Private Land Logging

https://wildsight.ca/2021/03/25/communities-are-paying-the-price-for-private-land-logging/

Perhaps it is time for us to lift up our heads and see what is happening to the privately owned forests around our beautiful community. As an arborist and silverculturist with years of experience in logging and forest management, I am at an absolute loss at the terrible logging practices used in the west kootenays. Before you decide to argue, I encourage you to take a hike up any of our mountains surrounding Rossland, and see what is happening and what techniques are being used. The very small percentage of those who temporarily benefit from these logging practices is not worth the long term damage. I urge the community to hold city council accountable to meet with the private land owners who are logging and raise these concerns. How does this logging practice affect tourism, water systems, drainage, wildlife, and fire risks. We have a voice. I am a local, who lives at the base of a mountain being logged. My voice and that of my neighbours is not being heard. This company needs to hear from the community leadership. I support selective and regulated logging...but this is ridiculous and no one in this community is standing up to fight for better logging practices! Check out wildsight.ca...we can make a difference for changing how private lands are logged. 

Here is a recent petition regarding BC old growth logging practices.

 https://act.leadnow.ca/BC-last-trees/

This sounds scary DP. Just wondering what mountain is being logged near you?

Cheers

Former BC Premier Glen Clark is currently the president of Pattison Group which owns Canfor. Canfor basically controls the forestry industry in northern BC.

Major BC forestry player Brookfield Asset Management contributed large sums of money to the BC Liberals under leader Gord Campbell. The Liberals deregulated privately managed forest lands at the behest of the multinational corporations which provide huge campaign contributions.  Prior to 2002, the Assessment Act and Forest Land Reserve Act helped to reduce the impact of urban development and rural settlement on privately managed forest land. The BC Liberals repealed the FLR Act in 2002 and replaced it with the Private Managed Forest Land Act (PMFLA ) in 2004. Douglas Harris of the UBC Faculty of Law has described the act as “a highly flexible, industry‐friendly Act, which does not prohibit activity on forest land, but provides incentives to forest land owners who comply with its provisions.”

It's just a sample of how closely tied the BC government is to the logging industry. There is no real solution to this. WE failed at bringing in Proportional Representation, and now we are stuck choosing between two sides of the same coin.

Get out and contribute and volunteer with not-for-profit evironmental and wildlife stewardship groups. The Valhalla Wilderness Society, the BC Wildlife Federation, Conservation North, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, British Columbia Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Stop the Spray BC, the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Nature Trust of British Columbia

Follow the activities of the BC Forest Practices Board.

Write letters to local government. Write letters to Provincial Government. There are lots of people out here fighting. You are not alone.

 

While I agree with much of what you are saying, DP, I would like to point out that your statement "take a hike up any of our mountains surrounding Rossland" is ironic. These are not 'our mountains' in the legal sense because, much of them, is private property. Any confrontational approach may well result in these large private owners simply refusing to allow public access. The highest court in BC recently upheld the right of large landholders to do just that in the Douglas Lake case.

While bad logging practices are unfortunate and need to be dealt with on a provincial level the real problem is that much of what we think of as 'ours' isn't ours at all.

As an arborist and silverculturist with years of experience in logging and forest management, I am at an absolute loss at the terrible logging practices used in the west kootenays.

  Care to elaborate. How about some specifics? Where? Pictures? How do you propose to regulate it? How would you do the harvesting and development? What exactly is Wildsight going to do about it?

   If you possess all your said certifications and qualifications you should know most of the regulatory authority is provincial, maybe the above posters advice should be taken. FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca

 

Good luck.

Mike J

Here's a great resource on the results of the public consultation that the province did on private managed forest back in 2019.

https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/impact/private-managed-forest-land-program-results/

 

 

Ivan... you must never leave the pavement to see the waste and destruction that's happening everywhere throughout the kootenays with the horrible logging practices.

so much waste!

 

you must never leave the pavement to see the waste and destruction that's happening everywhere throughout the kootenays with the horrible logging practices.

   What are your qualifications to make that assessment? How about some specifics? Beacuse I don't leave the pavement much you could maybe enlighten me....

   You do a lot of trolling here hiding behind a pseudonym, how about signing your name?

 

Mike J

We're in for a different style of forest management over the next generation.

https://www.abbynews.com/news/british-columbians-in-for-a-big-adjustment-with-aboriginal-title-settlement-lawyer-says/

I'd just like to speak to a point about private ownership/public use of lands around Rossland.  A number of years ago a person representing the KCTS found themselsves in a confrontation with Ted Nelson, the then current owner of Atco Lumber who owns land on Deer Park Mountain, Violin Lake and Oasis among others.  The confrontation included the representative of the KCTS insisting he had right of way on the land and use of it.  This led to Ted Nelson placing gates at the bottom of Deer Park, the road to Violin lake (after extesnive investement in a recreation area at the lake by the Village of Warfield, the KCTS and provincial and regional governments) and access to the lower Oasis trail.  These closures were targetted at bikers and hikers, quadding was still allowed on Atco land.

