Conference in Prince George looked at First Nation forestry future

Kathi Zimmerman is General Manager of Resources North in Prince George, B.C., the association hosting an important forestry conference in early March 2010. Zimmerman says, "In conjunction with FORREX, Green Heat Initiative and UNBC, we will be hosting the 'Bioenergy Solutions for Community Sustainability Workshop: Exploring Economic Diversification Options for Communities Impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle'," and this event is running at the Prince George Civic Centre, March 2-4, 2010.

Resources North grew out of the McGregor Model Forest Network and the association has a five-year arrangement that started in 2007 for funding to assist communities transition into new opportunities. Forestry is an industry in transition and B.C. is a province in search of opportunities, says Zimmerman. "We are helping communities look at the options in all the resource sectors, with a mind to improving integration between them to reduce impacts and costs."

Topics on the workshop agenda include access to forest fibre, introduction to bio-mass conversion systems, First Nations Title and Rights implications, local case study presentations, funding opportunities, policies and regulations, emerging technologies, community readiness and partnership building.

The three-day event includes a series of field tours, presentations, displays and networking opportunities. "Options are being presented by bioenergy experts and practitioners from around the province, and participants, "will learn how biomass energy systems could provide First Nations and small rural communities with more accessible and cost-effective energy alternatives to natural gas, propane and other non-renewable energies."
     

Zimmerman remarks that a number of communities are being wooed by big industries, "Here's a pellet plant for you!" It's hard to make know what the best option is for your community so Resources North and their partners decided to host this forum to provide clarity, "We assembled an advisory group in a neutral meeting place to provide a broad range of perspectives and expertise on developing this workshop, and it has evolved to an amazing roster of speakers!"
     

Speakers will include:   Chief Geronimo Squinas, Lhtako Energy Corp., Don Gosnell, Resources Tenure Branch,  Ministry of Forest Resources, Dr. Fernando Preto, Canadian Biomass Innovation Network, Sam Kirsh, Baldy Hughes, Jim Savage, Quesnel Community Heating Project.
     

The conference is open to anyone who has an interest in learning about alternative biomass heating options. To find out more about the workshops and to register for any or all of the three days, visit the Resources North website at www.resourcesnorth.org

Fire reduction strategy was high priority in 2010

B.C.'s forests are becoming an international concern when the release of carbon continues from the MPB ravaged timber and decadent forests are standing without producing much (if any) oxygen. Chris Akehurst of Akehurst and Giltrap Reforestation says, "The Western Silviculture Contractors Association has the numbers, but B.C. exported more carbon from forests last year than lumber."

Huge issues confront the citizens of B.C. with regards to the condition of the Crown's forests in 2010, 95 percent of B.C. forests. There are increasing numbers of interface fires, decadent forests that are mismanaged, and decreasing numbers of seedlings being planted.

"Fuel reduction programs are very important now," says Chris, "and the purpose is to remove biomass fuel from areas surrounding communities." The biomass offers too much fuel for prospective infernos. "We also need to perform prescribed burns after the clean-up to further reduce fire hazard."

Failure to do fire reduction will cause increasing incidence of city and town evacuations and losses of infrastructure, including housing.

"As these MPB destroyed trees fall it happens in a criss-cross manner and the maze of fuel is laid out to burn intensely hot. The fires travel fast and run right up to cities and towns. The fire behavior becomes so powerful that it is overwhelming."

Fire fighters have told Chris that when it gets to that stage all they can do is watch, aghast. Furthermore, as interface fires spread the problem of fire-fighting jurisdictions starts to affect tactical operations of fighting the problem.

He cites one fire near Princeton that burned away while the local fire department was restricted from entering the field. "A fire department was called in from the Merritt area instead but it was too late for the Friday Mountain fire. The fire took off into the Simillkameen." Princeton was spared but the destruction of forest was greatly magnified.

One resident of Glenrosa in Westbank, Okanagan, described on-line what he was witnessing in  2004 interface fire: "There's a shitload of wind blowing from the south, which means the fire is heading into Westbank/Glenrosa. There have been at least 3 or 4 houses that have burned down, and the neighborhood of Glenrosa (around 8000 people) is completely shut down."

Chris does a lot of work in reducing the risk of fire in these interface scenarios around the southern interior of B.C.. One recent project in Manning Park included removing coniferous trees and replanting with deciduous trees near campgrounds and other public facilities.

"The fire reduction projects don't always involve reforestation. Often it's a process of fuel removal and reduction." Meanwhile silviculture in the province is being reduced because the number of trees harvested has been shrinking in a down-turned economy.

The forests that are filled with dead trees create new priorities in forestry management. Twenty to 30 percent of the untouched MPB forests filled with dead pine trees will not come back naturally. It requires silviculture on a massive scale to restore these forests that are being written off and ignored.

Further delays will make problems worse, and Chris believes the federal and provincial governments must take responsibility for the damage ensuing from the pestilence. "Back in the 1980s and 90s we took on silviculture projects to restore the 'silviculture slums' left from the 1960s and 70s."

