Category Archives: Special Feature

James Miskelly

Biologist James Miskelly works as a Forestry Officer in the Federal Lands Program at Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service (CFS). Based out of the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, BC, he is part of a team that provides land management expertise to the Department of National Defence (DND)-Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt—home to unique and endangered Garry oak ecosystems. …BC’s natural Garry oak ecosystems are threatened by land conversion for agricultural, residential and industrial development. Less than five percent remain in a near-natural condition, and they too are threatened. Habitat loss, fragmentation, encroachment of woody species (as a consequence of fire suppression), and invasion by exotic species, has led to the designation of more than 100 species of plants and animals that live in Garry oak ecosystems as  “at risk” by the Government of BC. …“We are engaged in some of the largest stewardship projects in these ecosystems in BC,” says Miskelly. 

Txomin Hermosilla

To measure and catalogue Canada’s massive forest resource—covering more than 350 million hectares—requires advanced technologies and a data revolution. Twentieth century innovation in remote sensing gave foresters the ability to observe forests from above, first from the air, and then from orbit. Innovations have further revolutionized forest monitoring and management. Satellites, airplanes and drones can now capture unprecedented amounts of data with an accuracy and intelligence that allows foresters to create information-packed maps and visual displays. NRCan’s remote sensing researchers are leading this revolution. Canada’s forest scientists collaborate on many projects to study what the data are revealing about forest characteristics, both at home and around the world. The Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC) in Victoria, BC, has a dedicated team engaged in this cutting-edge forest research. Using the latest in computational technology to analyse a variety of remotely sensed data, scientists like Txomin Hermosilla are monitoring and reporting on Canada’s forest changes following disturbance events. 

Vancouver — The Association of BC Forest Professionals is recognizing 17 forest professionals with awards for their outstanding service and contributions to bettering the practice of forestry across the province in 2021. “Peer recognition of a job well done or extended excellence over the course of a career is both humbling and meaningful to the forest professionals responsible for caring for one of BC’s most treasured resources,” said Garnet Mierau, RPF, ABCFP president. The awards are based on nominations submitted by other forest professionals. The winners were honoured at the ABCFP’s 74th annual forestry conference and AGM, held virtually February 2-4, 2022.

Canadian forests are threatened by pathogens and ecosystem-changes driven by climate change. At the same time, accelerated international trade has provided a conduit for invasive (non-native) pests. To help protect the forested land base from these threats, research scientists at Natural Resources Canada, in the Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC) in Victoria, are contributing to a unique field of research called genomics. Exploring the magic of genomics are NRCan research scientists Nicolas Feau (a forest pathologist and mycologist) and Gwylim Blackburn (who specializes in the ecology and evolution of invasive insects). Blackburn, who says we’re in a genomic revolution right now, enthused, “the last ten years have been an incredible period – thanks to advancements in genetic data collection, computing capacity and statistical tools – it’s like being at a carnival with all the ride tickets you could ever want. And having candy floss too!”. 

More than 2,000 people have already registered for the 74th ABCFP Forestry Conference and AGM, which is only 11 days away. Don’t miss out. Our forestry conference helps contribute to the continuing professional development of forest professionals across British Columbia. With over 50 speakers, our program line-up includes:

• Blueberry River First Nation – Cumulative Effects Court Decision
• Managing Conflict in Polarizing Times
• Preparing for Wildfire: Lessons from Logan Lake and Tremont Creek Wildfire
• Collaborative Visitor Use Management in the Sea to Sky
• A New Perspective on Managing Interior Douglas-fir
• Cyber Threats and Professional Liability: What You Need to Know
• Future of Forest Management in a Changing Climate
• How Long is Too Long? The Persistence of Glyphosate in Forest Plant Tissues
• Forestry and Biodiversity in the Age of Genomics and Climate Change
• Forest Minister’s Keynote Address with the Honourable Katrine Conroy

This is the second part of two posts on the history of BC logging protests. Part 1 began with the observation that contemporary logging protests are but the most recent statement in a longstanding conversation. Here, in part 2, another two cases (Cathedral Grove 1929-1947 and Hollyburn Ridge 1938-1944) further identify several enduring themes. …While the characters involved changed by decade, location, and motivation, in almost all cases, the protesters lived in Victoria or Vancouver. On the whole, most people didn’t care about trees coming down somewhere, they simply didn’t want their trees to be felled. And initial complaints came from pre-existing organizations with allied goals. In time, this would shift, to see organizations created around particular protest movements. 

