…Albertans often scoff at the initiatives of what we perceive as an eastern federal government, but watershed protection through “forest reserves” was one of this nation’s great and (hopefully) enduring ideas. The Eastern Slopes Policy of the 1970s cemented in Albertans’ minds these landscapes were important, had to be protected, properly stewarded and it was a matter of public trust that they were maintained. Whether through history, experience or perhaps osmosis, Albertans have come to view the eastern slopes as sacrosanct, a landscape dedicated to the public good. …The stewardship objectives and desires of Albertans for the eastern slopes are still clear after nearly a century — that’s part of our DNA. Albertans’ message is loud and clear — we do not support the squandering of the integrity of the eastern slopes for a pocketful of economic mumbles. Is the UCP listening? We’ll see.

A new working group has been formed to provide public access to private forest lands in the Alberni Valley. Mosaic Forest Management and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District announced that they had entered into an agreement, in partnership with the province, to work together to prioritize and explore public access opportunities to areas within or adjacent to Mosaic-managed private forest lands in the Alberni-Clayoquot region. Through this agreement, a working group has been established and a pilot project has been identified. …Mosaic currently offers weekend public access to some areas of its private managed forests, but according to Mosaic, this access is limited by issues related to legal liability, wildfire risk, safety concerns related to forestry operations and industrial traffic and costs associated with illegal dumping and vandalism.

VANCOUVER — A Vancouver Island First Nation and a nearby city have reached a significant milestone in their efforts to acquire, protect and restore a culturally significant site that was once a sawmill. Late last month, the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society completed the acquisition of the property, known as Kus-kus-sum, from Interfor Corporation. According to a news release, Project Watershed will now hold the land in trust for the K’ómoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay, while the two groups work out the details of a co-ownership agreement for the site. Once such an agreement is reached, Project Watershed will transfer ownership of the property to the city and the nation, while remaining as the manager of the site, overseeing efforts to remove a vacant office building from the property and restore the K’ómoks Estuary.

Iris Catholique

Iris Catholique has livedfor 30 years in what is now the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area. Straddling the tree line between the boreal forest and the tundra, this swath of old-growth spruce forests, waterfalls, deep freshwater lakes and ancient ice sheets is where both her sons had their first caribou harvest when they were 10 years old. …For generations, however, these relationships have been threatened by the increasingly severe impacts of climate change — including more frequent wildfires and melting permafrost — as well as industrial development from oil and gas exploration, logging and mining which have pushed deeper into the region, razing trees in search of profits. …For Catholique, saving the boreal forest demands that governments, environmentalists, Indigenous communities, and even industries understand the risks and work together to avoid a worst-case scenario. 

Rob Douglas

Rob Douglas wants to see forestry managed at a regional level on Vancouver Island and coastal communities as a part of a pilot project to test the concept.  Douglas, a councillor in North Cowichan, said he would like the province to establish decentralized forest management for the region that would shift decision-making power from big corporations and senior bureaucrats to the community level, in partnership with First Nations.  He made the motion, which passed, at a council meeting on Feb. 16, and it will be submitted for discussion at the next meeting of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities in April.  …He said the industry has been on a steady decline in recent decades, with regular mill closures, thousands of jobs lost, and once thriving forestry communities experiencing severe economic decline.