Category Archives: Forestry

An evolving forestry industry was one discussion Castlegar City Councillors brought back from the recent Annual Kootenay Boundary Local Governments convention. One presentation asking “are we ready to modernize the Forestry Industry?”seemed to have hit close to home for Councillors Dan Rye and Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff. “Forestry is important in our economic development and government thinks there’s going to be 4500 people without jobs. The forest industry itself is saying 18,000 people plus all the secondary jobs. So that’s something that we really have to pay attention to because it really could impact our community.” says Councillor Heaton-Sherstobitoff. “I don’t think we realize just how much it may affect us in our area, and it was interesting listening to other Mayors and other Councillors from areas around us that I would consider to be sort of on the green side, basically saying ‘wow this is going to hurt us’….” shared Councillor Dan Rye.

A group of people protesting logging plans in an area north of Nelson were arrested by RCMP on Tuesday (May 17) morning for violating a court-ordered injunction by a West Kootenay timber company.  The group Last Stand West Kootenay set up camp in April on a logging road in the Argenta-Johnsons Landing Face, a stretch of forested mountainside between the east shore of Kootenay Lake and the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy near the small community of Argenta.  RCMP said in a statement that the 17 people were arrested for civil contempt of court. Of those, nine were taken into custody while eight people were released on the condition of attending a July 19 court date in Nelson.  Vancouver Island-based lawyer Noah Ross, whose firm is providing legal advice to the people detained, said he believed approximately 20-30 people had been arrested.

Additional coverage in the Vancouver Sun, by Joseph Ruttle: Police arrest 17 protesters at logging blockade near Kaslo

Backcountry road users are advised that the roads closed in October 2021 across the Thompson Okanagan region, following 15 severe wildfires, will remain closed. The closures were established under the Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation of the Wildlife Act and apply to backcountry roads across approximately 536,000 hectares. Roads were closed to allow areas to recover from wildfire impacts including: erosion of charred soils and impacts on fish habitat; increased vulnerability of wildlife due to migration disruptions, habitat loss and loss of vegetation cover; and increased open areas due to construction of approximately 2,900 kilometres of fire guards. Closure boundaries follow landmarks such as roads, rivers and streams near wildfire perimeters.

Vancouver, B.C. – The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2022 Forestry Scholarship. This year, COFI is awarding 13 $2,000 scholarships, including three COFI Indigenous Forestry Scholarships in continued partnership with the New Relationship Trust Foundation. “COFI is pleased to continue to support the next generation of foresters, biologists, technicians and more, as they advance their educational goals and work towards a career in the forest industry,” said Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of COFI. “These bright young minds will contribute to the future growth and sustainability of our sector, including the Indigenous students that will be supported through our continued partnership with the New Relationship Trust Foundation.”

The We Wai Kai First Nation has partnered with Mosaic Forest Management to harvest a Mosaic-owned tree farm licence on Quadra Island. A new organization has been formed by the First Nation and forestry contractor Roga Contracting called Way Key Ventures that will provide harvesting services for Mosaic. According to a release from Mosaic, the partnership will “benefit the continued employment and careful management of the working forests of Quadra Island.” The harvest area is within Mosaic’s Tree Farm Licence 47, and Way Key ventures will provide harvesting services to the We Wai Kai First Nation as well. “This new partnership is a significant opportunity for our Nation to experience economic, social and cultural benefits of forests within our traditional territory,” said We Wai Kai Chief Ronnie Chickite. “We all benefit from a thriving sustainable forest sector.”

See Mosaic Forest Management press release.

In the year since RCMP began enforcing an injunction against protests near the Fairy Creek watershed on Vancouver Island, 403 people have been charged with contempt of court, 49 people have either pleaded or been found guilty and one person has been acquitted, a CBC analysis has found. The numbers are based on the latest information provided by the RCMP and the B.C. Prosecution Service. They come as summer approaches and protest organizers begin calling for activists to return to blockade sites on Crown land near Port Renfrew, where police have been enforcing a court injunction won by logging company Teal Cedar since May 17, 2021. …As of Dec. 2, the last date on which anyone was arrested, RCMP say there have been a total of 1,188 arrests… Of the 919 arrests for contempt, police have recommended charges for 451 people. The Crown says it has assessed 438 of those files so far, approving 403 charges. 

The BC First Nations Forestry Council invites First Nations, industry and Government to join us at the 3rd annual BC First Nations Forestry Conference – CONNECTING FIRST NATIONS TO FOREST SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES on June 22nd and 23rd (Virtual Event). This annual event provides an opportunity for First Nations to come together with each other, alongside industry and government partners, to discuss current changes in the BC Forest Sector. During this 2-day virtual event, attendees can take part in panel discussions on relevant policy and legislation changes in BC, celebrate the growing BC Indigenous forestry workforce and learn more about how we can connect that workforce to forest sector opportunities.

From data about wildfires and floods to natural resource and tech-sector insights, finding a wide variety of key information has become easier and more secure for British Columbians with the launch of an improved and updated BC Data Catalogue. People, businesses and organizations can access the BC Data Catalogue to find provincial government data, applications and web services that can be used to make informed decisions and create opportunities for British Columbians. …There are more than 3,000 sets of data in the catalogue, allowing businesses to easily make knowledgeable decisions, build new products or services, and develop new business models. …Leon Medema, manager of geographic information systems at Williams Lake-based Consus Management, which specializes in forestry and utilities management, has been using the BC Data Catalogue for several years.

