Dear Mayor Rob Douglas and council: While applauding council’s wisely supportive role in talks about tragic job losses — and potential tax shortfalls — at Catalyst’s Crofton mill, this dire situation (Cowichan Valley Citizen Dec. 15, 2022) points, in part, to our dismal failure to diversify North Cowichan’s forest-based economy. Forestry’s fickle fortunes could also reduce work at local Western Forest Products’ operations, council has learned. In short, struggling taxpayers may face hefty tax hikes as many of our economic eggs sit in the basket of a mill owned by market-driven Paper Excellence. …Much of this dark forecast should have been tackled by council and Economic Development Cowichan decades ago. Foresight and planning were sorely lacking to direct diversification away from forestry alone, and into value-added industries, manufacturing, eco-tourism, and other sunrise economic developments.

The public consultation into the Municipal Forest Reserve has generated considerable debate in the local paper and social media. Healthy discussion is good. But it’s also important at this critical time that people have factual information upon which to base their opinions. Note that the public came out in full force to attend the forest review online workshops and the open house at the Maple Bay Fire Hall. …All four forest management scenarios were treated fairly and the participants were free to express our opinions. The public discussion has shifted from a logging vs. no-logging debate to a much more nuanced discussion of ecology and modern forestry management practices. …Our professional forester Shaun Mason RFP and the UBC Forestry partnership also receive credit for working together and showing a willingness to explore all available forest management options. …If you haven’t filled out the North Cowichan Community Forest Management Survey you can find it online here.

The private lands that make up the Municipal Forest Reserve were initially logged in the early part of the last century. The municipality acquired these lands for the non payment of municipal taxes in the depression years of the late 1920s and the 1930s. …In the 1960s the lands were put under a regime of sustained yield forest management and timber harvesting. In the early 1980s a forestry advisory committee, made up of professional foresters and lay people, was established to guide the management of these forest lands. The result is our Municipal Forest Reserve… Unfortunately there is now a very active group opposed to harvesting on … the Forest Reserve lands. The “Where do we stand” group and supporters are very actively campaigning against timber harvesting. If you support continuing the sustained yield management of the municipal forest lands and the sustained long term harvesting of timber, please complete the survey.

Harold Reimer

As British Columbia starts to move away from traditional governance to one of reconciliation, B.C. First Nations will play a key role in the industry’s future. Recent changes to government legislation and policies in the forestry sector will increase tenure for First Nations communities, allowing greater opportunity to experience economic benefits that come from resources being harvested on traditional and territorial Indigenous land. …Collaborative initiatives and partnerships between First Nations and industry are already creating new jobs and opportunities, but more can be done. Building relationships through reconciliation, rather than governance, is key. …Equipment and technology dealers can offer support through purchase and lease arrangements – structuring deals to ensure a better process is followed and crucial after sales support is provided. …Here are some steps the forestry sector can take to help support the communities in which they operate. 

When you work in a B.C. sawmill, you are bound to meet a few colourful characters. Barry Porter has met his fair share of most while employed for 30 years at a Canfor sawmill in Chetwynd. That experience is the basis for his debut novel, Sawmillers. “After all those many years in the sawmill, you meet a lot of interesting people and see a lot of interesting things happen. Some are shocking, some are tragic but there’s a lot of humour so I decided to write a fictional novel about it,” said Porter, who now lives in 108 Mile Ranch. “I wanted to tell a story about the kind of people you might work with.” …Sawmillers follows Rob, a young millwright apprentice, on his first week on the job. Most of the book takes place in the Peace River area but Porter also included a few chapters set in 100 Mile House when Rob visits his parents. Available on Amazon.