Board members and staff visited the Okanagan from October 20 to 22 to learn about local approaches to forest stewardship, wildfire risk reduction and watershed protection. Our visit began with Ntityix Resources LP, where we learned about the Seven Generations Plan and stewardship principles guiding management of the Westbank First Nation Community Forest. We then headed into the forest to see the active on-the-land wildfire risk reduction treatments by Ntityix Resources LP intended to reduce wildfire risk where forests and communities meet. Near Summerland, Don Whyte hosted us at Woodlot 1618 to see the e!ects of this summer’s Bald Range catastrophic wildfire. Don shared how earlier wildfire risk reduction work helped lessen the fire’s impacts on the woodlot. …These visits help the Board understand local stewardship approaches and the experiences of people managing and caring for BC’s forests.

If logging is a sustainable industry as we always hear from proponents, why is BCTS logging old growth and in this case creating clearcuts on a small mountain surrounded almost entirely by the Township of Spallumcheen? Logging a previously untouched area is not sustainability in action. The proposed clearcuts are in the same area as the popular hiking trails used by thousands of people per year and will obliterate much of the trail system on the north slope…. This trail system is located on the only publicly accessible crown land in the Township and attracts many out of town visitors… It is a notable tourist attraction! The value of this land is in the timed release of snowfall, wildlife habitat and a beautiful recreation area that will be damaged for hundreds of years in exchange for a few shifts of work and a few bucks for Tolko.

Related coverage in The Castanet by Darren Handschuh: Outdoor Recreation Council of BC gives kudos to Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society

Wilderness International Canada (WIC) has purchased 1,250 acres of forest and wetlands on Read Island, protecting a significant area of coastal rainforest in B.C.’s Discovery Islands. The milestone was achieved through two rounds of acquisitions between May and August of 2026, bringing together 11 properties conservation area. The protected landscape encompassess mature second-growth forest, remnant old-growth trees, rare woodland ecosystems, and extensive wetlands, including a peat bog complex. “This is an important achievement for Read Island and a significant step forward for wilderness conservation in British Columbia,” said Dominique Hrytsay, Executive Director of Wilderness International Canada.

The BC Community Forest Association’s October newsletter highlights the release of its 2026 Community Forest Indicators Report, featuring results from 37 community forests reporting on 18 indicators of economic activity, community investment, wildfire resilience and forest stewardship. The BCCFA also looks ahead to working with BC’s incoming government to strengthen community forestry and rural economies. Other updates include November funding deadlines for wildfire risk reduction, forest restoration and silviculture innovation projects; new wildfire safety resources; and an article by DR Systems’ Jaya Freeman on preserving forestry records and institutional knowledge through changing personnel and systems. The newsletter also highlights a new national Wildfire Resilience Knowledge Exchange Platform, an upcoming forestry webinar series, and the 2027 BCCFA Conference and AGM, June 2–4 in Williams Lake.