North Cowichan and the Quw’utsun Nation announced that they will be partnering to co-manage the Municipal Forest Reserve. Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels says that they are looking forward to taking up “stewardship responsibilities within their ancestral territory.”  The collaboration will see the creation of a co-management framework, future trail development and the protection of culturally sensitive areas.  Mayor Rob Douglas says these first steps are a pivotal moment “in our shared journey towards environmental stewardship and reconciliation.”  North Cowichan has paused all new decisions related to the MFR while the framework is established. 

Alberta is bracing for another challenging fire season and with fire officials urging communities to prepare for conditions to grow more volatile as a summer drought settles in. With many communities across the province already parched because of a lack of winter snow cover, officials Thursday urged Albertans to be vigilant in the weeks ahead. Christie Tucker, an Alberta Wildfire information unit manager, said crews are preparing for a long and difficult season. “While there is a temporary dip in temperatures this week, it doesn’t mean that wildfire danger is over,” Tucker said during a news conference. “The drought conditions we’ve experienced in Alberta mean that it is still possible for trees and grasses to burn, particularly in the high winds that we have been seeing.” As of Thursday, 50 wildfires are burning across the province. Of those, four are classified as being held and 46 are now classified as under control. 

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — The Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit (WRTS) is an important five-day event that will attract more than 650 members of the B.C. FireSmart community, including First Nation members, local governments, the Province of B.C., fire departments, local FireSmart representatives, wildfire mitigation specialists, firefighters, researchers, emergency managers, wildfire scientists, and industry partners. The summit will kick off with two days of training for B.C. firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day in-person conference at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre. The conference offers a range of informative workshops and expert panels led by captivating wildfire resiliency leaders that will help professionals prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. The theme for this year’s event is “recover, rebuild, prepare,” which recognizes the importance of resilience after experiencing unprecedented wildfires, rebuilding communities with FireSmart principles in mind, and preparing for future wildfire activity.

VANCOUVER, BC — Contrary to claims by many climate activists and politicians, extreme weather events—including forest fires, droughts, floods and hurricanes—are not increasing in frequency or intensity, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute, an independent think-tank. “Earth Day has become a time when extraordinary claims are made about extreme weather events, but before policymakers act on those extreme claims—often with harmful regulations—it’s important to study the actual evidence,” said Kenneth Green, author of Extreme Weather and Climate Change. The study finds that global temperatures have increased moderately since 1950 but there is no evidence that extreme weather events are on the rise. …“The evidence is clear—many of the claims that extreme weather events are increasing are simply not empirically true,” Green said.

An environmental group is appealing the government’s decision to allow the aerial spraying of a bacterial pesticide in West Kelowna. …the local group, the Kelowna Citizens Safety Association, wants the spraying halted until “a comprehensive risk assessment can be conducted for the citizens and passersby”, per a press release issued Thursday. The group’s leader, Lloyd Manchester, says a formal appeal against the spraying has been filed with the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board. Current plans are for the spray to be spread over the area from airplanes flying approximately 100 feet above the ground, Manchester says. He says other treatment methods against the spongy moths should be pursued. 

VICTORIA, BC — In the morning commute, you couldn’t miss them. Two protesters went to great heights on Thursday to protect tall trees, but it was the lengths to which first responders had to go that had View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst fuming. “This is what we would call an epic waste of our time,” he said. …Westshore RCMP responded first, followed by View Royal Fire. “I’ve got a ladder truck here that’s supposed to be protecting people from fire, but we’re cutting protesters down from a tree in a CRD park,” said the fire chief. …Deploying the View Royal ladder truck meant blocking off two of the northbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway, which slowed traffic nearly to the McKenzie interchange. …For Hurst, it’s not just a matter of resources, but consideration. …The protesters left the area on foot, but not before a lengthy discussion with Hurst.

Additional coverage in  CTV News, by Brendan Strain: Old-growth forest activists suspend 18-metre banner near Highway 1

Victoria Times Colonist, by Jeff Ball: Police end tree-sit protest near Trans-Canada Highway; banner removed

On the evening of Wednesday, April 3, about 20 Kaslo residents gathered for an open house on the Kaslo FireSmart Program and the Kaslo & Area D Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. Presenters included Jessie Lay, Kaslo’s FireSmart coordinator, John Cathro and Mark Elder, professional foresters, and Jeff Reyden, co-manager of the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society. …Jessie Lay opened the evening. She talked about the purpose of FireSmart and what the program offers. As coordinator, Lay administers home assessments. She visits homeowners and discusses what can be done to make the property more resilient to wildfires. …John Cathro and Mark Elder presented on the Kaslo & Area D Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. …Cathro, in partnership with B.A. Blackwell & Associates, was contracted by the RDCK to create the CWRP. …Jeff Reyden offered a short presentation on what the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society has been up to.