Category Archives: Forestry

When Beth Patterson and her partner Nels Olson moved to Avola, BC, they were surprised to see brown water “running like chocolate milk” out of their taps.  …The next day, Olson walked north, following the creek up steep, overgrown terrain.  Eventually, he came across a new logging road that was being constructed above the creek about two kilometres from their property.  …Patterson and Olson tracked down contacts at BCTS, who said they would send out a representative to assess the situation.  …When their water tests showed high levels of E. coli, heavy metals and uranium, they reached out to the Forest Practices Board.

Archie Little & Jack Woodward

VANCOUVER — The lawyer for a B.C. First Nation challenging the province in a land rights trial says the government’s decision not to adjust the case based on its own new litigation directives “undermines the process of reconciliation.” The province announced the development of “a new approach to litigation” on Thursday as part of its process to implement its legislation adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It included 20 directives for the Crown to prioritize resolution and negotiated settlement, while reducing the potential for legal action over Indigenous rights and title. …The Nuchatlaht’s lawsuit claims the B.C. and federal governments have denied their rights by approving logging and “effectively dispossessing” them of the land. In a court transcript supplied by the Nuchatlaht’s legal team, Crown attorney Jeff Echols said Thursday the province knew about the directives before their release and does not intend to adjust its arguments for trial.

The International Order of Hoo-Hoo: The Fraternal Order of the Forest Products Industry, is one of the longest standing industry service clubs in the world. The men and women of this historic fraternal order support local charitable organizations, education programs and the community. If you work in the forest and lumber sector, you’ve likely heard of this enigmatic club. On Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley Hoo-Hoo Club recently hosted their Spring Social and Reverse Draw. The event features an impressive barbecue and expertly prepared steaks! Members of the board presented the ongoing good works of the club in the restoration of the Hillcrest Lumber Co. Shay #1 at the BC Forest Discover Centre in Duncan. The club has been instrumental in overhauling the locomotive, contributing funds and manpower in the project. 

Josie Osborne

Josie Osborne seems careful with her words as she talks about her new job. The former mayor of Tofino, turned MLA, is heading up the new B.C. Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship and is the minister responsible for fisheries. But through her political composure are glimpses of a lifestyle associated with the little west coast community. …Osborne first moved to Tofino in 1998, just a few years after the region made national headlines during the infamous “War in the Woods,” one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history. Fresh out of graduate school, she worked as a fisheries biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. It was here that she first came face-to-face with conflict around resources, environment and Indigenous Rights in terms of the impacts of fish farms on wild salmon populations. 

Tensions between Metro Vancouver commuters and old growth logging protesters came to a head Thursday morning. Video captured on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge shortly after 7 a.m., shows angry drivers dragging the protesters out of their way. It was the 10th blockade led by Save Old Growth on a Metro Vancouver highway in April so far. …It’s said it knows its actions are frustrating for commuters, but believes creating noticeable disruptions is the only way to get the province to do something. If Thursday morning’s clash is any indication though, drivers have had about enough. “I’ve got to get to work,” one commuter is heard saying in the video posted to Save Old Growth’s Twitter page. …Police officers enter the frame soon after and the video ends.

BC’s war in the woods over old growth has bled out onto the streets, with protesters now resorting to blocking highways. …The group, Save Old Growth, is not the same one that was leading the months-long protests against old growth logging at Fairy Creek. But the Fairy Creek action appears to have mostly sputtered out [and] some activists have splintered off and turned to the highway disruptions instead. But the province appeared ready. It seized vehicles associated with one Vancouver protest under the Civil Forfeiture Act, leaving the protesters without wheels. …Premier John Horgan has long tuned out the extreme elements of the environmental movement, and hasn’t suffered any voter blowback for doing so. …In the meantime, the government is making slow progress on old growth deferrals. …But even if the government were to save a majority of the identified forests it wouldn’t be good enough for the protesters.

I want to share a story about an experience I had at Fairy Creek… I am appealing to all those who seek to oppose the power of Canadian capitalism, and especially to my fellow workers in silviculture, to channel the frustrations of the electoral system, the anxieties of the climate crisis, and the guilt of existing as a majority settler population on stolen land, into the effective tradition of solidarity unionism. Instead of accepting an industry that acts in lockstep with other resource-based industries in Canada by creating boom and bust cycles in rural towns, destabilizing our environment, and furthering a history of systemic racism at the whim of multinational corporations, we can organize as a workforce. We can advocate for scientifically grounded environmental planning, and fight against a legacy of colonial violence towards Indigenous peoples. I am now dealing with the legal consequences of my participation in the blockades. 

