Longtime ecologist, Dr. Rachel F. Holt appeared before the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Board in early spring to dispute statements presented to the board in February by two retired foresters. Archie MacDonald and Murray Wilson offered their solutions to wildfires, specifically in terms of reducing their future frequency and intensity. …Holt, an independent ecologist in the Kootenays for the past 30 years, challenged MacDonald’s statement that old forests are unhealthy while less dense forests are the goal. “I was concerned with those ideas presented to you as a good representation of the science,” Holt said, noting old forests are the cornerstone of biodiversity in British Columbia, a province that is unique in North America in terms of its biodiversity values, “The province, over the past 30 years, has recognized the key importance of managing and maintaining appropriate old growth on the landscape.”