of Forest’s Forest Investment Program. …it will require significant talent and funds for our government to not just sow, grow and plant these additional seedlings, but to survey, find, and prescribe the appropriate sites. Meeting this restoration objective will require concerted public and private collaboration …and involvement of the whole reforestation service supply chain. …In its upcoming meeting with Forests Minister Ravi Parmar the WFCA will urge him to make meeting our government’s goal of planting 300-million seedlings annually an operational priority.

Bruce Blackwell

I grew up in Vancouver and … feel a deep connection … Stanley Park, and have advocated professionally for sound management and stewardship of urban forests within communities throughout the province. Since 2019, Stanley Park’s forested area has been increasingly affected by a western hemlock looper outbreak, which has impacted up to 160,000 trees. In 2022, the Vancouver Park Board commissioned an assessment to understand the risk to public safety, and long-term wildfire risk, posed by the looper-impacted trees. My company, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd., was selected through a competitive process to conduct this impact assessment. …Our team includes some of the most experienced professionals in forestry, arboriculture, ecology, and biology. Together, we’ve developed a plan grounded in the best available science, informed by years of experience working in Stanley Park and throughout the province. Based on our experience and expertise, we believe the path we’re on is the best one for the long-term health and resilience of this beloved green space.

In the December newsletter, the AFPA highlights include:

• New team members: Alyxandra Chorney joins as full time Policy Analyst Nicole Galambos is new Director of Forest Policy
• The Love Alberta Forests campaign – visit the 2024 year in review 
• Alberta joins forestry trade mission to Japan to expand market opportunities 
• Recent article: It’s Time to Fix Canada’s Species at Risk Act
• Forestry Talks Podcast – watch the latest episodes
• WorkWild educational events deliver forestry education to students in Alberta

Another piece of the puzzle for conservation efforts along the Rocky Mountain Trench in B.C. is in place. Nature Conservancy Canada says wildlife including grizzly bear numbers have been declining in the region, which is why it added a new conservation area next to Kootenay National Park that links to a “network of already protected” lands. It says the new Geddes Creek Conservation Area includes an almost two-square kilometre region of Douglas fir and montane spruce forest, open grassy habitat and a seasonal creek north of Radium Hot Springs on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The organization says grizzly bears are known to travel through the area in search of food, mates and denning sites. …Nature Conservancy Canada says the land purchase was made through partnership funding with Parks Canada, the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and the Regional District of East Kootenay’s Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund.

Squamish-based FireSwarm Solutions Inc., a startup that develops autonomous drone technology for wildfire management, announced it has $500,000 in funding from the BC Centre for Innovation & Clean Energy (CICE). CICE is an independent not-for-profit corporation that funds “clean energy innovators.” Other past projects it has invested in include the electrification of snow plows and funding for a company that aims to make lithium battery manufacturing cleaner, among others. In the spring, CICE put out a call to companies developing “ground-breaking solutions to better manage and mitigate the growing threat of wildfire.” They awarded $3 million to six of the 74 companies that applied for the 2024 Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation, including FireSwarm Solutions. CICE claims this is Canada’s first-ever funding opportunity for wildfire technologies. The $500,000 will speed FireSwarm’s deployment of long-endurance, heavy-lift autonomous drone swarms to detect, map, and suppress wildfires.

Nelson forestry advocate, Joe Karthein is pushing for greater protection of ancient forests in the Selkirk Mountains, calling for more designated protected areas. Founder of the Save What’s Left Conservation Society, he is leading a campaign and petition to implement legislation to improve the province’s forest management model. One initiative focuses on transferring land known as Duncan Lake Ancient Cedars, north of Kaslo, into a provincial park system. “We are lobbying to have a grove of ancient trees located north of Kaslo permanently protected by moving 531 hectares from the Forest Service and into the parks system,” he said. Adding that conserving land from resource extraction is essential for preserving biodiversity. “An ecosystem won’t thrive completely surrounded by incessant industrial activity,” said Karthein. His petition notes that while the oldest forests in the area are not currently threatened by logging, nearby areas are at risk and need protection. 

BC’s new forests minister, Ravi Parmar, says he wants to bring industry, workers, First Nations and communities together to fix the ailing sector. “Over my time as minister I want to restore confidence in BC’s forests sector; stand up for workers and families in forestry communities like Campbell River; and honor the commitments that my government has been leading around biodiversity and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.” Parmer says 2025 is going to be a challenging year, and revitalizing forestry in BC will be critical. He says he has no experience in forestry but asked for the file because he wants to learn, and because he understands how it’s been the pillar of the provincial economy for the past century. …He says one of his first tasks will be to work with Ottawa to try and find a resolution to the long-running softwood lumber dispute. 

British Columbia NDP and Green parties have reached an agreement in principle to work together on shared priorities — including a pledge to protect the Fairy Creek watershed, a largely intact old-growth valley on southwest Vancouver Island. The agreement says the B.C government will “move forward to ensure permanent protection of the Fairy Creek watershed” in partnership with the Pacheedaht and Ditidaht First Nations and “pending the resolution of existing legal proceedings and community negotiations.” …Discussions about the future of Fairy Creek are ongoing, deputy premier Niki Sharma told reporters, saying the commitment to work toward permanent protection of the watershed does not mean the valley’s fate will be decided any time soon. …The agreement also commits the B.C. government to work with the BC Greens to undertake a review of B.C.’s forests with First Nations, workers, unions, business and community “to address concerns around sustainability, jobs, environmental protection and the future of the industry.”

INVERMERE, B.C. — Another piece of the puzzle for conservation efforts along the Rocky Mountain Trench in B.C. is in place. Nature Conservancy of Canada says wildlife and grizzly bear habitat have been declining in the region, which is why it added a new conservation area next to Kootenay National Park that links to a “network of already protected” lands. It says the new Geddes Creek Conservation Area includes an almost two-square kilometre region of Douglas fir and montane spruce forest, open grassy habitat and a seasonal creek north of Radium Hot Springs on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The organization says grizzly bears are known to travel through the area in search of food, mates and denning sites.

I’m sure the denials will be numerous but it’s an open secret there are top quality sawlogs at the PG Saw chip plant for chipping. One source sent me a photo of one log, 50 inches in diameter, solid, and pushing 300 years old, being hauled out of the McGregors to the chip plant. …Whenever there is a shortage of low quality “pulp logs”, we simply use top-grade sawlogs, much of it irreplaceable old growth, to make paper products. …There’s a better option. We start thinning the plantations. Instead of feeding the pulp mills old-growth gold, we feed them plantation pine. …Thinning out the plantations can save our old-growth from the chipper, can save our pulp mills from the dustbin, and a big one for me is it can open up dense, lifeless plantations, many of them previously sprayed with glyphosate, …and much-needed habitat and biodiversity for our wildlife and moose.