Berlin Communications’ work on livening up the intricacies of sustainability efforts in the forestry industry took the top prize at the Anvil Awards on Friday. Presented by the Ad Rodeo Association, the Anvil Awards recognize the best creative work in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Created for client Alberta Forest Products Association, “Love Alberta Forests” aimed to counter environmental misconceptions about forestry amid greater scrutiny resource industries are beginning to face in the province. The campaign communicated the often-dry facts of how the forestry industry maintains and manages Alberta’s forests with stories and immersive visuals, delivered not just through ads, but a virtual tour narrated by Alberta-born actor Nathan Fillion. The campaign also won a pair of Anvils in the Non-Traditional and Online categories. 

Philip McLoughlin

University of Saskatchewan wildlife ecologist Dr. Philip McLoughlin’s (PhD) research team has been awarded $1.87 million Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) grant to study complex environmental changes occurring in Western Canada’s Boreal Plains and help mitigate the consequences. Including contributions of $1.04 million in cash and in-kind support of $1.08 million from partner agencies, the total project amounts to nearly $4 million. “From natural resource development and climate change, the southern boreal forest of Western Canada is experiencing some of the most extensive restructuring of a terrestrial ecosystem in North America,” said McLoughlin, professor of biology in USask’s College of Arts and Science. …The goal is to provide the tools, knowledge, and practical options, and build the capacity to conserve the Boreal Plains ecosystem while safeguarding the core socio-ecological needs and values of residents. 

Forestry workers and communities in the Thompson Okanagan region are benefiting from economic opportunities created through the Province’s Forest Employment Program (FEP).  In the past year, the Province has invested $1.87 million in 22 projects in the B.C. Interior, employing local contractors and workers and focusing on wildfire risk reduction and improving outdoor safety and accessibility.  “Building more resilient communities while addressing the impacts of climate change is a key part of the StrongerBC economic plan,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “These projects help drive economic recovery in the region, bolster recreation and tourism opportunities, reduce wildfire risks and provide jobs for people.”   FEP was created in 2019 to provide short-term employment opportunities for contractors and workers in the Interior.   …Since its creation in 2019, FEP has delivered $30 million in funding, which has supported 317 projects and created more than 840 short-term jobs.

The BC and federal governments agree more needs to be done to prepare BC for increasingly frequent and severe flooding and wildfires caused by climate change. But they have stopped short of committing to significant changes that could address issues identified. “We recognize we have to do more,” said Forests Minister Katrine Conroy, lauding the investigative series that found government efforts have fallen short of what is needed to properly protect communities. …She noted the province has committed to spend $2.1 billion over four years to recover from extreme floods and wildfires in 2021. Most of that money is earmarked for response costs. …It is not targeted at building climate-resilient infrastructure such as upgrading B.C.’s more than 1,100 kilometres of dikes or building new flood protection measures. Money earmarked for wildfire prevention would barely make a dent in the forested land needing thinning to reduce wildfire fuel.

Roughly 60 per cent of Indigenous communities in Canada are located in remote areas surrounded by forest. For millennia, they used Traditional Ecological Knowledge, passed down between generations, to apply fire to the landscape in a way that would reduce wildfire risk, promote revegetation and enhance wildlife habitat. ..The challenges are laid out in a recently published paper, “The Right to Burn: barriers and opportunities for Indigenous-led fire stewardship in Canada.” The report also presents solutions — five calls to action that could help put wildfire management back in the hands of Indigenous communities that seek to reclaim cultural burning on their traditional territories. …Amy Cardinal Christianson, one of the report’s lead authors and a fire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service… says that while existing Eurocentric wildfire management methods focus on fire suppression and taking a reactive approach, traditional methods manage fire at the landscape level.

Katrine Conroy

KAMLOOPS — British Columbia’s forest minister, Katrine Conroy was in Kamloops today, speaking at the Interior Logging Association annual general meeting. …With the wildfire season fast approaching, some communities in the region are concerned about fire coverage. Just a few weeks ago the B.C. Wildfire Service said that no crews will be based in Clearwater this year. This morning Minister Conroy said… “There will be a crew in Clearwater, but the main crew will be based out of Kamloops and has the ability to then send people throughout the province,” stated Conroy. “It’s a regional fire centre in Kamloops, which is great. What we’ve done is considerable investments in the wildfire service so we can expand the wildfire service to a year-round operation.”

The John and Jill Innes Aboriginal Award in Forestry supports undergraduate students in the Faculty of Forestry and is renewable for up to three years to ensure continuity and stability in funding for students. Please join us in honouring Dr. John Innes, and help recognize and celebrate the exceptional leadership and many accomplishments he has presided over during the past 11 years as Dean of the Faculty of Forestry (July 2010 to September 2021). …While serving as Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, he has had a tremendous impact on the advancement of Aboriginal relations within British Columbia and the Yukon. “What Jill and I both realized was that First Nations students face many challenges when moving to a large university such as UBC. Many come from small, close-knit communities, and the city, processes, and structures can all seem quite intimidating. We wanted to do what we could to help those students succeed,” said Innes.