David Haywood-Farmer’s ranch got smoky around this time last year. A wildfire tore through his ranch in Savona, B.C. — just outside of Kamloops — destroying critical infrastructure he depends on to keep his herd of over 1,000 cows safe. But amidst the many parts of his ranch singed by flame, one part stands out as untouched by the blaze. Those paddocks are where Haywood-Farmer, who’s been working the land since 1977, employs the practice of silvopasture. Silvopasture is the practice of having trees or shrubs live in tandem with livestock in pastures and on grazing lands, according to Farmers for Climate Solutions. …silvopasture is the focus of a Five-Year Knowledge Transfer Plan currently being developed by B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food to better educate farmers, ranchers and agrologists on the practice. …silvopasture can lead to better forage, healthier soils, reduced climatic stress on livestock and expanded grazing.

A provincial court judge in Vancouver heard that a foreign University of B.C. student was bullied into climate change protest roadblocks. Olivia Mary Howe, 19, pleaded guilty to mischief for being among 60 Extinction Rebellion supporters. …Judge Patricia Stark sentenced Howe to a conditional discharge, meaning she won’t have a criminal record if she respects the law during her 18-month probation term …Howe came from South Carolina without family to study forestry at UBC. She began to associate with members of Extinction Rebellion. …Howe became increasingly pressured to participate in roadblocks. When she declined, she was ostracized and feared losing friends and connections. “She indicates that it was internal pressure from senior members who have criminal records and previous arrests that younger, newer members earn their stripes by participating,” Leno told the court. Defence lawyer James Wu said Howe was “emotionally manipulated” into participating.

The provincial government says it has deferred the logging of old-growth forests in the Revelstoke area, despite claims from the Okanagan Nation Alliance saying otherwise.  This week the ONA, consisting of seven First Nations in the Okanagan and Similkameen, slammed the province over claimed logging permits for old-growth stands near Revelstoke.   …But on Friday, the Ministry of Forests said the ONA has since “clarified” that they support “deferring harvest of old growth forests at risk of irreversible loss within their territory.”  “Following this, the province has now implemented deferrals on all priority at-risk old growth areas identified by the technical advisory panel throughout the Kootenay-Boundary, including in the Revelstoke area,” the ministry said in a statement to Castanet News.  The Okanagan Nation Alliance could not be immediately reached for a clarification of what old-growth logging permits it was sounding the alarm about.

Various environment-minded organizations raised their concerns to the Fitzhugh in light of West Fraser Mills’ plans to spray a glyphosate-based herbicide called VisionMAX on approximately 4,500 hectares of regenerated stands of forest in the Hinton and Edson areas.  “We do have significant concerns that I think mirror what’s going on in the science community,” said Tim Gray, executive director with Environmental Defence, a leading Canadian advocacy organization that focuses on clean water, safe climate and healthy communities.  “Most recently, we’ve been joining others in challenging the federal government’s decision not to review its widespread application and to not look at some of the ecosystem and human health impacts of its use.”  Glyphosate is best known as the active ingredient in Roundup, which was developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. Its effectiveness as a weed killer became well known, although glyphosate-resistant weeds have emerged.