Monthly Archives: September 2018

According to the provincial government, hunting in the Skeena region will be carried out as usual this fall unless further regulations are put in place. The province is currently not considering hunting closures in any of the Skeena wildlife management units, according to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. However, the ministry notes that hunting restrictions in wildfire-affected areas could still be implemented. “Throughout the fall, ministry staff will be assessing the impacts on wildlife, their habitat and other forest values within fire perimeters,” explained Jeremy Uppenborn, a ministry spokesperson. “Should the need be identified, regulations may be considered, at that time, to reduce the vulnerability of wildlife to hunting.”

Vijaya Taylor

Trees sprout in more places than usual today to celebrate National Tree Day in Canada. A new local group called Community Trees Matter Network announces its first annual “Will you plant a tree?” campaign Sept. 26. The group encourages everyone to plant at least one tree this fall. “Last month, the smoky air from wildfires affected people’s health in our region,” says David Muncaster, a member of the group. “More trees would do a better job of cleaning the air, as well as adding more oxygen.” Urban trees perform vital eco-services for the community, and we need them more than ever, Muncaster says, yet we are losing trees at a rapid rate. …“Our tree-planting campaign celebrates the incredible gifts and ecological services trees give us. We all take these services for granted,” Muncaster says. “Many people are not even aware of them.”

Heather Rooke and Dave Kolotelo

Former employees and special guests celebrated the 60th anniversary of the ministry’s Tree Seed Centre, during National Forest Week. To commemorate the anniversary, Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, planted a whitebark pine seedling. Whitebark pine, found at high elevations in southern B.C., is considered an endangered species. The planting of a whitebark pine seedling symbolizes the government’s recovery efforts for this tree. Started in Duncan in 1958, the Tree Seed Centre moved to its South Surrey location in 1986. The Tree Seed Centre supplies a continuous supply of seed to reforest B.C.’s public forests after harvesting or natural disturbances, such as the mountain pine beetle or wildfire.

The Kamloops This Week paper carried an insert this week celebrating forestry in BC. Stories include a message from FPAC, the Government of BC, the Association of BC Forest Professionals, Forsite Consultants and more. The insert is only available online in ISSUU – take a look. 

BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is a supporter of National Forest Week, which takes place from Sept. 23-29 this year. This year’s theme, Research Forests: Canada’s Living Laboratories, highlights the importance of forest research for continued knowledge of climate change, biodiversity and forest management. As a self-financing program within the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, BCTS’s primary role is to manage the harvesting and reforestation of a significant portion of the timber in British Columbia’s provincial forest. Research is fundamental to every aspect of BCTS’s planning and operations. Forest management issues, climate change impacts, species at risk considerations and cumulative effects are a few of the research areas on which BCTS focuses. BCTS also is working on projects to improve marten habitat, the conservation and colonization of rare lichens, and the conservation of northern goshawk breeding and forage territories.

Ken Day and Alex Drummond

A Williams Lake professional forester received national recognition this week from the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Ken Day, who retired in April after 31 years as the manager of the UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest in Williams Lake, was presented the CIF Canadian Forestry Achievement Award Tuesday evening at the institute’s Awards Banquet in Grande Prairie, Alta. The Canadian Forestry Achievement Award recognizes unique and outstanding achievement in forestry in Canada with the objective of encouraging excellence in the forestry profession. “It’s a great honour,” Day said. “I looked at the list of previous award winners and having my name added to that is pretty humbling.” Day, who graduated from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., began with the research forest at its inception in 1987.

The District of Sechelt says more than 500 people took part in the community engagement on the future direction of the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF). …SCCF logging has been a flashpoint for controversy several times since Sechelt was granted a community forest licence by the province in 2006. …Sechelt’s communications manager, Julie Rogers, told council that the response to the engagement, which began on July 1, was “huge” and included a lot of thoughtful comments. …Rogers said the common themes that emerged were the need for more community education and involvement, a desire to ensure better environmental protections, and a need to leverage opportunities for local economic development and job creation through operations and through the Legacy Fund.