Nanaimo, BC — Community volunteers and partners will join Mosaic Forest Management in marking the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day with a series of cleanup events on Mosaic and adjacent forest lands across Vancouver Island. The Earth Day 2022 theme is ‘Invest In Our Planet’, and that’s what hardworking volunteers will do on April 23 when they join local cleanup efforts targeting the problem of illegal dumping. “Illegal dumping on Mosaic lands significantly impacts forest health and our decisions around developing recreational opportunities on our private forest lands,” said Mosaic Director of Sustainability, Molly Hudson. “We’re grateful to the many volunteers who show their support for clean outdoor spaces on Earth Day and every day.” …illegal dumping continues to be a significant problem. It costs Mosaic close to $100,000 every year to recover everything from illegally dumped cars to mattresses, money that could be better spent on expanding recreational activities on our private land. 

Lisa Ferentinos wades through underbrush before descending into a small ravine dominated by a cluster of old-growth cedars. …She’s one member of a tiny B.C. island community preparing for a potential tussle with logging giant Mosaic Forest Management, which recently announced a three-year plan to restart harvesting timber on Cortes after a prolonged absence. Ferentinos is part of a small advance team ground-truthing Mosaic’s privately owned cutblocks — counting and measuring the biggest trees along with important wetlands, water courses and other sensitive habitat. …Mosaic, which owns more than eight per cent of the island’s land base (1,085 hectares), plans to log 11 hectares annually from 2022 to 2024. The company has promised not to harvest trees that are more than 200 years old, avoid individual old-growth trees if operationally possible, and meet or exceed the more stringent provincial regulations around wetland setbacks on Crown land.

Time has run out and now forestry must change very quickly. UN climate change report… “About half of total net [agriculture, forestry and other land use] emissions are from CO2 [land use, land use change, and forestry], predominantly from deforestation.” …I remember in the 1980s growing up here in Port Alberni, the forest companies were talking about selective logging, small forestry, and reforestation. I know politics and social media have made it feel like any reduction in logging is a threat to people, but it isn’t. We do have companies that create jobs by using every last inch of all types of wood. Port Alberni can be and needs to be a leader in creating and managing living forests.

The Alberta government has released landmark plans for two caribou ranges in the province’s north, but conservationists and Indigenous groups say they don’t go far enough to protect species habitat.  The plans, which are the first of their kind, outline a “made-in-Alberta” response to a deal made with the federal government in 2020 to develop a recovery strategy for the province’s caribou. They cover two regions where woodland caribou herds exist ⁠— Cold Lake and Bistcho Lake ⁠— and include restoration initiatives, maps of sensitive areas and proposed limits and opportunities for industry. …Gillian Chow-Fraser, a boreal program manager with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said… they don’t go far enough to provide effective protection for the species. …The plans outline a commitment from forestry companies to cluster their activities into fewer larger areas to avoid new road construction and further fragmented habitat, which Campbell said is encouraging. 

More than $600,000 in provincial grants has been given to West Kootenay communities to support wildfire-risk-reduction initiatives, including nearly $150,000 to Nelson. Out of a total of $609,000, the City of Nelson secured $147,667 to assist in education, planning, emergency planning, cross-training, interagency co-operation, FireSmart activities in residential areas and fuel management. Overall, the provincial government provided more than $2.1 million in grants to 13 local governments in the Southeast Fire Centre to support wildfire-risk-reduction initiatives. The Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) grants are part of more than $13 million provided to 107 recipients throughout B.C. following the latest application intake in the program’s FireSmart Community Funding and Supports category. …The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) operates the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program, processing grant applications in partnership with the Ministry of Forests and the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of British Columbia.

According to Chinook Community Forest General Manager Ken Nielsen, Chinook is not committed to the two year old growth deferral process, which was implemented by the province in November 2o21. The provincial government has been receiving responses from First Nations groups across B.C. after notifications were sent out when the announcement was made. In a meeting with the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako natural resource committee members in March, Luke Weyman from the Ministry of Forests indicated that the responses from First Nations have been mixed, especially in the local area. …Nielsen had this to say about Chinook’s decision, “Chinook Community Forest was not surprised by the announcement of the old growth deferrals, however, we are disappointed on how the current government rolled the announcement out. Managing and recruiting for old growth is important to Chinook. Chinook will engage with stakeholders and community at large for managing old growth.”

Vancouver, British Columbia – Western Forest Products Inc. and Nuchatlaht First Nation confirm that Nuchatlaht has formally discontinued its claim against Western in its Aboriginal title case currently underway in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. On April 5, 2022, Nuchatlaht filed a Notice of Discontinuance with the Court, ending all proceedings against Western. Nuchatlaht Chief Jordan Michael acknowledged that, during the five years of proceedings leading up to the trial, Western never disputed Nuchatlaht’s claim of Aboriginal title to their lands on Nootka Island, and expressed appreciation for the fact that Western will not seek court costs for its participation in the case to date. “Our main fight has always been with the Province, who continues to deny our title. We’ve worked constructively with Western in the past, and hope to do so again in the future.”