The Federation of B.C Woodlot Associations and Woodlot Product Development Council met with Ktunaxa First Nation at a conference that ran from Oct. 26 to 28 at St. Eugene Golf Resort near Cranbrook. They explored methods of reducing wildfire risk and focused on strengthening relationships between woodlot managers and First Nations.
Woodlots are areas of privately-owned forest land that exist on the outskirts of urban areas. Woodlot owners and managers are responsible for maintaining the forest eco-system on that plot of land in a sustainable way, which can include controlling the density of the local plants, monitoring the health of local animals and protecting trees from disease. The owner typically uses the land for small-scale timber harvesting operations, however, it is not uncommon for the public to be granted access to the land for recreational activities. Many mountain bike and hiking trails run through woodlots.
There are 841 woodlots in B.C and each one varies in size, from 600 hectares along the coast to 1,200 hectares in the interior. There are 31 woodlots on the outskirts of Cranbrook and one within the boundaries of ʔaq̓am.
Roughly 11,400 hectares of woodlot land in B.C is located within areas that have a high or extreme risk of wildfire. This year, 15 woodlots across the province were impacted by forest fires directly in areas near Peace River, Burns Lake and Shuswap.
Stakeholders toured a few local Cranbrook woodlots and a local fuel treatment project at the conference. They met with nasuʔkin (chief) Joe Pierre and B.C Wildfire Service to discuss the prescribed burn that ʔaq̓am undertook in the spring. The burn involved removing accumulating deadwood in order to eliminate wildfire fuel sources and it proved helpful in fighting the fire the swept through ʔaq̓am this summer. In a previous interview with The Cranbrook Townsman, Pierre said that the prescribed burn likely prevented the wildfire from reaching the Canadian Rockies International Airport.
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As B.C Woodlot Associations manager Gord Chipman explained, thick overgrown forests provide the perfect conditions for wildfires to start, so reducing biomass in these areas can help protect woodlots and other areas from damage.
“One huge problem that we have in British Columbia, is that we have too many trees growing, especially in dry areas. In dry eco-systems, the trees will just keep on growing and repopulating until it comes to a point where there’s too many trees and then they all compete with each other and they can’t continue growing very fast,” he explained.
Consulting with Indigenous peoples is equally important. Chipman said many First Nations have their own woodlots through which they gain first-hand experience with forestry management.
“It’s important to collaborate with First Nations because they’re a big player in woodlot management right now,” he said.
“A lot of woodlotters and First Nations have the same values as to how to manage the land in a holistic way. We understand that everything is related when it comes to managing the environment and when we manage the forest, we must manage it in harmony with all the other eco-system habitats.”
