Daily Archives: February 15, 2019

The Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC) is helping British Columbians improve forests by allocating funding from the governments from B.C. and Canada to on-the-ground projects that improve habitat for wildlife, increase the utilization of wood to make green energy, increase wildfire protection for communities, and plant trees in areas that otherwise would not be reforested. The FESBC Accomplishments Report showcases the collaborative work of FESBC by proponents in almost every corner of the province. “We as British Columbians are deeply inspired by forest enhancement because we see value in protecting communities from wildfire risk, reducing greenhouse gases, and improving wildlife habitat,” said Steve Kozuki, FESBC Executive Director. “This work is more important than ever given that the forces of climate change, insect epidemics, and catastrophic wildfire events are impacting B.C.’s forests. The Accomplishments Report shows the vast amount of work being done throughout the province, work that’s important to our citizens, our forests and to our economy.”

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Peace River Regional District just received a written letter back from the Government regarding Southern Mountain Caribou Protection. …The letter from Minister was shared to the FB Page by the Concerned Citizens for Caribou Recovery (CCCR). Group member Kathleen Connolly – Executive Director Dawson Creek & District Chamber of Commerce said “they felt the letter was patronizing”. …The letter then shares the provincial and federal governments are creating an agreement that will align with the Provincial Caribou recovery plan which will be shared for comment prior to finalization in the spring. …Connolly says, “It’s the same thing, they make promises and then they don’t deliver. 

Derek Orr

A fledgling youth development program will fly again this summer. The Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) ran its first summer of skills training and personal growth initiatives in 2018. The program called together more than 20 Indigenous youth from more than 16 First Nations from around the region. They received six weeks of training in the natural resource professions. It was the western launch of a parent program already well underway in Ontario. On Thursday, LNG Canada announced that it was signing on to be a major sponsor ensuring three more years of OYEP West… Prince George became home base to the OYEP camp due to the vision of Derek Orr, business development manager at Carrier Lumber and a former elected chief of the McLeod Lake First Nation. He knew firsthand that local companies were in need of skilled and motivated employees, and that Aboriginal youth were in need of outreach to draw them into …the industrial sector.

There was a time when Fort Nelson was the chopstick capital of the world. The northernmost municipality in B.C. was once home to companies that made eight million chopsticks daily, produced untold strand boards for housing and sawmills that chopped up the huge swaths of aspen and spruce forests that dominate the region. Those days ended a decade ago. …Now, its waiting for final approval from the provincial government for what it hopes could start a turnaround — a community forest, with licences and allowable cuts managed directly by the local government and the Fort Nelson First Nations. …For new Mayor Gary Foster, the possible return of the forest industry would bring his time in the community full circle, 40 years after he moved to town and immediately began work with Tackama Forest Products. …If approval is granted, Foster says they will still need to find companies that will harvest the trees… and agree to manufacture the wood locally.

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — The cold winter weather of the past while will potentially slow down northern B.C.’s tree beetle epidemics, but no death blow was dealt. “Most bark beetles, including the mountain pine and fir beetles, will freeze to death between minus-33 and minus-35 degrees Celsius,” said Dawn Makarowski on behalf of the Ministry of Forests. …The temperatures dipped to lows rarely seen in local February history, the past two weeks, but they still were inadequate to cause mass killing of the pests. …None of the cold snap is expected to affect the other killer bug afflicting local forests. The spruce beetle was not affected by the chill, said Makarowski, “because they tend to hibernate under the snow.” …However there is other good news on the spruce beetle front. …”The 2018 survey indicated that the severity of spruce beetle attacks in the Omineca has decreased.”

Friends of Stillwater Bluffs Association (FOSBA) plans to keep the pressure on qathet Regional District in its efforts to protect Stillwater Bluffs from logging and subdivision by Island Timberlands (IT), and have the property designated a regional park. … “Stillwater Bluffs was one of the priorities identified back in the plan but there were others as well,” said qathet regional board chair Patrick Prabazon. “The biggest problem with Stillwater Bluffs is it’s all owned by Island Timberlands. It’s up to them to decide what they want to do with the property. …Island Timberlands owns the 48-hectare parcel of land that includes Stillwater Bluffs, as well as adjacent industrial lands around Stillwater Bay, including Olympic Forest Products log sort. For the past 12 years, IT has had a proposal in the works to subdivide the industrial lands. 

VICTORIA – Forestry activities carried out by BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence holders met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, with a few exceptions, according to a report released today. The audit examined BCTS program activities carried out between June 2016 and June 2018, in the Dawson Creek Timber Supply Area (TSA) portion of BCTS’s Peace-Liard Business Area. …“BCTS and timber sale licence holders are doing a good job of managing most forestry activities in this area,” said board chair Kevin Kriese. “However, the audit did find sites where activities need to be improved in the future – by both BCTS and two timber sale licence holders. BCTS has already taken steps to address the deficiencies related to bridges and the Board expects that improvements will be made by BCTS and timber sale licence holders to address the other findings.”