There are also many differences, such as the particular motivations to prevent logging… and Indigenous voices were entirely absent in the six historical cases. …The greatest difference of all is that neither contemporary protestors nor the demands of reconciliation will be satisfied by exchanging old growth logging rights in one place for those in another. Corporate gifts to the citizens of BC, as in the Strathcona Park leases or Cathedral Grove lands, are unlikely to function as an escape hatch, as they did in the past. Because today’s protesters… will not be content to have just “their” trees remain standing. This means that… there is only one historically tested way out of the current Fairy Creek old-growth controversy: the public buyout, a taxpayer-funded scheme by which existing licensees are compensated for having their logging rights extinguished, in favour of either transfer to First Nations, or preservation. …And it is safe to assume that mitigating historical contingencies will be expensive. 

Climate change is increasing the frequency of hotter and drier weather conditions, while past successful wildfire suppression has created large swaths of fire deficit areas across Canada. At the same time, urban sprawl and out-migration is pushing more people and homes beyond city limits and into the transition zone of wildland areas [creating] a greater risk of a wildfire disaster – driving evacuations when fires strike and dramatically increasing the human and financial losses. …To better prepare for and respond to such risks, a team of research scientists at the Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC) in Victoria are evaluating wildfire mitigation options for communities in the wildland urban interface. Two researchers, Nirmal Subedi and Keldi Forbes — Wildfire Research Economists in the Forest Research Economics Group — are developing economic decision making support tools to aid in deciding when and where to implement wildfire suppression treatments crucial to the safety and viability of communities.

Ian Eddy

Intrigued by the rapidly growing field of geospatial science, Ian Eddy made a life-changing decision—abandoning a future as a lawyer—he jumped headfirst into … a peatbog? The Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria—one of seven research stations across Canada—is home to a rare breed of geospatial analyst within the Cumulative Effects (CE) Program: Ian Eddy is helping a team of research ecologists build a suite of modular, interchangeable models for simulating landscape level processes, including vegetation succession, fire, timber harvesting, climate change and carbon cycling. But ecology wasn’t always on Eddy’s career radar. …The CE Program aims to use computer models to answer questions about the consequences of various management actions on the landscape. Using high-performance computing resources, the analyses include state-of-the-art applications such as: Projecting trends in forest composition and biomass under a range of future climates; Assessing the capacity of forest management activities to mitigate expected declines in forest productivity; and Projecting changes in the size and frequency of forest fires due to climate change. 

With BC logging protests and an old-growth logging moratorium much in the news, this is an ideal time to survey the surprisingly long history of such conflicts. …Despite many scattered mentions in the forest-history literature, nobody has yet synthesized a comprehensive account of BC logging protests. Yet twentieth-century feats of logging engineering were parallelled by a range of controversies. Through a study of six cases we can identify several other enduring themes that connect past logging controversies to those of the present. …The press was consistently used to advance claims and inform policy debates… And, perhaps most importantly, extinguishing existing logging rights has always been terribly expensive, a cost ultimately born by provincial taxpayers.

