Work on private land near Sechelt has been ordered to stop as the Ministry of Forests investigates whether a registered archeological site was logged.  The site in question, DJRW-37, is a shíshálh Nation burial site thought to contain artifacts dating back at least 1,500 years and containing the ancestral graves of at least 80 shíshálh people. The site was registered in 2015. “Shíshálh Nation is angered and demanding action to address reported damage to a known shíshálh burial site,” a press release from the nation said. “In spite of provincial regulations protecting the site, logging activities have occurred and it appears that irreconcilable damage has been done to this significant cultural landscape.” …Archeological sites are protected in B.C. by the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA), whether they are on Crown land or private land. …The nation’s statement said the shíshálh will fully cooperate with the investigation to uncover the facts and make sure cultural protocols are respected.

Mike Gildersleeve

Protesters gathered in front of MLA Pam Alexis’ constituency office this afternoon, standing in solidarity against the continued logging of B.C.’s old-growth forests. A network of protesters jumped into activity recently after the logging company, Teal Jones Group, filed an injunction with B.C.’s Supreme Court to remove activists who have been blockading two sites on Vancouver Island since August. …The small group of local protesters was led by Mike Gildersleeve, president of Mission City Farmers Market. He said Vancouver Island’s old growth forests are the last few remaining pristine valleys in B.C., and described the lack of action by the current NDP government as “shameful.” …Gildersleeve said logging companies need to move towards harvesting second and third-growth trees rather than the ancient forests. “We’re not against logging,” he said. “But these companies obviously see the most value in these bigger trees. “We need a more value-added approach to forestry.”

Wetzin’kwa Community Forest is exploring opportunities to dispose of harvesting residue using alternatives to open burning. “It is the goal of the Ministry of Forests and community partners to reduce the amount of waste wood, open burning, and reduce the fuels that pose a wildfire threat to infrastructure and communities,” according to Patrick Ferguson, FLNRO wildfire prevention officer. In a report to Smithers Council, FLNRO reported a reduction of waste wood by 66 per cent from using Pinnacle Pellet and Seaton Forest Products, in thinning and clearing areas of high risk for wildfires. Sites on Hudson Bay Mountain, such as Wetzin’kwa Community Forest, have been identified as high risk areas and to alleviate wildfire risks many harvesting operations, focus on reducing high hazard fuel types and are important in decreasing overall wildfire risk to the area.

CRANBROOK, BC — Over the last few years, there have been over 300 hectares of forest lands that have been treated for wildfire mitigation, which has been made possible through a provincial wildfire risk funding program. Much of the work has occurred at the city’s southern forested border, which was recently toured by Mayor Pratt, who has repeatedly raised issues around wildfire mitigation to provincial cabinet ministers and officials in recent years. “This is an issue that has taken years of lobbying, meetings and hard work,” said Mayor Pratt… “We are finally seeing progress with respect to the fuel problem, and I have to thank our partners in government and industry for that. It’s an issue that I have spoken to multiple Ministers about, and to see the great work that has been completed certainly helps me sleep at night.”

Eddie Petryshen

The numbers are staggering; 500 square kilometres of old growth forests are logged every year in B.C. …Today, less than three percent of productive old growth forests exist. And most of those old forests are slated to be logged in the near future. B.C.’s forests are managed for fibre to fuel the ever expanding timber industry. …In the face of a rapidly changing climate and a biodiversity crisis, B.C. must focus on building a forest industry that is ecologically and socially responsible. A brighter future for B.C.’s forest sector is exemplified by small operators. They cut less and make more. …But it remains to be seen whether the provincial NDP government will have the political courage and leadership to shape a brighter future for old growth, for communities, and for jobs.

Activists gathered outside the provincial courthouse in Victoria on Thursday, protesting an injunction that would end months of blockades against logging activity near Port Renfrew. Forestry company Teal-Jones filed an application for the injunction that would remove blockades from two sites in the area until at least Sept 4. The injunction application is being heard in Vancouver but protesters in Victoria say they are protesting in solidarity with a similar protest group at the Vancouver courthouse. Much of the region is old-growth forest and activists say if the injunction is granted, “civil disobedience may be the only defence of this precious forest ecosystem.” Last week, more than 100 demonstrators gathered at the constituency office of Premier John Horgan to call for an end to logging in the area.