Christi Howes

qathet Regional District directors were brought up to date on British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) activities in the area. At the January 28 board meeting, Christi Howes, senior communications and engagement specialist with BCTS, said the purpose of the presentation was to create an opportunity for qRD and constituents to engage with BCTS on local forest management and wildfire resiliency planning. The directors were told that BCTS is a provincial government program within the ministry of forests. Its central role is to manage and sell a portion of BC’s publicly owned timber through competitive auctions. Howes said BCTS manages roughly 20 per cent of BC’s public timber harvest, operating in 33 communities across the province. “In January 2025, the province launched a review of BCTS. …BCTS is now being expanded to take a more active forest management role, including supporting wildfire risk reduction, sustainable forest practices, First Nations partnerships and community-focused forestry,” said Howes.