1) Deadman’s Island Protest, Vancouver, 1899-1917. This episode quickly arose when (the federal) government, without broad public support, granted a company permission to remove trees. …On the one hand, there was an out-of-town businessman, supported by a throng of workers who lived on Vancouver’s east side, keen for the wealth that mill jobs would bring. On the other, there was a collection of rich and powerful urbanites who wanted to retain the beauty of treed surroundings for recreation and leisure. …All three levels of governments claimed authority over the island. …and there was a charged physical confrontation between police and intended loggers reminiscent of Fairy Creek (though in this historical case, roles were reversed, with the provincial state opposed to tree-felling). …The next years saw back and forth court battles, episodes of tree-felling, as well as additional 1909 physical altercations… culminating in the island being cleared of both trees and squatters. 

Inside Education is pleased to host the return of ForestEDWest, western Canada’s premier forest education conference and conversation. From March 17-20, 2022, teachers, post-secondary and not-for-profit forest educators, industry, and government representatives are invited to gather in Canmore, Alberta for three days of in-person learning, networking, and direction setting for a new generation of forest education. ForestEDWest 2022 will revitalize forest education with an eye to infusing new technology, integration of online learning, with a return to direct connection with public and formal education audiences in a post-pandemic world. We invite you to contribute to the conversation at ForestEDWest! We are currently accepting proposals for breakout sessions, workshops, resource booths, roundtable discussion hosts, and tours! Please see the format descriptions below and submit a proposal that connects to any of the conference themes! Proposal Deadline is January 15, 2022

Research has shown that soil disturbance associated with some forestry practices can lead to soil degradation and affect long-term forest productivity. Further, these effects are often slow to manifest, taking several decades to measure and understand — demonstrating the value of long-term research efforts that federal science can provide to the sector. Charlotte Norris, is a soil biogeochemist at the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, British Columbia where her research is focused on forest soil health. …Norris brought her skills in data collection and analysis to the Pacific Forestry Centre in 2019 where she continues Doug Maynard’s research legacy in long-term productivity trials in the BC interior … to investigate effects of soil compaction and organic matter retention on forest productivity over the long term. Norris expects the results to confirm … that organic matter removal would have negative effects on tree survival and growth, and soil compaction would adversely affect tree survival and growth.

The launch of the 18th annual Global Buyers Mission got off to a great start, with delivery of the Asia Market dates of September 14th and 15th. 145 Buyers from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan participated in 274 one-on-one meetings with 80 Canadian Suppliers from 30 companies of value-added wood products. Next up will be the North and Latin American markets on September 29th and 30th. We expect to coordinate “face-to-face” virtual meetings with wholesale distributors, architects, designers, builders and contractors and our industry Suppliers over those dates.  Over 140 registered architects will also participate in WoodTALKS @ the GBM this year, with presentations delivered by industry and notable architects & engineers. For more information on the WoodTALKS Manufacturer & Specifier Collaboration Series and how you can participate, visit the website. To register for the GBM contact us at gbm@bcwood.com or call Randi Walker 604-309-6683.

While being a large and lucrative market, Japan has long been seen as difficult to reach by Canadian exporters due to both the physical distance and language barrier. In the past, BC Wood’s in-market staff brought the market closer through language support and client introductions at trade shows such as the Japan Home & Building Show. Unfortunately, COVID-19 created a new large barrier. However, BC Wood quickly pivoted to a new online approach and as a part of that reimagined the physical Whistler Global Buyers Mission as an industry-leading, online business discussion platform this past January. …The efficiency of this format is unquestionable. The BC Wood Japan office alone was able to pre-qualify and pre-set 82 meetings for members over the event’s four short hours. … the success of the Asian GBM speaks to incorporating a more robust online element to our traditional trade shows, such as the Japan Home Show.

WoodTALKS is designed to enlighten, inform and inspire on the use of wood in design and construction. Coming up soon, through 6 live webinar sessions we will feature a manufacturer-specifier collaboration series on new architectural projects and advancements in manufacturing. Join us online to explore Unique West Coast Island Projects, Off-site Prefabrication Projects, Advancements in Mass Timber Manufacturing & Lessons Learned on Projects, New Mass Timber Community Projects in British Columbia, Spectacular Wood Structures and Connections, and Modern Timber Structures & Factory Tour of a Modern Timber Operation. Event registration is $85 and open to all wood industry specifiers. Click the read more for information on the topics, speakers, schedule, learning accreditations, and registration.

