Monthly Archives: April 2019

PRINCE GEORGE, BC – Parliamentary Secretary Sean Fraser issued the following statement today on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna: “We are working with the Province of British Columbia, Indigenous leaders, communities and industry in the Peace River region to reach a constructive resolution that ensures the protection and recovery of the Southern Mountain Caribou, while also supporting local workers and communities dependent on resource development. Urgent action is needed to ensure this iconic species are not driven to extinction in northeastern B.C. The Government of Canada is also standing up for local jobs and sustainable economic development in the Peace River region. “This week, we heard directly from many people in the region who have serious concerns about how their jobs and communities could be affected by the proposed measures. We acknowledge and understand those concerns, and we are working closely with B.C. and all parties involved to proactively address those concerns in any measures to protect the caribou.

John Phare

A remote lake in the Sunshine Coast area of British Columbia has been officially named Phare Lake to commemorate the late John Phare, who died in a tree-felling accident while working on the Old Sechelt Mine wildfire on July 5, 2015. John Phare (1954-2015) was a resident of Roberts Creek, a father of three and a certified danger tree faller and assessor. He was widely respected along the Sunshine Coast for his work in the logging industry, his contributions to the community and his willingness to help friends and neighbours whenever he could. “John Phare was an experienced logger who used his skills to help protect British Columbians from wildfires,” said Doug Donaldson, Minster of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “The naming of Phare Lake is a fitting tribute to his life and work, and the groundswell of support for this naming is a testament to his dedication and community spirit.”

If you haven’t yet provided feedback to the City of Courtenay on urban forests in the community, it’s not too late. One year after beginning a comprehensive exploration and community consultation into Courtenay’s urban forest, the draft plan is now available for public feedback. This week begins the 30-day public consultation period which includes options to have your say through a short survey, a public open house or through written feedback to City staff. View the draft plan and take the survey online at www.courtenay.ca/urbanforest until Thursday, May 23. …An urban forest strategy is a planning tool that identifies opportunities and challenges for trees and forest stands on public and private land. Including voices from the community, the document has been written for a wide range of audiences.

It takes fake eggs, sterile incubators, some trickery and years of trial and error to breed Canada’s almost extinct northern spotted owl in captivity. Researchers at British Columbia’s Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program centre in Langley say their fingers are crossed this spring as they delicately tend to at least one fertile egg, due to hatch within days. “We’ve learned a lot,” said spotted owl specialist Jasmine McCulligh, the centre’s program co-ordinator. “We’ve seen a lot of good behaviour from our (breeding) pairs. We’ve just had a really good season. I’m hoping it will be our best year ever.” Breeding success will boost survival chances for the owls that are listed as endangered and near extinction, said McCulligh. No northern spotted owls have been released since the breeding program’s inception in 2007.

Large clear-cuts in areas like Cottonwood Lake, above homes in Wynndel near Creston, and in the Elk Valley have Kootenay communities concerned about logging on private land. On Wednesday, May 1, Wildsight is hosting a public forum in Nelson to give people an opportunity to learn more about private land logging — and have a chance to speak up about the logging in their backyard. In the East and West Kootenay, local residents are up in arms over a lack of regulations and community input into private land logging, Wildsight said in a news release. Near Nelson, local residents were caught off guard after one landowner purchased over six square kilometres of land with plans to log nearly all of its remaining forest, much of it on steep slopes.

British Columbia’s forestry watchdog says there are “major weaknesses and gaps” in the way the province enforces logging rules and protects its natural resources. Last week the B.C. Forest Practices Board issued a report that highlights the challenges regarding enforcement for the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, which govern logging and other forestry activities in B.C. Kevin Kriese, the watchdog’s board chair, says one of his primary concerns is that natural resource officers, who are tasked with enforcing B.C. forestry laws, don’t have time to proactively monitor logging operations before a problem occurs. “Someone needs to check, particularly in remote areas,” Kriese said. Kriese said natural resource officers are stretched thin, especially during months when their priorities shift to preventing wildfires.

West Chilcotin Forest Products (WCFP), a company owned by the Ulkatcho First Nation, is pleased to announce that work on a fibre recovery program is well underway thanks to the approval of funding by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC).  “The West Chilcotin plateau lacks the infrastructure many other areas of our province take for granted,” said Stephen James, Executive Director of WCFP. “Given the distance to markets for our forest products, enhanced utilization of our forest fibre has always been a struggle. With funding from FESBC, we can now start to do our part to fight climate change while at the same time provide much needed employment for our band members.” The fibre recovery program is enabling WCFP to increase utilization of non-merchantable and undersize logs by providing economic support for the cost of harvesting and hauling of the pulp wood to Bella Coola to then ship to the Harmac Pacific pulp mill in Nanaimo.

The BC Forest Discovery Centre has played a vital role in showcasing the history of the forestry industry. …“Our mandate is to show the past, present and future and the newest (piece of equipment) we had was from 1978,” Gale explained at a gathering marking the official opening of the Centre’s Forests Forever exhibit. Joined by forestry industry leaders, politicians, investors and supporters of the $1.3 million project that has been more than two years in the development stage, Gale called the unveiling on Wednesday “a momentous event” as the Discovery Centre enters a new era. “We are updating and revitalizing our message and the new exhibit is just fantastic.” The exhibit area features new, immersive and interactive exhibits that follow the life cycle of a tree from seedling to finished product.

Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) is asking for a BC Supreme Court review of the BC Timber Sales (BCTS) decision to go forward with the sale of a cutblock, A93884, in the Clack Creek Forest. ELF said it filed a petition this week, with a West Coast Environment Law grant to cover legal fees. In an April 23 news release, ELF said it also filed supporting documents that include the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s Roberts Creek Official Community Plan, which supports expanding Elphinstone Provincial Park, as well as studies that recommend setting the area aside to protect rare plant communities. “There is ample information available to BC Timber Sales regarding the value of this forest and the availability of other timber outside the proposed park expansion area,” said Matthew Nefstead, the Victoria-based environmental lawyer retained by ELF.

North Cowichan intends to move forward with its plans for meaningful public engagement on the future of its 5,000-acre municipal forest reserve. But while council committed to a “deep and broad” public engagement on the issue to determine the “highest and best use” of the forest reserve…, it left out sections of a motion that was tabled by Coun. Christopher Justice. Some of those sections called for emphasizing ecological stewardship and the promotion of biodiversity in the reserve. Mayor Al Siebring explained that if the municipality decided to focus on biodiversity and the environment in the forest reserve, it would prejudge the outcome of the upcoming public consultations on the future of the reserve. …council asked staff to organize a presentation from Dr. Stephen Sheppard, a professor of forest resources management at UBC, on his work with other communities in developing sustainable forest management plans.