Bill Bourgeois’  Response to Chief Forester wildfire salvage guidance document to be used by forest planners in developing salvage logging plans of 2017 wildfire areas.  Sound rationale, supported by science, guidance is provided.  It also contains valuable information for laypersons interested in the issue and topic.  However, concerns are noted that could jeopardize  achieving the Chief Forester objectives.

BC Government track record in dealing with catastrophic events is consistent with those of other world jurisdictions but short-term focused.  BC commitments to developing and supporting adaptation strategies are outlined in Wildfire adaptive management actions This information is relevant to 2017 wildfire season reviews being conducted.  Will Government listen?

Expedite wildfire salvage while applying long-term forest stewardship practices is an opportunity. The debate presented in https://tinyurl.com/ybsp7jun should not delay harvesting. Foresters need to get on with collaborative planning to capitalize on the situation from the perspective of balancing short-term economics, long-term wildfire protection management and restoring/maintaining ecosystem integrity. Lets not miss the opportunity by focusing on debate and bureaucracy. Get on with it industry and government foresters! Politicians, enable this to happen but stay out of the technical exercise.

Government and industry are in discussions re: post wildfire season recovery actions https://tinyurl.com/y9owj89a COFI CEO says “discussions about changing forest-management practices are expected to continue beyond the current fire season.” Hopefully these are within the parameters of long-term forest stewardship and not focused on short-term economics. Government and industry need to provide assurances to the public such will be the case. We look forward to this commitment.

Bill Tieleman’s opinion  https://tinyurl.com/ybmdau8h is neglect in wildfire protection due to low investment by BC Liberals was a major factor in the current wildfire situation. Whether you agree with the analysis or not, it is clear we need to invest in the forest relative to a number of issues previously identified in HFHC documents as part of long-term forest stewardship.  This is critical if we are to have forests contribute to community resiliency.  Government must act on this, if their commitment to rural development is to become reality.

UBC research shows BC foresters are including climate change into reforestation decision-making in “change & changes in silvicultural practices,” Julie Sheppard  https://tinyurl.com/ybusrkbx

The BC Government and forest industry promote a high level of Sustainable Forest Management.  Their rationale is usually based on the existing legislation, regulations and policies and the fact a large percentage of BC forests have third part forest certification.  However, there are a number of deficiencies in this approach that could be rectified, in-part, by adopting the recommendations presented in SFM-what needs to be done to demonstrate status.  Taking these actions would either show support for their positions or identify the required actions to get to this point.  Regardless, these actions would demonstrate to communities and the public the level of SFM in BC forests.  For several decades we have known and had the capability of doing this.  It just needs leadership and commitment by Government and the industry to practice long-term forest stewardship.

Now that the BC NDP has formed Government with support from the BC Greens, what can we expect from the new Government based on recent commitments compared to what is needed to move toward long-term forest stewardship and community resiliency? A discussion regarding this comparison and required actions are presented in Required Action-forest stewardship-community resiliency. 

The forestry and tourism sectors operating in the Discovery Islands located near Campbell River have developed a tool to improve communications regarding forest harvest planning http://tinyurl.com/n4oqp5k The tool was developed by the Discovery Islands Working Group to “build effective working relationships and improve communication between the forestry and tourism sectors in the Discovery Islands.  The site includes an interactive map, definitions, contacts, harvest plans, planning data and maps, etc.  This may be an option for use in other areas of BC.