The last year has been a demanding time for Canada’s forest industry, as sawmills across the country have been working at a fever pitch to meet the unprecedented demand for lumber. But for San Group, which has been finishing the first sawmill to be built on the B.C. coast in 15 years, the time has come with special challenges—though they have been able to successfully meet these challenges head-on. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has built a greenfield sawmill/reman operation in Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island. Added to that challenge, the project was hit by a mill fire half-way through construction. Unlike most mill operations on the B.C. coast, the new Port Alberni sawmill is specifically set up to handle smaller, second growth timber.

Part of the overall approach with the San Group operation is to get as much out of the fibre as possible, which is when having the Paper Excellence pulp mill as a neighbour comes in handy. Residual fibre from the San Group sawmill goes directly to the Catalyst mill, to be used as fuel. …The San Group will soon be moving ahead with doing its own biomass energy generation, with utility companies BC Hydro and Fortis both involved in this initiative. The company even has a farm property adjacent to their Langley operation, where they spread sawdust.

Vernon, B.C. — This year marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of Tolko. Our story began in Lavington in 1956 with the Lavington Planer Mill and has grown many folds since then. To help celebrate our anniversary, we have an article that looks back with Al, John, and Brad Thorlakson. We’ll also be posting an anniversary video next week that celebrates some of the milestones in our history. Look for it on our website’s Our History page. Throughout those 65 years, Tolko has been driven forward by our core Values — Safety, Respect, Progressiveness, Integrity, Open Communication, and Profit. Tolko’s Values have helped shape the innovative and nimble company we are today, and the biggest reason for our long-term success has been our people. Tolko people are known throughout the industry for their hard work, commitment to getting the job done, and working safely. …“We are a generational family company with deep roots, and I am extremely proud of our 65th milestone,” says Brad. 

Thorlakur Thorlakson and Ingibjorg Jahannsdottir left Iceland for Canada in 1890. They had six children, two daughters and four sons, including Tolko industries founder Harold Thorlakson.

Founders Harold and Jemma Thorlakson, 1975

Dear Minister Conroy, we are writing to urgently request a meeting with you to discuss how a diverse broad base of registered professionals, academics, and subject matter experts can directly support your commitment to implement the 14 recommendations found in the Gorley/Merkel report ‘A New Future for Old Forests’, as well as the forest management aspects of the BC Intentions Paper. Due to the inherent complexity of forest science, a wide range of expertise and diversity of knowledge is required to effectively achieve the goals and objectives for forest management as set by government on behalf of society. …The signatories of this letter and our many colleagues work on behalf of First Nations, the Province, forest companies, post-secondary institutions, and non-governmental organizations. …Many forest management challenges can be addressed through local collaborative planning processes to continually improve policy and legislation. …Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to meeting with you on this important matter. 

Gerry Burch

Canada’s oldest and most distinguished professional forester was recently honoured at a ceremony at the Kaatza Museum in Lake Cowichan BC. Gerry Burch, RPF, just celebrated his 98^th birthday and a group of his family, friends and colleagues gathered to unveil a plaque recognizing his life-long contributions to sustainable forestry in the valley where he worked for 41 years with BC Forest Products Ltd. (BCFP) and served as their Chief Forester. …Gerry has served as both President of BC’s forest professionals and President of the Canadian Institute of Forestry and is the recipient of the Distinguished Forester award and the Canadian Forestry Achievement award along with the UBC Alumni Builder award. …Pat Foster, President of the Kaatza Historical Society said “we are very happy to host this tribute to Gerry. He has been kind and generous to our museum with his donations of everything from hand drawn maps, cruising notes and even an old wartime machine gun from a military plane he found while cruising many decades ago”.

