B.C. announced this week that it would scrap an infamous clause embedded in B.C.’s forest rules often recognized as a barrier to protecting forests and their biodiversity. The clause, written into B.C.’s Forest Range and Practices Act, says that ecological values like wildlife protection can only be included in forest planning if they don’t “unduly reduce the supply of timber from British Columbia’s forests.” For the most part, that means they can’t impede logging. The announcement comes as part of the province’s stated intentions to transition B.C.’s forestry sector away from the industry-led model to one that better prioritizes First Nations, ecosystems and communities. …Next weekend, the United For Old Growth rally at the B.C. legislature in Victoria will call on the province to implement the recommendations from the Old Growth Strategic Review. Almost three years after the review was released, these recommendations remain incomplete.

The BC Government has recently announced a significant amount of funding to enable FESBC and our partners to use as much incidental forest fibre (that is uneconomic to use and which would usually otherwise be burned in slash piles). Doing so will create a number of benefits, including stabilization of forest-dependent communities, dramatic reduction of GHG emissions from pile burning, maintenance and creation of family-supporting jobs, and improvement of air quality by reducing wood smoke.In this newsletter:

• Learn how a B.C. Community Co-operative has taken on wildfire prevention and climate change. 
• Get an in-depth look into the holistic approach taken by the City of Quesnel, to reduce wildfire risk.
• Find out how a community forest is implementing an ambitious climate action plan that uses forest thinning to reduce wildfire risks and carbon emissions, with support from FESBC.
• Meet our Faces of Forestry featured person, Kim Haworth.

A “war in the woods” has simmered for decades in B.C., sometimes erupting into high-profile protests and arrests. …This week, the provincial government unveiled a suite of new measures that aim to accelerate old-growth protection and broker a truce. …Conservation groups and the First Nations Forestry Council were quick to praise the new measures, although some groups are calling for faster action to safeguard what little is left of B.C.’s old-growth forests. …Ken Wu, of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance… applauded the government’s decision to remove a clause in forest regulations that allowed timber supply to trump all other values. …First Nations Forestry Council CEO Leonard Joe said First Nations have been asking to have a seat at the table for years. “I for one am glad to see this day, to witness the province recognize the vital role of First Nations, the role that we play in managing sustainable forests.”

Vancouver, BC – BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) President and CEO Linda Coady released the following statement in response to new measures announced today by the BC Government on old growth:  “Today’s announcement includes positive steps towards putting the necessary investments, frameworks and relationships in place to advance how old growth forests are conserved and managed in the province.”  “In addition to important capacity funding for Indigenous Nations and the First Nations Forestry Council, actions being taken to accelerate the old growth review process will also support land use planning at the local level. Strengthened Indigenous and local engagement on land use planning at the regional level will help ensure goals for forest health and biodiversity are met while also creating more predictability for workers, communities and forest-related businesses across BC.”