A team of UBCO researchers has determined the declining caribou population in Canada is part of a natural chain reaction from forest harvesting which can attract predators and competition for food. A new study comparing decades of environmental monitoring records confirms caribou are not faring as well as other animals like moose and wolves in the same areas.16 years of data was used to examine changes in vegetation, moose, wolves and caribou. Melanie Dickie, a doctoral student with UBCO said, “understanding why caribou are declining is the first step to effectively managing the species—it tells us which parts of the issue we can target with management actions and how that might help caribou”. Dickie [et al.] describe the decline in caribou populations as an ecological puzzle. …researchers determined that caribou populations were a victim of an ecological chain reaction and are susceptible to landscape changes.

Greenways Land Trust is celebrating 25 years of restoration and protection of Campbell River’s nature this year. …While the group started as a method to hold land in trust for environmental protection, after a few years it took on a more active role in the community, as more grants were available to groups who undertook field work. The group also became involved with the Beaverlodge Forest Lands under the direction of then-president Ron Burrell. …Greenways has been a part of many important projects over the years, including the Haig-Brown property stewardship work, school programming, community gardens, a food forest and last year’s Ocean Blue restoration among many others.

Marc Kitteringham

We need the Right to Roam in B.C. …Under B.C.’s laws, I can legally “enter, traverse over or be present upon Crown land.” However, that permission does not extend to Crown Land that is within a lease, conservation land or “Crown land area, including private roads, which are posted or otherwise signed to prohibit all or some activities.” My ability to explore is limited to places that companies allow me to be. The Right to Roam would give people the right to access public and privately owned lands for the purpose of education and recreation. …I’m in my late twenties now, and … I’ve never known a world without “No Trespassing” signs. …The Right to Roam would …take power away from corporations and wealthy landowners and give it back to the people. It would be a small step towards fully acknowledging the Treaty Rights of First Nations Peoples.

This report points out what is wrong in the Boundary forests, how the current forestry system is negatively impacting our watershed and the people living in it, and proposes a brighter future for both. The long-term solution we are proposing is a shift to the new paradigm of true sustainability:  Nature-Based Forestry that is managed by Community Forest Boards. We also present Recommended Actions that the BC government can implement immediately under the current system to make forestry practices more ecologically, economically, and socially responsible. There are two parts to the report: the main report (describes problems and solutions) and the Field Report (site specific observations, photos, and analysis). …Using the new paradigm as a foundation, we propose the way to achieve truly sustainable forestry in the Boundary watershed is two-fold: implement Nature-Based Planning across the land base; and Install Community Forest Boards that implement and manage Nature-Based Planning (assisted by public sector staff).

John Horgan

…Many previous pro-environment NDP voters are thinking twice, and it’s not just young people or those working at NGOs. …There has been modest progress… But the government has not yet passed promised legislation to protect endangered species… and the mostly business-as-usual management of old-growth forests (chop, chop, export). The latest news? Approval for turning parts of an old-growth forest near Prince George into wood pellets for overseas biofuel markets — nobody’s idea of renewable energy. …The BC NDP itself has both “green” and “brown” (resource extractivist) wings. Today, the “browns” are in charge, led by Horgan, key senior cabinet ministers and party insiders who are bullish on extractivist overdevelopment.

Peter Ewart

The effects of climate change on the forests, landscapes, jobs and communities of British Columbia are increasingly evident across the province, including infestation by insects such as the pine beetle…, severe wildfires, drought, flooding, and other problems. …Responding to these threats, the provincial government released a “Strategic Climate Risk Assessment” in July 2019 that identified 15 climate risks, several of which “have the potential to create catastrophic impacts for B.C.’s communities”. However, the government’s Risk Assessment had one gaping hole.  Despite an abundance of evidence, it did not consider the impact that clearcutting of forests and other current forest management practices have on the severity and frequency of at least 9 of the 15 climate risks identified.  To address this gap, the Sierra Club BC commissioned a report by forest scientist Dr. Peter Wood titled “Intact Forests, Safe Communities” examining “the role that forest management can play in either mitigating or exacerbating these risks”.

Last week, I wrote about industry and its relationship with wildlife management, and that industrial forestry (our elephant) is B.C.’s largest modifier of the environment. I also wrote that we must stop focusing on industry as the problem and begin to hold government accountable for our mismanagement and mistakes. Now I look at some of the major impacts industrial forestry inflicts on wildlife and their habitat, and some suggestions on how we can begin changing our elephant’s habits. For the most part, this applies to both coastal and interior forestry, but it should be noted that our coastal forestry is a bit more limited in terms of what they can or cannot do given the terrain and size of their trees. Most of my focus is more applicable to the interior.

The Green Party of B.C. has been raising questions about old-growth logging in the legislature … challenging the government on its stated commitment to implement the 14 recommendations made by the old growth strategic review panel last year. For three days, Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau argued that the NDP has missed the six-month deadline for immediate action to protect the highest risk old-growth forests, and has still not committed to a timeline on the project. … she and fellow Green MLA Adam Olsen read out submitted quotes from three Vancouver Island First Nations — Kwakiutl, Ma’amtagila, Nuchatlaht — who have old-growth concerns in their territory. … Minister of Forests, Katrine Conroy repeatedly said that the government is committed to implementing the recommendations and to engaging with Indigenous leadership …  and reminded the MLAs that one of the authors is a Tahltan First Nation member from northern B.C.