Don’t miss the  wood design celebration event of the year! The annual Wood Design Awards of BC aim to honour excellence in wood-based projects and to recognize the people and organizations that are pioneering and achieving this objective. The awards also serve as an opportunity to publicly recognize and encourage continued excellence in the building and design community and in the forest industry. This high profile annual event celebrates innovative structural and architectural uses of wood and provides an opportunity for architects, engineers, building designers, builders and project owners to showcase their projects. Lynn Embury-Williams is pleased to announce that the 2020 BC Wood Design Awards are being presented (screened), July 14th at 4:00pm PDT.  Just prior to that, at 3:45pm, a video loop with all of the submitted projects will be shown. The video will also be posted on our Youtube channel. 

Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Time: 4:00pm, with a preview of all nominations starting at 3:45pm

Location:   VIRTUAL – CLICK HERE TO LIVE STREAM at event time!

Don Riemer and Heidi Walsh

BC’s forests are once again headlining the news with features on the latest ‘war in the woods’, and opinions for and against logging abound. …With so many eyes on the forest, the ability to effectively plan, execute and monitor forestry operations has never been more important. Ask a forest practitioner what it takes to accomplish this—while making the bean counters at head office happy—and you’re apt to hear about advanced data-collection technologies (such as LiDAR), and forest management software. We reached out to DR Systems’ new co-CEO Heidi Walsh… alongside Gorman Bros. Lumber and Capacity Forest Management, to learn more about their experience with software technology and the planning and monitoring of forest activities.

The Gorman Group looked for a better method to track their forest activities – giving rise to a three decades-long business relationship with DR Systems. …At Capacity Forest Management… we learned about how a forest consulting firm is using Phoenix Connect as part of its service-offering to a range of small and medium sized clients and licensee types. …In our discussion with Walsh, we learned that DR Systems founder (and current co-CEO), Dr. Don Reimer, was one of the first to leverage the emerging science of GIS with natural resource management in the 1980s, resulting in Phoenix^PRO, a widely used forest activity tracking system. …DR Systems, by way of Phoenix Connect, is clearly meeting their customer’s needs in this regard, evolving the program over time and helping ensure compliance with regulators and the public at large.

The 2021 event will bring together BC First Nations to share information related to forestry workforce opportunities, and provide a space for communities to share knowledge about forest stewardship and management practices in all regions of British Columbia. The theme for this year’s event is “BC First Nations as Full Partners”. As an organization, the Forestry Council strives to support and advocate for the role BC First Nations should play in the stewardship and governance of forest lands and resources, including access to an equitable share of the benefits derived from forestry activities within their traditional territories. That is why this year, the conference will also provide the opportunity to bring together industry, Government, and Nations to discuss changes to forest policy and legislation, tenure, and workforce partnerships.

The event begins today:

• 12:30 pm — Building an Inclusive Workforce: Indigenous Mentorship in Forestry
• 1:30 pm — Indigenous Mentorship in Forestry: Understanding cultural support & two-way learning (breakout session)
• 1:30 pm — Indigenous Mentorship in Forestry: Understanding the challenges & motivations (breakout session)
• 3:00 pm — Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Awards

John Innes

On June 1, the province of British Columbia released a policy intentions paper, Modernizing Forest Policy in British Columbia: Setting the Intention and Leading the Forest Sector Transition…..In February 2020, the UBC Faculty of Forestry hosted a Forest Summit that involved about 70 forest stakeholders from across the province. …How does the provincial government’s document match this vision and recommendations? First of all, while the province refers frequently to its vision for the forest sector, it is difficult to identify exactly what the intended vision is. …Despite this shortcoming, some consistency exists between what was recommended by our working groups and what the province indicates it is intending to do. The importance of linking forest policy to Indigenous reconciliation was identified in our report and in the government paper. …The intentions paper is a lot less clear about the need to place forest management on an ecologically sustainable basis. 

