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 Welcome to the August edition of my e-Newsletter.
Recently, the Province announced it will implement a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The HST will create tremendous benefits for our forest sector and forest-dependent communities.
This move alone will save the forest sector $140 million per year and help the industry become more efficient and competitive, bolstering economic growth and job creation.
For more information on the benefits of the HST, please visit our website.
On another note, I am sure you are aware of the extreme fire season we have been dealing with here in B.C. Our firefighters, as well as those from out-of-province, have done an outstanding job in fighting these blazes.
Also, there are countless others behind the scenes including those who provide fire safety awareness, implement and enforce fire bans, co-ordinate evacuation orders and alerts, and other logistical support.
On behalf of the Province, I want to extended my sincere thanks to everyone working to keep B.C.’s forests safe and intact for future generations.
Until next month,
Pat Bell
Minister of Forests and Range
and Minister Responsible for the
Integrated Land Management Bureau
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INTEGRATED LAND MANAGEMENT BUREAU
The ILMB is a stand-alone agency that
provides service to the public and other
government agencies by coordinating
access to Crown land and natural resources.
250,470 HECTARES ADDED TO OLD-GROWTH MANAGEMENT AREAS - More than a quarter of a million hectares in 240 separate areas in the Dawson Creek timber supply area will be managed to conserve old-growth forest biodiversity and habitat.
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BUILDING WITH WOOD
Given its strength, versatility, and climate-
friendly attributes, British Columbia
is promoting greater use of wood in
commercial and institutional construction.
B.C. WOOD CELEBRATED IN GREEN BUILDING AWARDS - Minister Pat Bell spoke at an awards ceremony recognizing Olympic venue architects for their use of wood and green building practices. During the Olympics, people from around the world are going to see first-hand that B.C. is a global leader in wood product innovation and design.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO CANADIAN DESIGN COMMUNITY - The Canadian Wood Council and the Quebec Wood Export Bureau, together with several forest industry groups, have issued an Expression of Interest for projects that demonstrate non-traditional uses of wood in domestic markets and Canadian-style use of wood for construction in offshore markets.
NEW PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE COORDINATION CENTRE TO SHOWCASE WOOD USE - Located at the Kamloops Airport, the Centre will incorporate the use of engineered timber beams, composite wood and gluelams for all structural supports, as well as finishing millwork and detailing. The Centre is also being built to LEED Gold facility standards, including air and water systems that will completely heat and cool the building using geothermal heating technology.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT HOUSE SHOWCASES B.C. WOOD - The new Local Government House in Victoria is using beetle-killed lumber in its framing construction as well as other B.C. wood species for construction of cabinets, doors and tables.
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GROWING TREES
By becoming a world leader
in growing trees, British
Columbia aims to maximize
the growth potential of its
forest resource.
MCLEOD LAKE BAND & MACKENZIE CELEBRATE COMMUNITY FOREST - This agreement grants the McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest Limited Partnership the right to harvest up to 30,000 cubic metres of timber per year on 24,218 hectares of public forest lands in the Mackenzie timber supply area.
FORESTRY TENURES E-POSTING LEADS TO EASY ACCESS - New woodlot licences and other forestry opportunities in the Southern Interior Forest Region are now posted on-line, ensuring immediate and equal access to all bidders.
PRINCE GEORGE COMPANY ENTERS CARBON OFFSET MARKET - Borealis Carbon Offsets Ltd. is tapping into the international carbon offset market by creating a 120,000-tree plantation on 70 hectares of marginal farmland northwest of Prince George. The project will absorb approximately 50,000 tonnes of carbon over the next 80 years.
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OTHER MINISTRY NEWS
B.C. SUPPORTS RESOURCE WORKERS IN HOUSTON - Houston is benefitting from more than $274,000 in funding through the Job Opportunities Program for two projects involving fuel management, mountain pine beetle mitigation and trail maintenance work that will employ 12 out-of-work resource workers.
B.C. SUPPORTS QUESNEL TRAIL IMPROVEMENT - While in Quesnel, Minister Pat Bell announced $130,000 from the Job Opportunities Program that will employ 12 workers to conduct trail maintenance and hazard tree removal in Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park.
B.C. SUPPORTS BURNS LAKE AREA WITH JOB CREATION - Eighteen unemployed resource workers in the Burns Lake area are benefitting from almost $419,000 in funding for four outdoor maintenance and restoration projects through the Job Opportunities Program.
CUT LEVEL STAYS CONSISTENT FOR ARROWSMITH TIMBER SUPPLY AREA - The Deputy Chief Forester has slightly increased the allowable annual cut for the Arrowsmith timber supply area on southern Vancouver Island from 418,769 cubic metres to 420,000 cubic metres.
GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND B.C. INVEST $60M IN JOBS - A $60-million commitment will help the Job Opportunities Program create immediate employment and help workers in all industry sectors and communities impacted by the economic downturn.
DEPUTY CHIEF FORESTER REDUCES AAC FOR TFL 45 – To reflect the implementation of ecosystem-based management under the Central Coast Land Use Decision, the annual allowable cut for this tree farm licence, located in the Campbell River area, will be reduced from 220,000 cubic metres to 175,000 cubic metres.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
TEAL CEDAR PRODUCTS RECEIVES $12 MILLION IN FINANCING - Export Development Canada has provided B.C.'s Teal Cedar Products $12 million to be used for general corporate purposes, allowing for financial restructuring and additional liquidity during the economic downturn.
