Category Archives: Forestry

The forestry profession is in the midst of a major transition. New markets for high-value timber products and novel bioproducts are being explored. More people, companies, and institutions are calling for greater protection of animal habitats, eco-tourism, and biodiversity. Indigenous and local communities have a more prominent seat at the table. And a greater emphasis is being placed on how to tackle the global climate emergency through sustainable forest management than ever before. Our panel of industry experts will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Featuring UBC alumni: Moderator: • Linda Coady – President & CEO, BC Council of Forest Industries Guest Panelists • David Brand – CEO, New Forests • Domenico Iannidinardo – Senior VP – Forest & Climate and Chief Forester, Mosaic Forest Management

There’s a lot to be stressed out about these days. But instead of taking medication for low levels of anxiety, your health care provider may soon prescribe spending more time in nature. On Saturday, at COP15, the Canadian Medical Association officially endorsed a B.C. Parks Foundation initiative called PaRx, a national nature prescription program. It’s the first time a national medical organization in the world has endorsed a nature prescription. Dr. Melissa Lem, a director of PaRx, says the CMA endorsement will normalize the idea within the medical profession that nature is essential for good health. What they will typically recommend is at least two hours a week outside, for at least 20 minutes at a time. That could mean going for a hike in the woods. …She said this is the first of its kind in the world, and aligns with the association’s goal of improving health and increasing environmental stewardship.

The Municipality of North Cowichan doesn’t make its money logging so why cut down the trees? On the front page of the wheredowestand.ca website there is a link to a video called “New Old Growth – Our Mature Naturally Generated Forests Vs. Tree Plantations.” The video is filmed in areas of the Municipal Forest Reserve that are presently planned to be clear-cut. I encourage Municipality of North Cowichan taxpayers to spend seven minutes watching this video. I think it is reasonable to ask yourself, “If we aren’t making any significant money logging these aging forests, why do we cut down the trees?” …I have become, perhaps, a little simplistic. I now look at much of our MFR and agree with the Fairy Creek tree huggers – Worth More Standing.

Jennifer Gunter

At the West Boundary Community Forest, we work together to ensure the decisions we make in our forest have the best interest of the community in mind. People play a key role in the prosperity of the community forest and help build healthy communities. Today we introduce Jennifer Gunter, one of the co-founders of the BC Community Forest Association – the voice and advocate for community forests as well as communities seeking to get community forest tenures – and the long-time executive director, who has fervently supported the West Boundary Community Forest. …Gunter has always had a passion for forestry and the environment, and did her undergraduate studies in Geography and Environmental Studies from McGill University, and Masters in Resource Management from Simon Fraser University. The work that community forests across the province are undertaking, in order to adapt to climate change and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, is what excites her. 

During the ‘heat dome’ of 2021 firefighters from the BC Wildfire Service battled a large wildfire in the Trozzo Creek watershed close to many Slocan Valley communities. Thankfully, some of this area was already being managed by the Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative (SIFCo) to reduce fire intensity. “It was very useful,” said SIFCo manager Stephan Martineau. “That area was used as an anchor for a backburn that burned toward the fire and created a barrier for the advancing flames.” This stopped the fire in its tracks and allowed fire crews to establish and protect the northern edge of the wildfire. …Both the Nakusp and Area Community Forest and the Kaslo and District Community Forest Society have recently received FESBC grants totalling about $350,000 each, while SIFCo received approximately $500,000. Projects range from creating access roads for wildfire crews to thinning out forests so they don’t burn as intensely.

As the public ponders the various manipulated options for managing the North Cowichan Forests the silliness and eco-nonsense from the anti-forestry anti-logging crowd has intensified in our local media.  This campaign is well funded and has never disclosed where its money is coming from to stop logging in this municipal jewel. Is this where some of the $2 million Fairy Creek fundraising ended up? Now our politicians have been duped into stopping logging and creating a quagmire of fake concern about sustainable forestry. North Cowichan is the only municipal forest owner in BC that is considering killing its successful forestry business, egged on by people with little understanding of forest ecology and long on environmental shrillness. It hired a bunch of unqualified university professors with little or no real world experience to present faulty options that poorly reflect on the real value of wood and exaggerated the potential economic benefits of carbon credits.

