Daily Archives: December 7, 2018

Conservation group Wolf Awareness submitted a petition last month to the B.C. government to end wolf culling. “Wolves didn’t put caribou in this terrible situation. We did,” says Sadie Parr, executive director of Wolf Awareness. The petition has over 3,000 signatures from across the province. The aerial wolf management program was introduced in 2015 and was scheduled for five years. So far, 527 wolves have been killed province-wide. The program included the Revelstoke area in 2017. …“I am extremely concerned that my tax dollars are funding an inhumane wildlife program that is being done under the guise of conservation,” says Parr. …According to Wildsafe B.C. there are approximately 8,500 wolves in B.C and the B.C. government says that number is increasing. …The B.C. government also states that the forestry sector has a significant impact on caribou habitat. Parr says conserving habitat is more important for caribou. Much more so than killing other wildlife.

Masset and Port Clements will join Sandspit, Skidegate, Queen Charlotte in seeking funds for a community wildfire plan. On the heels of another record-setting wildfire season in mainland B.C., Doug Donaldson, B.C.’s forests minster, recently announced a $50-million, three-year program to help local governments and First Nations reduce their wildfire risk. As a first step, elected leaders on Haida Gwaii are looking at a provincial grant of up to $25,000 that can be used to hire professional wildfire protection consultants. If every islands community signs on, it may be less costly to do.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) is a provincial trade association and is the home of CLA Grading and Inspection. For the past 76 years, the OFIA has represented big and small companies that manufacture every type of wood product in Ontario. Ontario’s renewable forest products sector supports over 172,000 direct and indirect jobs in 260 Ontario communities. Since 1943, the Ontario Forest Industries Association has represented forestry companies ranging from multinational corporations to family operated businesses producing advanced manufactured products and technologies. The Canadian Business Journal recently spoke with OFIA CEO Jamie Lim and its Director of Forest Policy Ian Dunn about the current initiatives and future hopes and expectations for the organization as it continues to promote the responsible use and regrowth of Ontario’s forests. The forest industry has a value of $15.5 billion for the provincial economy on an annual basis.

Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development; Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chairman, Tŝilhqot’in National Government; and Scott Fraser, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, have commented on the first roundtable discussion on efforts to protect moose in the Cariboo Chilcotin: “Government representatives, First Nations and a variety of stakeholders met in Williams Lake on Dec. 4, 2018, to discuss lasting solutions to benefit moose,” said Donaldson. “Moose are an essential part of the way of life for many people who live in the region. Unfortunately, their habitat has been affected by pine beetle, the recent wildfires and a variety of land management activities. These events and other factors are affecting the abundance and distribution of moose and other species. Given the complexity of these issues, it is important to ensure everyone is a part of the solution.

Globally, technologies are transforming forest management and harvesting. Control innovations for harvesting equipment are removing workers from the ground while improving safety and productivity. A few years ago, innovative logger Dale Ewers recognized how the speed of technology could transform his operations.  He brought his experienced loggers into the office to work with application and research specialists. They learned from other industries as well.  Now, they are poised to bring step-change technologies to the forest. As one of the keynote speakers at the HarvestTECHX 2019 Conference in Vancouver in March, Dale Ewers, internationally-recognized logger and innovator from DC Equipment (DCE) will outline the development his 15 logging sites are beginning to pilot test in their operations.  

Rowan Hamilton

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 1:30 p.m. in the North Cowichan Municipal Hall the future of the Cowichan Valley mountain forests will be reviewed.  I have one question for this community regarding this proposed logging. …Who benefits from the denuding of our Valley? …Since 2003 the big logging companies are no longer obligated by the provincial government to operate lumber mills processing our timber. Does the revenue from this logging even stay on the island in our community or does it benefit shareholders and foreign companies? …The logging companies leave just enough trees along roads and lines of sight for the people to believe they live in a forest. This is like the fringe on a bald man.