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FUTURE OF OUR FORESTS - Preserving BC's Primary Forests Today to Protect Water and Wildlife Tomorrow
untilSaturday, April 13th, 1-5:30pm UBC Okanagan Campus ASC 140 Admission by Advanced Sponsorship/Donation for Reserved Seating and Donations at the Door for Available Seating Programme 1:00 Indigenous Territorial Welcome, Grouse and Pamela Barnes, Syilx elders 1:15 Land Acknowledgment - Alex Morrison, Chair, Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance 1:20 Welcome Remarks & Introductions Eveline Wolterson; Casey Como, IWTF Hosts Taryn Skalbania, IWTF/PWPA, IWTF Address 1:30-1:55 Elliot Tonasket, Retired Councillor & Natural Resource Consultant, Penticton Indian Band Syilx Forestry Standards 2:00-2:25 Michelle Connolly, Conservation North, Protecting Primary Forests, Preserving Biodiversity 2:30-2:55 Refreshment Break, Arts & Science Foyer & Courtyard 3:00-3:35 MLA Mike Morris, Prince George-Mackenzie, Saving BC’s Wildlife – Future for Our Forests 3:40-4:15 Dr. Younes Alila, UBC Forest Resource Management, Hydrology of Convenience in BC Forestry 4:20-4:40 Jennifer Houghton, Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, The Power of Trees: Safeguarding Communities by Protecting Forests by Law 4:45-4:55 Barry Brandow, Granby Guides & Outfitters, Acknowledgement of Speakers 5:00- 5:25 Q & A panel 5:30-5:45 Dr. John Wagner, UBCO Environmental Anthropologist, Closing Remarks 5:45 Socializing REGISTRATION for UBCO event and live zoom on Eventbrite coming soon! Here:__________________________ Live Event to be recorded and shared LOCATION: UBC Okanagan Campus ASC 140 Theatre - UBC OKANAGAN Arts and Science building, ASC 140 (ground level) – see: https://learningspaces.ok.ubc.ca/classrooms/asc-140. Adjoining Reception Foyer - https://learningspaces.ok.ubc.ca/classrooms/asc-asc-112. Parking: https://parking.ok.ubc.ca/visitor-event-parking/short-term/. (Paid parking in effect at all times.) Get directions: https://ok.ubc.ca/about/maps-directions-tours/ The Interior Watershed Task Force is a coalition of more than twenty NGOs, Community Organizations, and Professionals that was initiated in 2023. The IWTF advocates for the legal protection and preservation of water, primary and natural forests, wildlife and critical habitats in the BC interior. We are based in the Okanagan region of BC and respectfully live and work on ancestral territories of several First Nations. -
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Forest Minister
Here's the first 10 minutes or so of the video Taryn linked to. Morris is always interesting to listen to. -
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Forest Minister
Totally agree Taryn... It's hard to get much detail about how MOF works on the daily from down here south of the border, but how could this job as minister be difficult when the only thing it does is delay and obstruct environmental issues in order to put almost zero limits on the loggers who have the licenses already in hand for years to come? As a viewer from far away it seems like the same thing that the ministry of fisheries was doing to prevent the end of net pen farming by deliberately lying and obstructing the environmental claims until Alexandra Morton and others finally wore them down and exposed so many of their false claims that they finally made progress in getting these salmon parasite production facilities shut down. As in, I don't see why these are difficult jobs? Listening to both sides and honestly addressing the concerns and needs of everyone with a legally valid process is definitely a difficult job, but blindly ignoring one side and parroting the industry's bullet points on the other... That's hardly even a job, that's just being a bully who's past hasn't caught up to them yet. -
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Forest Minister
If the left hand does not even know what the right hand is doing or can even understand it, how can they even wipe their own butts? Embarrassing beyond belief, agree this needs to be a focus and mentioned at every opportunity: ''The frustrating part is that the FPC watershed assessment guidebook states that ECA on its own is meaningless and ECA should not be used as a management target.'' -
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Forest Minister
Gov’t methodology has/should be using three key indicators when assessing watershed hydrological integrity: 1. Peak Flow Sensitivity (PFS)…of which also generally equates to low flow sensitivity; 2. Riparian Functionality; 3. Sediment Transfer. In practice, if one manages PFS at a low risk, then riparian functionality and sediment transfer are not an issue if best management practices are being applied with respect to road construction and maintenance, and riparian management practices. What I have found, is that most "forest developed” watersheds are now in moderate to high to very high risk categories of Peak Flow Sensitivity Risk based on individual watershed assessments that thoroughly consider their geomorphology and geography, among other factors. I use ECAs as “triggers" for defining a given PFS risk category, and each watershed has its own unique triggers since they are all individually different. Also, when indicators are applied properly, I have found that when a watershed approaches 20 to 30 % ECA, red flags go up, and in most cases, the watershed has entered a moderate to high risk PFS. This is in major contrast to what the government is generally stating. Case in point, check out the work that Ron Saimoto and I did on the Skeena Maps Portal for examples (I can walk anyone through this if you desire): https://maps.skeenasalmon.info/maps/702 https://maps.skeenasalmon.info/maps/672 ….oh yes, let’s not forget about the wild salmon indicators as well such as the number of road crossings and road density -