This letter was also carried in the Victoria Times Colonist.

MONTRÉAL – The Governments of Canada and Yukon are committed to working together to protect and conserve biodiversity, habitat, and species at risk in the Yukon. This will contribute to the goal of protecting 25 percent of land and fresh water in Canada by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Yukon’s Ministry of Environment, announced the Canada–Yukon Nature Agreement—the first agreement of its kind—to advance nature conservation and protection across the territory. The Government of Canada will invest a total of $20.6 million to implement the agreement. This will support Indigenous leadership in conservation; increased protection of sensitive habitats; and recovery actions for species at risk, as well as the protection and conservation of new land in the Yukon. The ministers announced the agreement at COP15 in Montréal. The Governments of Canada and Yukon will collaborate with Indigenous peoples and governments to implement Canada’s first Nature Agreement.

Clint Carlson

Skill alone is rarely enough for professional athletes to succeed. …The same can be said of elite level loggers, and Clint Carlson, owner of Kaslo, B.C.-based, Sunshine Logging, is a good example of that. But even veterans like Carlson are feeling the pressure these days. …He says that the business environment today is so skewed that it’s hard to make the adjustments needed to facilitate a return to the more balanced business environment that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While adjustments have been made in the cubic metre rate forest companies are offering to loggers, it’s still not enough to address the extra costs that loggers are facing. …Because of supply chain issues, many loggers today have to wait twice as long to replace equipment, and at substantially higher prices. …Carlson logs for Kalesnikoff Lumber based in Castlegar [and] customers who have won timber sales bids, such as Stella-Jones and Celgar Pulp.

Elders from B.C.’s Pacheedaht and Wet’suwet’en First Nations have signed an open letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stop siding with industry looking to develop new fossil fuel projects and log old-growth forests. The Dec 14 letter, implores Trudeau to “listen to the youth” and defend “life rather than perpetuating extractivism” through six actions. They include: playing a permanent moratorium on old-growth logging; stopping all construction of new fossil fuel projects…; and ending the surveillance and policing of Indigenous land defenders opposing their development. Together with David Suzuki, the group also implores Trudeau to take federal dollars used to police extractive projects and reallocate them to Indigenous communities so they can develop their own climate solutions and prop up alternative livelihoods. …“This could be your moment, Justin. COP-15 could be the defining moment of your legacy as prime minister,” said the letter.

Alberta has seen the mountain pine beetle invade more than 2 million hectares of land used for forestry, but cold weather and prevention measures have radically slowed the spread. University of Alberta insect researcher Nadir Erbilgin shares the good news.

Chief Peter Bill

Saskatoon and Pelican Lake First Nation signed an agreement to create an urban reserve at a special ceremony in front of a full room of band members at city hall on Wednesday. The urban reserve is located at 1944 St. George Avenue. Pelican Lake bought into the existing business, Adam’s Lumber, at that location. Pelican Lake Chief Peter Bill says the lumber business compliments Pelican Lake’s other forestry interests.  “What you take from the land you’ve got to give back, and reforestation is a big item that we push,” Bill said. “And what we take from, from sakaw askîy (forest and earth), that’s what we’re going to be building our our houses with.” …Pelican Lake has also signed forestry agreements with Tolko and Carrier Forest Products. “The lumber will be supplied direct to Adams Lumber, so it’s a preferred cost,” Bill said.

More than 20 years of work culminated in a historic signing on Nov. 21. Representatives of the Shuswap Band, Town of Golden and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Area A Rural Golden met at the Shuswap Band office near Invermere to sign a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding a possible community forest. Through the signing, the three local governments reaffirmed their desire to come together and better understand one another while working towards the acquisition of the ‘Kenpesq’t Community Forest’ within the Golden Timber Supply Area, says professional forester and longtime volunteer Denise English. The ceremony hosted by the Shuswap Band opened with a prayer and a Shuswap Band Drumming Ceremony. “Everyone left the ceremony, feeling positive and very thankful for the opportunity to share with one another,” says English. Newly appointed Shuswap Band Salmon Chief and Coun. Mark Thomas calls the memorandum monumental.