Susan Bibbings
Susan Bibbings hasn’t had a bite of food in 10 days. …Bibbings, who is not Indigenous, describes her hunger strike as a Water Ceremony to “honour the water of the world.” She says she stopped eating to shine a light on Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation opposition to the $5-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline currently under construction in Northern B.C. …Bibbings has been charged with mischief twice over the past 12 months, first in October 2021, when she joined Extinction Rebellion in blocking traffic to Vancouver International Airport, and again in June of this year, when she glued her hand to a section of the Sea to Sky Highway on the North Shore to protest against the continued destruction of old-growth forests in B.C. …Bibbings’s lawyer Elizabeth Strain said the judge in the case recognized a psychiatric assessment they presented in court, which showed the 46-year-old suffered from ‘eco-anxiety’ and ‘eco-depression.’
B.C. is a lucky province. Not only are we blessed with a wide variety of natural resources, from coal to gold, but we also have two renewable resources in abundance: hydro power and forests. That is if we don’t squander them. …our forests have the potential to feed our provincial economy for centuries if they are managed properly. …The two keywords in that last statement are “managed” and “properly,” which are both hard to pull off. After all, for decades the path to profit in the forest has been to extract as much fibre as possible at the lowest cost. Luckily, the old model is changing and forest companies are recognizing that long-term profits come with preserving and enhancing the forest for the future. …There is a lot of research going into what makes a healthy forest, which also bodes well for the future…
Officials in British Columbia’s Forests Ministry understood that a regulation introduced in 2020 to protect big trees on public lands would have little impact. They designed it that way. Internal records released to The Tyee in response to a Freedom of Information request confirm critics’ suspicions that the Special Tree Protection Regulation was meant to sound good to the public while continuing to protect the interests of the logging industry. “Timber supply and economic impacts associated with the use of the proposed specifications are predicted to be insignificant when viewed on a provincial scale,” said a Forests Ministry memo dated Jan. 14, 2020 — some eight months before the government enacted the regulation. The regulations apply to a dozen tree species on Crown and private lands managed under the Forest Act. Trees above set diameters are protected from logging. A hectare of forest surrounding each of those trees is also protected as a buffer.
People within the Thompson-Okanagan region will have greater protection from wildfires through a provincial investment in a series of community-led projects. The BC Community Forest Association co-ordinated with 15 community forests on 48 Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction projects, including 11 within the Kamloops Fire Centre Region. These projects are part of the ongoing work to adapt and better prepare for climate change. “Managed by local communities and First Nations for the benefit of the entire community, community forests are key partners in our work to reduce wildfire risks across the province,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. …“Community forests are important partners in managing forested land near communities,” said Jennifer Gunter, executive director, BC Community Forest Association. “By partnering with the BC Wildfire Service, community forests are demonstrating an effective and efficient path forward to address wildfire risk while also supporting local employment opportunities.”
ALERT BAY, BC – The Government of Canada is joining the ‘Namgis First Nation in celebrating the successful expansion of operations of the Beaver Cove Chip Plant, now operating as Atli Chip LP. This expansion opens up forestry-related opportunities, businesses, careers and governance within ‘Namgis traditional territories and other communities in the region. The Government of Canada invests in projects to help equip communities with the tools to build greener businesses, create sustainable jobs, and promote further economic opportunities within the sector. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced over $1.4 million in funding to Atli Chip LP through the Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) program which provides financial support to Indigenous-led economic development projects in Canada’s forest sector. Indigenous Services Canada also supported this project through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative.
GATINEAU
NEW YORK and PARIS — The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action has today released its second 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and ENR Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the 
Two years ago, the East Troublesome wildfire in Colorado’s Arapaho National Forest raced up the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, at one point crossing over the Continental Divide amid 12,000-foot-tall peaks. It would become the second largest wildfire in state history, and started on the same October day that the Cameron Peak fire would be crowned Colorado’s largest ever fire. …the two massive 2020 blazes represented prime examples of a troubling trend: wildfires are burning at higher altitudes in the major mountain ranges of the West, including in areas that are normally cloaked in deep snows in winter. Winter snowpack that melts slowly in the spring and summer is a primary water source for the West. And so these trends of more fire at higher elevations and faster melting represent “a major threat to a critical water reservoir for the region,” said Dan McGrath, a Colorado State University scientist.
A new draft of the Oregon wildfire risk map that received public outcry earlier this year will be released next March, the Oregon Department of Forestry said. The 
The logging industry plays a critical role in the Northwoods economy, and a new bipartisan bill in Washington would recognize October 12 as National Loggers Day. The goal of the resolution, introduced by Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Republican Susan Collins of Maine, is to highlight the many contributions and economic benefits of the logging industry in the country. Baldwin said in announcing the resolution, “I’m proud to…spotlight the importance of logging businesses and workers who keep our forests healthy and support our Made in America forest products supply chain.” She added, “Wisconsin’s logging economy provides good-paying jobs and revenue for rural communities and the National Park System. Healthy forest management also provides public recreational opportunities that make the Wisconsin way of life a national treasure.” …This resolution is supported by the American Loggers Council and Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association.
Carbon emissions in the Amazon region in 2019 and 2020 more than doubled compared to the average of the previous eight years, according to a new study. Deforestation for agriculture and fires were the main drivers of the increase, according to the authors. The scientists say that a “collapse” in law enforcement in recent years has encouraged forest clearing. The research findings have been submitted for publication but have yet to be independently reviewed. …Their new study shows that in 2019, carbon emissions increased by 89% compared to the annual average of emissions between 2010 and 2018. In 2020, the picture was even worse, with an increase of 122%. While fires played a role, the main factor was the removal of trees by land clearing, which increased by 75% in 2020. …The researchers link this rise in deforestation to a rapid decline in prosecutions by law enforcement agencies.
