Category Archives: Forestry

Alberta Wildfire says another unattended campfire could have led to devastating circumstances in the Calgary Forest Area this weekend. Officials say on Sunday night, a campfire was left burning near Fisher Creek, west of Millarville, and spread while it was abandoned. A team of four wildland firefighters attended the scene and put it out before it grew too large. Officials say the conditions are ripe for wildfires in the region. “Very little precipitation has been registered in our gauges over the past week leading to a slow climb in wildfire danger. Although the heavier fuels remain moist, fine fuels are drying out and can support fast moving surface fires,” officials said. The wildfire was limited to 0.2 hectares in size. Meanwhile, a wildfire north of Ghost River, detected last week, has been extinguished at 6.06 hectares, the agency said. More than two dozen wildland firefighters and two helicopters were deployed to fight that fire.

Gord Pratt

Kamloops, BC –The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) congratulates Senior Manager Gord Pratt on his retirement after a distinguished career with the organization and within the forestry sector. His departure is a moment of both reflection and celebration, as his contributions have significantly helped to shape FESBC’s successes to date. Pratt dedicated over seven years to carrying out the organization’s purposes to advance forest enhancement activities and to advocate for the environmental and resource stewardship of British Columbia’s forests. “I was excited about the possibility of working for a Society that had such strong purposes in its constitution,” shared Pratt. “Being able to continue the work to fund projects that reduce wildfire risk for the people of British Columbia was a big draw for me, as it allowed me to continue the work I started with the Kamloops Fire Centre as the Fuel Management Specialist.”

Several hunters are speaking out against the provincial government’s recent changes to reduce caribou and moose hunting in northern British Columbia. Hunting regulations are reviewed by the provincial government every two years and the move to cut the number of recreational and commercial caribou and moose hunters in B.C.’s northwest were announced on May 10. However, some hunters say it’s not clear why the changes were made. “I really don’t think they’re going to address the issue that they need to address,” said Richard Wale, a recreational hunter in Salmon Arm. But Peter Lee, with the Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Ministry, defended the move. The changes aim to support sustainable hunting now and for the long term, he said. “Regulations for moose and caribou in the Northwest support advancing reconciliation through deeper collaboration, weaving of Indigenous knowledge and science to achieve shared objectives, and working together with hunters and the community,” he said.

Chris Googoo

NOVA SCOTIA — Ninety per cent of the hemlock trees in Nova Scotia could disappear. A Mi’kmaq-led effort is ensuring at least one forest will survive. When Chris Googoo first visited Wapane’kati, the old-growth eastern hemlock forest at Asitu’lɨsk, it was like stepping back in time. …“It’s awe-inspiring,” Googoo, chief operating officer for Ulnooweg, said. The towering trees were a stark contrast to those elsewhere in Nova Scotia, where less than one per cent of the province is covered in old-growth forests. “Along the Trans Canada Highway, with these little trees that have been harvested by the lumber industry over the years, there is no old growth that we see, even near our own communities.” …Previously Asitu’lɨsk was known as Windhorse Farm, which was privately owned by the Drescher family. …In 2021, the Drescher family sold the property at a deep discount to the Mi’kmaq, where it remains under the care of Ulnooweg.

KELOWNA, BC — Wildfires will continue to grow in intensity and destruction if changes are not made to the way we manage our forests. To do that, there will need to be dramatic changes in practices that have gone on for decades and decades. And that will take time. That was one of the many takeaways from a 90-minute panel discussion on the effects of wildfires that kicked off a three-day solutions symposium hosted by UBC and UBC Okanagan.  The panel discussion included UBC professor Dr. Lori Daniels, UBCO professor Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, Joe Gilchrist from the Salish Fire Keepers Society, Dr. Paul Hessburg with the US Forest Service and West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund. “We need to fight fire with fire,” said Daniels. “Fire has a negative impact but it is also part of the solution. We need to change the way we manage our forest, changes in policy and changes in practice.”

The forest industry in B.C. is in crisis and all levels of government need to take action to protect this vital industry, Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl says. “The decline in the forest sector isn’t just a stat(istic),” Mayor Dahl told city council’s May 23 regular meeting. “It’s a real crisis impacting people and communities. All levels of government need to take action to protect good forestry jobs and ensure a sustainable future for this critical industry.” Dahl was inspired to make the comment after Canfor’s recent news about a sawmill closure and pulp mill curtailment in the Prince George …Coun. Ron Kerr put forward a motion that the city of Campbell River send a letter to the Minister of Forests expressing concern about the provincial government’s recent management and forest practices and the impacts to local communities. And that a letter be forwarded to other communities who are dependent on the forest sector. The motion passed.

Jack, Kishi and Stavness

The NIC board of governors will be adding two new members to its team this summer, replacing two outgoing members. In July, John Jack of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Roger Kishi of Cumberland will officially join the board for a two-year term. …Kishi and Jack follow Corinne Stavness of Comox, who also joined the board in December. The three bring a wide range of experience to the board. …Stavness is the vice-president of corporate affairs at Western Forest Products. Previously, she was the director of prevention services and communication for the Ending Violence Association of BC. She holds a bachelor of science in forestry from the University of British Columbia and a master of science in economics from the University of Helsinki.