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Forest Minister
Ralston did not seem to understand what he was talking about. I think he got confused and his “80% ECA” was supposed to be 80% retention. I seriously doubt the Ministry would allow an ECA of 80% as a target. The frustrating part is that the Forest Practices Code watershed assessment guidebook states that ECA on its own is meaningless and ECA should not be used as a management target. See page 25 (note that the hydrological recovery values have changed since this document was produced): Coastal watershed assessment procedure guidebook -
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Forest Minister
Interesting exchange between Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston and MLA Mike Morris on BC watersheds, ECAs, reports from FPB. loss of life, billions in infrastructure damage, and forest habitat loss. According to extension #0118 ECAs should only be 20-30% whether a community drinking watershed, fishery sensitive watershed or standard watershed yet watersheds Morris has studied have ECAs of 80%, and so far NONE of these forests have recovered hydrologically due to loss of canopy increasing floods, wildfires. Morris asks Ralston if the Chief Forester is taking into account the new hydrology and old ECA calculations.... RALSTON CLAIMS 80% ECA IS THE NORMAL TARGET RATE, BUT IF THERE IS MPB INFESTATION, INDUSTRY IS ALLOWED AND NEEDS TO GO BEYOND AN 80% ECA! GOVT & INDUSTRY CAN THEN JUST ADDRESS ANY NEGATIVE HYDROLOGICAL ISSUES. Ralston then back paddles, he is inept, more so than EVEN Katrine Conroy, and does not deserve to earn a wage as Minister of Forests. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FFCzHPzw2FWBE7mvFpfYKDXfehYWmzAX/view -
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Forest Minister
Being Forest Minister is one of BC’s most difficult jobs. How is the current minister doing? -
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General discussion about forest-related matters
A report from Biofuel Watch describes Drax's role in the demise of BC's last primary forests. Here's a summary of Biofuel's report: https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2024/new-investigation-shows-drax-has-sourced-logs-from-british-columbias-rarest-old-growth-forests-for-its-pellet-mills/ Here's Biofuel's full report: https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Drax-in-BC-report.pdf An update on the BBC's investigation into Drax's use of BC primary forest for wood pellets can be read here: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68381160 -
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General discussion about forest-related matters
Hello from south of the border... How are forest defenders doing up there? I've always wanted to participate / interact with everyone up there and for past 25 years was on BC forestwatch, Landwatch and other listserves. Also participated in several Facebook groups. But in most instances my passion for protecting the forest made people think that I was anti-logger and there's way too many people who are moderators that think chainsaw medicine is the only way to protect the forest and to say anything bad about loggers was a good reason to ban me again... In truth, there's 380 million years of tall tree forest evolution on this planet that indicates a lack of disturbance is what allows a forest to be healthy, not short-lived humans constantly pulling threads out of the sweater because they think they're smart enough to deciding which trees are meant to live 5 to 10 times longer than humans and which ones aren't. Anyways, if there's a way to stay informed on everything that's going on up there I'd greatly appreciate more consistent information and I'll do my best to spread the word about your efforts down here in the US. As for south of the border in western Washington state we had a significant victory in the courts last week: https://www.wlfdc.org/so/4fOu5nJfn -
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General discussion about forest-related matters
The purposes and functions of existing forest legislation are inadequate to meet 21st century needs. Forest Service needs to include ecological stewardship -
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General discussion about forest-related matters
We will use this forum for comments about anything forest-related. If a topic resonates with the community, we will move it to a separate thread. The newest entries are at the bottom of the thread. Guests may comment but such comments need to be approved by a moderator. Comments by registered users will appear quickly, without moderation. -
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What would constitute a “smart future” for BC forests?
Look at what the forest industry has done to our forests already under the heavy hand of COFI guidance. Do we really want to perpetuate this totally unsustainable mismanagement of our forests? -
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Is David Eby's government making a paradigm shift on BC's forests?
