A forestry expert says it’s time to take a holistic approach to wildfire management as British Columbia gears up for another season. British Columbia Institute of Technology instructor Justin Perry recently addressed a TedX Abbotsford conference with a presentation titled Holistic Wildfire Management: Seeing Fire Through Multiple Lenses which calls for a balanced strategy when attempting to control wildfires. …“Holistic wildfire management is just about assessing where we can make improvements to the way we’re currently doing things. It’s about trying to mitigate this crisis we’re facing.” Perry said historically when fire emerged it was immediately dealt with on an ad-hoc basis but that has resulted in unanticipated knock-on effects. He added BC Wildfire has adopted a modified fire response where the fire is monitored and “they try to let it burn for ecological benefit.” …You can watch Perry’s Tedx talk here.

David Eby

There is a very serious legal change being contemplated in BC that will greatly affect people living in that province and potentially in the rest of Canada. This change pertains to BC’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). …It basically states that indigenous people have the rights to the lands and resources on those lands where they live. There has been much confusion over exactly what this means. …Although a number of estimates of how much of the province will be affected have been discussed, it is generally agreed that most of the territory of BC will be involved. This is expected to give indigenous groups an effective veto over most if not all future resource, agricultural, forestry, communications and other such projects in the province. …Continuing with this legislative plan will damage the BC economy very seriously, and will be extremely difficult to reverse.

FORT ST. JOHN — The Premier of British Columbia says he is worried about the on-going drought in Northeast BC. Premier David Eby says BC is seeing “some of the most dramatic drought conditions that have been seen in our lifetime, especially in Northeast BC.” The provincial snowpack has remained extremely low since the beginning of February, according to B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. Across the Peace Region, snow levels are 22 per cent below normal. Across BC, snow levels are 39 per cent below normal, drastically worse than this time last year, when levels were still 19 per cent below normal, according to a B.C. River Forecast Centre report released Thursday. …“We need to keep trees on land, that buffers the snow melt and makes the snow pack last longer,” Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society said.

Additional coverage in the National Observer, by Rochelle Baker: ‘Here we are talking about drought in February’

The Town of Okotoks’ has received a response to their request for a logging moratorium. In November, town council received a letter and presentation from the Calgary Climate Hub (CCH) requesting support in calling for a moratorium on logging in Southern Alberta, specifically due to an approved project from Spray Lake Sawmills in Kananaskis Country’s Upper Highwood drainage. The CCH presented five reasons why a moratorium should be put in place, including effects on native species, the Highwood watershed, and harm to the region. Mayor Tanya Thorn signed a letter of support for a moratorium addressed to Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz, specifically pointing to increased water absorption rates amid Alberta’s drought conditions. At today’s (Feb. 12) meeting, council will review a response letter from Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen.

Trevor Hancock

As far back as 1964, Paul Sears, an eminent American ecologist and former chair of the graduate program in Conservation at Yale University, described ecology as “a subversive subject” and asked “if taken seriously as an instrument for the long-run welfare of mankind, would it endanger the assumptions and practices accepted by modern societies, whatever their doctrinal commitments.” …It seems something is afoot in the body ­politic and the halls of government, something that might ­challenge those core beliefs and subvert the ­assumptions and practices accepted by modern ­societies: ecology. …The draft framework is commendably clear: If it’s adopted, the B.C. government would commit “to the conservation and management of ecosystem health and biodiversity as an overarching priority and will ­formalize this priority through legislation and other enabling tools that apply to … all sectors.”