Some people may think it was a miracle that the Interfor sawmill at Adams Lake survived the firestorm on August 18, 2023. In reality, the mill is operational today because of foresight, much hard work and many thousands of gallons of water. The effort to protect the mill began in 2017 when a lightning strike ignited a fire on the hillside above the mill, which an Interfor team managed to extinguish with shovels, “piss” cans, pumps and hoses that had to be dragged by hand to the fire. After the 2017 fire, the forestry staff realized how vulnerable the mill was and they began to plan how best to create fire breaks that could protect them during the next fire. Through a carefully thought-out combination of small clearcuts, thinning and the opening of old roads, the fuel was significantly reduced on the hillside forest above the mill. 

In the Line of Fire, a series that digs into what is being done to prepare for — and survive — wildfires. Bringing back ancient Indigenous fire practices helps restore cultural connections, heal the land and strengthen communities. On Gitanyow lands, restorative fire brings people together and mitigates increasingly intense and widespread wildfires driven by climate change. …Setting fires to fight fires may seem counterintuitive as wildfires across Canada increase in size and intensity, but the method is backed by decades of research and on-the-ground trials — and thousands of years of Indigenous science. In B.C., the government’s wildfire department is teaming up with First Nations to support cultural burns and other ways of using fire for the common good. Planned burns like the one on Gitanyow lands present a different way to think about fire and an opportunity to help meet the climate emergency head-on by mitigating the impacts of wildfires and restoring balance in forest ecosystems.

A corner of northeast British Columbia representing nearly a fifth of the province has reached high to extreme drought levels, a water shortage so dire it ranks among the worst drought conditions in Canada. Dave Campbell, head of the B.C. River Forecast Centre, said the latest drought data shows a wide swath of land in the Peace and Fort Nelson districts are facing multi-year drought conditions. In Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the region’s rivers have experienced nearly two years of record low flows — conditions that impact both local people and wildlife. …B.C.’s northeast has been a major hot spot for wildfires over the past 18 months. About 160 kilometres to the north, holdover fires from the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire — the largest the province has ever recorded — continue to burn, according to the BC Wildfire Service. This year, wildfires have already prompted the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people across the province’s northeast.

The Province and Blueberry River First Nations are moving forward with implementation of the Gundy High Value 1 Plan, consistent with the Blueberry Implementation Agreement, to protect Treaty Rights, support restoration and land protection measures, and create more certainty for everyone in northeastern B.C. who relies on resource industry jobs to support their lives and families. …The Gundy plan will establish and implement actions to support the restoration and ongoing practice of Blueberry’s Treaty Rights and essential elements of their way of life like hunting, fishing, trapping and sacred site preservation, while enabling limited petroleum and natural gas (PNG) development under new rules and conditions. The plan provides clearer direction to petroleum and natural gas tenure holders about where they can undertake development causing new disturbance, and where there are protections.

In this newsletter:

• A safety tip from the BC Forest Safety Council.
• Wildfire mitigation and fibre utilization work undertaken by Atli Resources LP.
• Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. release video on their Pressy Lake pilot project. 
• FESBC receives Gold Hermes Creative Award.
• We are looking for a new Executive Director for FESBC.
• Meet our Faces of Forestry featured person, Aurora Lavender.

The annual allowable cut has been reduced for a section of South Island forest that’s been ground zero for anti-logging protests. Tree Farm Licence 46 covers the Fairy Creek Watershed and Walbran Valley. Both have have been lightning rods in recent years for protests against logging that could affect old-growth trees. This week the chief forester ordered a reduction in the region’s annual allowable cut by 5.5%, nearly 20,000 cubic metres, more than 500 truckloads. The province says the reduction is to support old-growth forests, account for wildlife habitat retention, visual quality and First Nations cultural heritage resources and practices, while allowing for sustainable harvest levels. The licence is held by Teal Jones, which filed for creditor protection in BC court last month.

EDMONTON, Alberta — Firefighters from across Canada have gathered in Strathcona County to learn more about responding to wildland fires in urban areas. The county is the first Canadian community in 2024 to host the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Responding to the Interface (RTI) program to further their specialized training in fighting wildfires that burn in areas where communities meet grasslands and forests. On Tuesday, firefighters took part in an operational readiness exercise, acting as if a wildfire was coming towards the Busenius Estates neighbourhood in the county directly east of Edmonton. …“For structural firefighters, we’re used to having a fire, if you will, inside of box and we’re really good at keeping that fire in that box,” said Mark Brise, master instructor with IAFF. The program equips firefighters with tactics, strategies and skills to respond effectively to wildland urban interface fires and be able to train other firefighters.

The Wilderness Committee is accusing the B.C. government of delays when it comes to protecting old-growth following the release of a forestry progress report. But government says that reports details “unprecedented action” to conserve B.C.’s oldest forests. …Forests Minister Bruce Ralston defends the report and the pace of the work.”Our work includes unprecedented action to conserve our oldest forests through the $1-billion agreement with Ottawa and First Nations, expand actions to prevent wildfires and improve mapping, data and forest research,” he said. Ralston’s ministry also points out that ending all old-growth logging was not among the recommendation of the review, adding that the review specifically stated some harvesting in some areas was possible and necessary. …“Ultimately, the B.C. government is attempting to thread the needle and appear as if they are taking action by discussing intentions on old growth logging while neglecting to follow through with real action,” Tobyn Neame, a forest campaigner said.