The reality of Govt's 'paradigm shift' to better forest stewardship can be measured @ "[6] completing the Old Growth Strategic Action Plan by the end of 2023." I can't help sharing June Ross's mistrust of govts -- & specifically this current BC Govt. who've given us NOT 1 REASON to trust they'll implement their new "initiatives", having failed to act on even ONE of (promised) 14 URGENT recommendations of the existing (3 yr old) Strategic Old Growth panel's report.. As Herb Hammond says, we urgently need to "get on with it" -- NOW -- to "maintain & restore forest health, protect old-growth forest attributes, provide for ecological resilience, furnish a diversity of wildlife habitat; & provide for climate adaptation". So far, ALL we've seen from this Govt are delay tactics & "optics" as Trevor Goward points out, giving "the illusion of progress while at the same time prolonging 'business as usual' as long as politically feasible". Given the mounting risks of this devolving status quo, I cannot share Fred Marshall's hope that all this obvs. malfeasance -- "modus operandi of the BC govt" -- won't continue; it surely WILL, with predictably disastrous results.. Our best chances for the paradigm shift we need comes via the BC Greens: the only party whose Constitution delivers community resilience & a sustainable future backed by thriving, renewable & circular economies. We just need to QUIT RELYING ON the empty lies & long-deserted loyalties of mainstream entities that bely with impunity their every well-staged 'optic' -- eg. the corrupt est'd parties pushing ecocide & rising GHGs: they -- INCL. the 'old' BC-NDP -- are irrelevant, if not expired. Let's instead grow backbones & dismiss the endless (undeserved) drone of thoughtless slander waged against our trusty Greens for too long, & when the time comes mark the 'X's that'll ease our overdue transition.. -
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Is David Eby's government making a paradigm shift on BC's forests?
Hi David, I recently joined the Horsefly River Roundtable (HRR) to provide technical support to them in their criticisms of harvesting in the watershed. The Horsefly River has been designated a Fisheries Sensitive Watershed, and also as being the second most important salmon spawning river in the Province, yet harvesting pressure is at an all time high. Of timber harvesting land base in the Central Cariboo, the areas around Likely, Beaver Valley, and Horsefly represent only 17% of that, yet more than 40% of the green volume is now coming out here. Within the Horsefly Watershed itself, stands that burned in 1961, which were later thinned, spaced, and fertilized in the mid 2000s which are only now 50 years old (predominately Douglas-fir) are being laid out and clearcut at an alarming rate. In one tributary alone, there are over 600 ha on the chopping block by 2026 or 2027. Members of the HRR are concerned as well that this latest government initiative is more about votes than actually changing anything. We'd love it if you would write an article for us. I am still working out on the land base in the Cariboo Forest Region, and still finding that our management of said land base is atrocious. I agree wholeheartedly with Anthony Britneff that this industry needs to implode. The HRR hosted an open house in Horsefly just over a month ago, with representatives from the major licensees and government in attendance. It was a good turn out, even with the summer folk gone. One forester I know who works with BCTS in planning whispered to me that it all needs to blow up. YES! I agree also that forestry is a failed profession. If you are interested in what is going on with the Horsefly River Watershed, please contact Helen Englund at hrr.secretary1@gmail.com. She is extremely passionate about taking licensees and government to task. Thanks! Sue -
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Is David Eby's government making a paradigm shift on BC's forests?
Thanks for your comments June and Legibou! -
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Is David Eby's government making a paradigm shift on BC's forests?
I live west of Prince George. I am a Hereditary Wing Chief. My name is Legibou, in Wet'suwe'ten. It means "child of a wolf". I help look after the lands around Smithers and Witset. Myself and other family members are stewards of our traditional Wet'suwe'ten territories. We see our forefathers lands being accessed and resources extracted. We where recently told, to meet quotas a local logging company wanted our consent to log a area, pristine, no public access, to log a mix of low grade timber. We asked, "to meet quota?" Our resources extracted everywhere, no matter where or how, just to meet a quota. No place seems sacred. Pristine is not a matter to these companies. All they see is "money". Shame on them! What concerns me is the clearcutting for pellet plants. I'm hearing this practice for this product devastates. No wonder bears are in our communities. Their territory is ravaged by clearcutting and forest fires. I hear there is a delegation going to Japan this week for our forest products. I'm interested in which indigenous persons went a long and who they represent. We certainly wouldn't have gone. I thought forestry was winding down? I'm like to know which forest products. -
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Is David Eby's government making a paradigm shift on BC's forests?
I have just had the pleasure of being on a webinar with Herb Hammond.He has said it all in his post above. I do not trust any government to do what they say they are going to do! We need to hold their feet to the fire to protect our biodiversity and most of all...to protect our watersheds...our water sources...our drinking water. Without water...there is no life. Why are we waiting to implement the 14 recommendations of the old growth panel? Why are we still clearcutting the land? Why oh why oh why? The governments talk a streak and then log/log/log!