CANFOR REOPENS MACKENZIE MILL - After almost a year, Canfor's Mackenzie mill has restarted operations putting approximately 70 employees back to work. The mill has been configured to produce premium, square-edged lumber products for U.S. and overseas markets.
ABORIGINAL FORESTRY AWARD RECOGNIZES BUSINESS LEADERSHIP - The Forest Products Association of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations announced Grace Esquega, President of Niigaani Enterprises, as the first winner of the joint Aboriginal Forest Products Business Leadership Award for being an inspirational leader in a forest products business.
NEW PREFABRICATED HOME PLANT WILL EMPLOY 60 WORKERS - Ken Harper of 100 Mile House plans to build a new prefabricated home plant, expected to be open in October of this year, that uses a new post and panel system he developed allowing for a variety of exterior finishes.
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FORESTRY FACTS
- The ILMB is responsible for eight FrontCounterBC offices located around the province.
- British Columbians participate directly in decisions related to the development, protection and use of public lands.
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FOREST SAFETY
The ministry is committed to
maintaining high safety
standards to protect
both forest workers
and the public.
FIRE SEASON IS NOT OVER
In his weekly Provincial Fire Briefing, Minister Pat Bell reminded British Columbians the Province will continue its vigilant enforcement of campfire bans.
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CAMPFIRES - Due to extreme fire activity throughout the province, compliance officers, local police forces, RCMP, and local government by-law officers are out in the field enforcing campfire bans and other restrictions with violation tickets ranging from $173 to $345.
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON NEW WILDFIRE COORDINATION CENTRE
The Province is one step closer to fighting wildfires faster and better as construction starts on the new hub for all wildfire activities, the Wildfire Coordination Centre, located in Kamloops.
EMERGENCY FIREFIGHTER TRAINING COMPLETED AROUND PROVINCE - Approximately 550
candidates around the province have completed wildfire suppression training as part of the Emergency Firefighter Training program to increase the Province's wildfire fighting capacity. About 250 of those trainees have already been deployed to perform firefighting duties.
RESOURCE ROAD PILOT PROJECT TO INCREASE WORKER SAFETY - WorksafeBC has released the findings and recommendations from a Resource Roads Demonstration Project aimed at improving road safety for all road users through a consistent, province-wide approach. Report
FOREST ROAD RULES GUIDE SAFE OFF-ROAD VEHICLE USE
Following speed limits and observing licence and insurance requirements will improve the chances that off-road vehicle users will return safely from a ride down a Forest Service road.
COURT UPHOLDS RADAR TICKETS ON FOREST SERVICE ROADS - Three radar tickets issued to speeding drivers on the Sukunka Forest Service Road as part of a road safety operation near Chetwynd have been upheld in provincial court.
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IMPROVING UTILIZATION
British Columbia is working
to maximize the economic
opportunities from wood
fibre previously considered
waste or debris.
MINISTER TOURS INTERFOR'S NEW ADAMS LAKE MILL - Minister Bell toured Interfor's new state-of-the-art Adams Lake sawmill and talked with workers to see first hand how the $150-million facility processes mountain pine beetle-killed timber.
B.C. HYDRO APPROVES FOUR BIOENERGY PROJECTS
Four projects located in Kamloops, Castlegar and two in Prince George, have been approved to burn wood waste, generating enough electricity to power more than 52,000 homes.
WOOD PELLET SYSTEM NOW COMPLETE AT NAZKO SCHOOL The new bioenergy wood pellet boiler system, one of the first of its kind in North America, uses wood pellets from a local producer and is expected to save the school district more than $25,000 a year in energy costs.
UNBC AND NEXTERRA PARTNER IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT - UNBC is installing a $14.8-million gasification system with Nexterra that will provide heat to the core campus buildings and offset an estimated 85 per cent of current natural gas consumption.
UNBC OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF BIOENERGY PROGRAM - The new program features a $500,000 pellet heating system project that will heat the campus' forestry lab and will be used as a basis for bioenergy research. This project is the result of a partnership between UNBC and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada.
MINISTRY'S RESEARCH STATION UPGRADE SHOWS GREEN RESULTS - The ministry's Kalamalka Research Station in Vernon is seeing the green results of their new wood pellet boiler/solar panel combination system installed in January. So far, the station's $1,300 monthly gas bill has been reduced to just $175.
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INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
British Columbia is working to expand its overseas exports, particularly into the rapidly growing China market.
WENCHUAN EARTHQUAKE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT UPDATE - Construction of all building structures at the Xiang'E primary school project in Dujiangyan are now complete and have passed final inspection. Photos
B.C. “SUPER HOUSE” REALITY SHOW DEBUTS ON ASIAN TV - B.C. wood products will receive celebrity treatment and nationwide exposure in Mongolia this fall when a Vancouver Island designed and pre-built home becomes the star of a prime-time TV show.
B.C.-BUILT LOG HOME BREAKS IN TO NORWEGIAN MARKET - Canada's Log People, a home building company located in 100 Mile House, has broken in to the exclusive Norwegian home building market by using large, round-log timber in their construction, something Norway is lacking and finds quite a novelty.
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WEB RESOURCES
The ministry's website provides a wide range of services and a wealth of information regarding B.C.'s forest sector.
The new Wildfire Update website hosts information regarding active wildfires around the province, fire bans, information for evacuees, road and highway closures, wildfire history, and health information. A number of other resources can be accessed through this site including the Canadian Red Cross, the Interior Health Authority and regional district websites.
Wildfire updates are now also available on both Twitter and Facebook.
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For information on ministry announcements and events, visit the Ministry of Forests and Range Media Room.
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