We’d like to congratulate Al Waters, RPF(Ret), who was acknowledged with the prestigious Distinguished Forest Professional award this year by the Association of BC Forest Professionals. …Gord Chipman reports – “In the past few months, I have been working closely with Brian McNaughton as I transition into my role as General Manager. As a result, there have been many introductions. I have met the Minister of Forests, the Associate Deputy Minister, the Timber Pricing Manager (actually Al is an old friend) and the Tenures staff in the Branch.” …After surveying over 100 woodlot licensees, conducting interviews, polls, participating in meetings, hosting workshops, and obtaining legal advice, the JTF developed the following recommendation. The FBCWA/WPDC Joint Task Force recommends the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations and the Woodlot Product Development Council develop a singularly governed entity to serve the needs of Woodlot Licensees in the Province of BC.

So far, February has been an interesting month for forestry. Recent forums and announcements have provided more clarity and evidence for the transformation our government intends to forest policy and practice in British Columbia. Our WFCA conference at the beginning of the month anticipated some of this by focusing in part on the threats and opportunities we face in adapting to climate change and reducing the risk of natural disasters. Days after that the joined-at-the-hip Ministry of Forests and Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship held a multi sectoral forum on the implementation of the Old Growth Strategy Review (OGSR) recommendations. Also in this newsletter:

• Latest Forecasts for Seedling Demand Released by MoF
• 2022 Low Bid Auction Tree Planting Tenders Defy Inflation

Changes introduced by the B.C. government to begin to give forest health priority over timber supply don’t go far enough to build up wildfire resilience, says a B.C. expert.  …A key measure is new forest landscape planning tables that will replace industry-led forestry plans.  Robert Gray, a wildfire ecologist with decades of experience in B.C., said the changes, while welcome, don’t specifically address wildfire resilience, which is also a critical issue for forest health, wildlife, biodiversity, watersheds and jobs.  …The forest landscape has to be transformed so that fire behaviour can be changed, said Gray, who has contributed to numerous academic papers on wildfire research and has written on the topic for the International Association for Fire Ecology, the Nature Conservancy and others.  The forest landscape can be made more fire resilient by methods that include logging, thinning and prescribed burns at low fire intensity, according to Gray and other researchers

North Cowichan’s tax base will continue to be depleted if elected officials proceed with a flawed study that sells short forestry revenues by 100 per cent while overstating gains from carbon credits.  Since the 1960s North Cowichan has been one of a handful of small municipally owned successful forest businesses. The small forest reserve balanced environmental, recreational, and economic interests until a small but very vocal group started demanding a stop to all timber harvesting.  The reserve, which covers 5,470 hectares, has the potential to generate more than $2.1 million annually in revenue for the municipality.  …The harvest rate is also 50 per cent less than the actual rate of growth which means the forest is growing faster than it is being harvested.  …So, a small group of community leaders, professional and retired foresters reviewed the report and found significant flaws and misleading conclusions.

James Steidle

In the wake of sawmill curtailments and shutdowns and the permanent closure of Canfor’s pulp line at Prince George Pulp and Paper, a group of concerned stakeholders is gathering Feb. 28 at the University of British Columbia to discuss future of our forests and how they should be managed to increase sustainability and maximize job potential.  James Steidle, the organizer of the Future of Forestry in Our Region: A Community Conversation, says the forum is needed to inform the community about alternatives to existing forest practices and what should be done to protect species habitat, promote forest vitality and minimize the effects of logging.  “It’s not just about growing plantations for sawmills that are throwing everybody out of work,” said Steidle. “There’s other values there, there’s tourism, hunting, trapping and ranching to consider. We want to talk about tenure reform and talk about maybe getting a community forest for Prince George and alternatives to clear-cutting.

A U.S.-based non-profit advocacy group is pushing toilet paper manufacturers to stop using Canada’s boreal forest as a resource.  The Natural Resources Defense Council recently released a report on manufacturers that it says are using what it calls virgin forests — previously untouched forests (sometimes called old-growth forests) — as a resource for toilet paper.  CTVNews.ca reached out to the toilet paper manufacturers mentioned in the report to understand sustainability goals and how the industry is adapting to the changing climate. But experts say these big companies need to do more by shifting toilet paper away from forests to more sustainable options.  …The group claims the majority of popular brands in Canada and the U.S. are using wood fibre and pulp from the Canadian boreal forest, alleging that this practice leads to the destruction of ecosystems and decreases the carbon-capturing power of trees.