As wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui last summer, killing more than 100 people and destroying thousands of buildings, a telecommunications blackout kept many residents in the dark. The outage exacerbated an already devastating situation in areas such as the town of Lahaina, home to around 13,000 people, where both evacuation orders and first responders’ emergency communications were hampered. In addition to the downing of all cellphones and landlines in Lahaina, the area also faced a failure of commercial electrical service for days. …A key lesson from the Maui wildfires has emerged: resilient telecom networks are crucial when disaster strikes. Companies and regulators in other jurisdictions, including Canada, are taking note amid growing wildfire activity in remote regions. …Last month, wildfire damage to fibre lines near Fort Nelson, B.C. caused days-long cellular and internet outages in the province’s north, as well as in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
The Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) introduced the 
Mackenzie, British Columbia – Traditional lands of the Tse’khene People of the McLeod Lake Indian Band. The BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) will gather in Mackenzie, BC for its annual conference from June 11-13th. This event will bring together experts and representatives from across the province to discuss topics important to community forestry and local resiliency. This year’s host, the McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest (MLMCF), is welcoming delegates to their northern town for a unique learning experience. “We look forward to being hosted by Mackenzie MacLeod Lake Community Forest and getting together with folks who are passionate about community forestry in BC. We hope delegates will join us with an open heart and mind, and be ready to contribute to our discussions and celebrations”, said Randy Spyksma, BCCFA President. …The 2024 Conference and AGM will be an event to remember, with one full day of the programming dedicated to outdoor field tours and recreational networking.
Kamloops, BC – The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) continues to accept applications to fund forest enhancement projects, year-round. In the Provincial Government’s Budget 2024, FESBC was entrusted with $60 million in funding; $20 million to be allocated each year over the next three years. Projects to receive funding are those whose primary goal is wildfire risk reduction, enhanced wood fibre utilization, or both, while also achieving additional benefits such as wildlife habitat enhancement, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from utilizing wood fibre, improving recreational opportunities, and rehabilitating forests. “FESBC has played a pivotal role in our work to support a strong and sustainable forest sector by supporting projects that focus on better fibre utilization and wildfire risk reduction, helping to slow or stop the spread of wildfires by removing fuel from forests and also getting more fibre into the hands of the forestry sector,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests.
British Columbia’s deputy chief forester has set a new allowable annual cut (AAC) level for the Sunshine Coast Timber Supply Area (TSA). Effective June 6, 2024, the new AAC for the Sunshine Coast TSA is 1,050,000 cubic metres. This is a 12.3% reduction from the previous AAC, while remaining 2% above the average harvest level over the past decade. In light of the old-growth deferral areas in place within the TSA, as well as to ensure sustainable forestry practices, the determination includes two partitions. A maximum of 262,500 cubic metres may be harvested from stands older than 140 years and a maximum of 787,500 cubic metres may be harvested from stands 140 years and younger. The Sunshine Coast TSA comprises approximately 1.7 million hectares on the southwestern coast. The TSA overlaps the territory of 22 First Nations, all of which were consulted during the timber-supply review process, and feedback considered. 
Natural Resources Canada announced two investments through the 
A week after his presidential inauguration, Joe Biden cited the climate and biodiversity crises as reasons to set a sweeping new goal – to conserve at least 30% of America’s vast lands and waters by the end of the decade. Three years on, new protections have spurred meaningful progress towards meeting the target by 2030. …As Biden took office, about 12% of US land had been protected by previous administrations. About 41m acres has been placed under some form of new protection across public and private lands during Biden’s term, meaning that about 13% of the US’s landmass is now deemed protected, up by about 1%. A far smaller expanse of US waters have been newly conserved under Biden but the aquatic side of the goal is closer with 26% currently protected and with new designations planned for territories in the Pacific Ocean set to push the total above the 30% target.
About two dozen projects aimed at saving imperiled fish and amphibians are getting a share of $10 million, the first round of grants to come out of Oregon’s landmark agreement on managing private forest lands. For years, conservationists and timber industry groups debated how to protect fish, frogs and salamanders while also logging trees on 10 million acres of privately owned lands. They came to an agreement called the Private Forest Accord, signed by former Gov. Kate Brown in 2022. As part of the agreement, the state would pool money into a grant program for habitat conservation projects around the state. This year, about $10 million were awarded to 25 projects. …In addition, the Private Forest Accord ushered in logging regulations to protect sensitive fish and other aquatic species including increased stream buffers and leaving more trees behind when logging on steep slopes.