  Please be mindful when dealing with private land owners, large and small.  They have the ability and right to restrict recreational use on their land.  The KCTS works with around 30 different land owners with an insured agreement to manage recreation use on their land.  This is why pirate trail building is discouraged on private land becasue the owners have signed on to an access management agreement.

  If people want to speak up about practices that they're not happy about, have at it.  But be mindful about how you go about it and what may be at stake if you rub somebody the wrong way.  Nobody wants to lose access to land from somebody shooting their mouth off at the wrong person.

Why does one need qualifications to be able to make statements about shitty forest practices? You only can have a valid point unless you're certified in something??

Look at what happened in Nelson with their Cottonwood Park, take drive up Giveout FSR and see, or go down to the bottom of Doukabour Draw... walk into the forest and see the mess that covers the forest floor there. This is not only a huge fire risk, but it takes years for the whole ecosystem to recover. And just because it's privately owned, it's ok? 

we need more people to speak up about what's going on in our forests. We are lucky enough to live in a place where we have such an abundance of trees, and I'm not against logging at all, it just needs proper regulations and stricter laws to protect what we have.

Mike B

 

Mike B

   Here are the rules for Crown Land in BC:

The Forest & Range Practices Act (FRPA) outlines how all forest and range practices and resource-based activities are to be conducted on Crown land in B.C., while ensuring protection of everything in and on them, such as plants, animals and ecosystems.

 

All forest and range licensees' activities are governed by FRPA and its regulations during all stages of planning, road building, logging, reforestation and/or grazing.

 

FRPA standards and requirements ensure high levels of protection for resource values while streamlining planning processes for both government and industry.

BC.gov it links to the act

  You certainly don't have to be certified or qualified, but if you're making an official complaint you'll be dealing with someone who is. Believe it or not they're going to expect a better expanation than "shitty forest practices" when you make your complaint. They will ask you which rules in the ones above you think have been broken, and they'll expect this pesky stuff called evidence.

   As far as the Cottonwood Lake thing, it's their property, if they adhere to the laws, my opinion matters not. The logging on Doukabhor draw: Is that private or Crown land? I don't know, but if it's Crown land show me the rules in the FRPA they broke. If it's private land, you are tresspassing and I'd recommend reading Dylan's post again. I am personally grateful for the generosity of the landowners granting us that permission. As well, props to the all the hard work to get and maintain this access. Maybe it's just me but I am not going to bitch about someones actions on their own land while I tresspass. We clearly differ on this.

    The logging on Giveout may have been Atco, but once again point out the rules they broke.There are other Licensees and possibly some private land up there, you should make sure you know who exactly you're calling out. You can also ask the Compliance Officer when you make your complaint how many cases of non-compliance they have. Full disclosure I've planted about 300,000 trees for them so I've seen a lot of their harvesting, I've never had a problem with anything I saw. Could have had higher tree prices...but I digress...

   You do know as well that FSR's in BC are built and maintained by who? I'll leave you to do some research and answer that yourself. You can share that knowledge with your friends while you drive up Giveout Creek...or Rialto...or Malde...

   Harvesting timber puts millions of dollars into the tax system via stumpage, provides thousands of jobs, provides us and the world with building materials, paper/cardboard and as well provides us access to the backcountry via the FSR system.

   Please speak up if your sure about your concerns but if you can't articulate them better than "shitty logging practices" You're not helping. You might want to ditch the ad hominem attacks, go over my argument with a fine tooth comb, but name calling is pathetic....

you must never leave the pavement

    *sigh*

Mike J

hahah! 
here's news but do actually think that these companies follow the FRPA?!?

full discloser, Ive planted quite a few more trees than 300,000 and have seen a lot of these regulations not taken into full practice right now.  Maybe different years ago since you last planted.

And where do you think they are starting to log now?... the last of any old growth stand around the area.  Have you seen the price of lumber right now? Of course they are. Why can't I say we need to speak up and protect these areas?

Plus ...maybe it wasn't the low tree prices, you were just slow? ;) (Hominem attack)

yes, forestry industry pays bills, taxes etc...im not saying it shouldn't exist, it's employed me for years.  I'm saying it needs to change before we have nothing left. That's it.

Sigh away.... and I'm out.

Peace

Mike B

 I'm saying it needs to change before we have nothing left. That's it.

Absolutely agree.

Likewise out.

 

MJ

BC Coalition for Forestry Reform

https://bccfr.org/

get involved

Just bhumped into a call for public feedback on the Private Managed Forest Land Act:

https://www.rosslandnews.com/news/wildsight-urges-feedback-on-private-land-logging-act/

worth a look if you are concerned about local practices.