 If you studied forestry at UBC, then you know the ‘infamous’ Dr. Worrall! Last year we hosted a quiet outdoor drop-in on his birthday. So many people wanted to stop by that we’re doing it again! On Saturday, May 22, we’re hosting a “garden drop-by party”. In light of COVID-19 and the need to keep everyone safe, this party will be unique. We’re asking you to come by his front yard, where he will accept visitors a few at a time, for a short visit (with appropriate social distancing and mandatory masks). Please do not bring any gifts or leave behinds, again, with COVID in mind, this needs to be a ‘touch free’ event. 

Drop by 5818 Highbury Street, Vancouver, BC V6N 1Z1, between noon and 2:00pm.

If you can’t drop by for a visit, you’re encouraged to send a birthday greeting via email. Please send it to john@davieswildfire.com All notes will be printed and shared with Worrall on his birthday. 

Bob Brash shared this National Film Board movie (made in 1963) on his LinkedIn feed. It’s a great flick and perfect for your weekend viewing!!  “Time for blast from the past. Albeit that I’m a bit biased since my father was the Ranger in the video, I viewed it for the first time in ages and found it entertaining. Hope you do also. It’s from the days of Forest Service rangers around 1960 in the Johnstone Straits and Echo Bay area. Things were just a bit simpler back then ????”, said Brash in his post!

The Water Dwellers, Gordon Sparling, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

JP (Hamish) Kimmins
(July 31, 1942 – April 8, 2021)

The world of Canadian forestry lost one of its giants with the recent death of my father Hamish Kimmins. Our family has been receiving a huge outpouring of support which includes a remarkable number of stories from people who have been positively influenced by him. I thought I would take a minute to share some facts about Hamish in order to help to celebrate his remarkable life.

…In 2007, he received the title of Professor Emeritus at UBC. In his almost forty-year career Hamish distinguished himself through research, teaching, mentorship, publication, and computer modelling. Probably his most important legacy is the work of his many students, grad students, and post docs around the world. It is from this large group of individuals that we have been hearing how much he influenced their lives and careers. It is rare to meet someone in forestry who didn’t know Hamish.

…Most importantly Hamish was a wise, kind, and generous man. He loved well and was well loved. It was a life well lived, and we will all miss him so much.

Jeff Bromley

Susan Yurkovich

Across British Columbia, important discussions are happening about the future of our provincial forest sector. As these discussions continue and as the B.C. government advances consultations on the Old Growth Strategic Review and looks to modernize provincial forest policy, the United Steelworkers’ Wood Council and the B.C. Council of Forest Industries – together – believe it’s important to take a balanced approach that is grounded by good science, informed by an inclusive process and creates a path forward that benefits all British Columbians. …The next step is creating a province-wide implementation strategy for all forests province-wide, including all Crown forest lands, parks, protected areas, and special management zones, not just the timber harvesting land base. …Getting this right will require input from a wide range of people and organizations. That’s why it it’s critical that First Nations, communities, labour, industry, and others be engaged throughout the process. 

See original press release on COFI’s website

Salmon Arm, BC – Forsite Consultants Ltd. has entered into a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Ember Research Services Ltd. (Ember) to further our commitment to providing industry leading wildfire management services. Ember has a team of highly experienced fire management personnel and is an industry recognized leader of wildfire management services. This strategic collaboration will align Ember’s technical fire modeling and fire behavior expertise with Forsite’s forest and wildfire management services, supporting the continued growth of the next generation of wildfire management specialists and the ongoing development of innovative solutions in wildfire management. This strategic collaboration will support Forsite in what has been our demonstrated focus for the last 35 years – that of maximizing value for our clients, supporting robust forest and land management decisions, including wildfire risk.  This collaboration will allow us to further our services to governments, communities, utility companies, the forest sector and more, as they strive to understand and manage wildfire risk.