Chris notes that when Prime Minister Harper got off the plane in Prince George some years ago he promised $1 billion to work on the restoration of B.C. forests, with dispersals at $100 million a year. The industry is standing around wondering what happened to that money.

Foresters are grappling with the issues and growing cynical. "There is a moral obligation to do the work in these forests. The funding mechanisms aren't going to magically appear." He is aware that fire reduction programs are underway and funding is flowing to the problem. The MPB issues are magically ignored.

His own business saw a 44 percent reduction in volume last year, and this year it will fall another 10 percent. Chris works with the Upper Similkameen First Nations. Elsewhere he sees openings for forestry workers in fire reduction plans. It may be good prospects for First Nation forestry personnel, he says, because they seem to prefer working with chain saws rather than seedlings.

Zanzibar Holdings partner discusses their B.C. silviculture prospects in 2010

Tree planters are looking at 2010 with less certainty. There are 25 million less seedlings being planted in 2010 than 2009, according to Tony Harrison, Zanzibar Holdings. This is partly due to reduced funding for provincial funding called Forests for Tomorrow. The current funding of 44 million a year for the next 10 years will address about  4% of the need. Harrison says the growing carbon credits business and the new biomass proposals could help with some of the funding shortfall but there is a big gap to make up. 
     

FFT has been set up  to manage the work in Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) destroyed forests and is mandated to provide 25 percent of the work to First Nations. "First Nations could be key players in the business of carbon credits and silviculture. They have an potential role to play in negotiating carbon credits through treaty discussions." Pat Bell the BC minister of Forest recently said that he believes carbon credit sales will be funding a major source in the provincial silviculture in the near future.
     

This MPB crisis makes everybody in the forestry industry a little queasy. Harrison notes that B.C. is looking at 16 million hectares of MPB eaten forests. "There is a huge opportunity for the silviculture industry here that has been stalled for the past 5 years.
     
Zanzibar is a silviculture company with 120 employees, "For the past two years we've been working in joint ventures in the Cariboo country with members of the Shuswap nation and the Tsilhqot'in Nation Government (TNG) . Presently we are working with Western Silviculture Contractors Association (WSCA) on the issues of First Nation participation with the discussion to centre on the lack of First Nation silviculture businesses involved in the FFT program.
    

 For the past couple years Zanzibar has been planting and surveying in First Nation territory, "We've been working with them to put the Bands in profitable situations and workers are making a good living. The province has a history of Bands launching into silviculture and failing but the partnerships we have formed make the process work."
     

Harrison says the training aspect of silviculture adds 20 percent to the cost of a tree-planting operation, but is well worth the investment. FFT in the Cariboo has supported First Nations to date but there is a need to expand the program and continue to promote joint ventures between local Bands and experienced contractors. Unfortunately because of the downturn in the forest industry and Federal and Provincial governments cutting back funding there is less opportunity at a time when our forests need silviculture the most. "We should be planting 250 million seedlings a year, but this previous year the province planted 200 million. In 2010 the province will plant 175 million," and next year we may be down as low as 150 million new trees will go in the ground.
     

The Tsilhqot'in National Government and Secwepmec ( Northern Shuswap) will be gearing for tree-planting operations that are so much in demand because the MPB has been especially virulent in the heart of their traditional territory. WSCA sponsored First Nation Silviculture Safety training sessions will be available this April in Williams Lake."

Looking for the way forward in a Mountain Pine Beetle devastated forestry industry

First Nations Forestry Council is an organization formed from a specific mandate, says Keith Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer, "The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) is the main reason why the FNFC was formed in the early 2000s." With $300 million flowing to bio-energy development out of the forestry disaster in Canada the FNFC is actively promoting bio-energy development, "First Nations need to be involved."

Atkinson believes First Nation communities are fighting for their lives in the face of the MPB, "We cannot abandon our communities." Foremost, the MPB creates huge potential for biomass development, "The beetle may have peaked in its destructive force in B.C.," says Atkinson, "but enormous killing of trees continues."

Atkinson explains, "The FNFC began out of the MPB crisis. Millions of dollars were initially committed and the First Nations were included in the $100 million a year funding scheme, with $20 million a year earmarked for First Nations." Twenty percent of the federal commitment was designated to First Nation communities.

When the federal government first transferred $100 million to the province, "First Nations saw $8.4 million." Forestry is a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada. Rather than meeting the commitment, "In four years we saw $20 million for First Nations to do assessments and identify the impact of the MPB, and list the First Nation priorities to deal with it."

Atkinson notes that 50 percent of the 200 First Nation communities in B.C. are directly affected by the MPB blight, yet the federal government changed course in the middle of the funding program. From then on the federal government began diverting funding to national organizations for distribution through Natural Resources Canada and Western Diversification.

"Our agreement with the province of B.C. broke down. We continued to try and monitor the funding situation through working groups, to share and coordinate what money we received. The dollars started to flow and then it changed."

It's about the money because, "The number one issue is forest fuel management," which, Atkinson notes, "is fuel created by the MPB. Then comes the risk of forest fires. We have to make an urgent effort to mitigate against the forest fire hazard. These fires are increasing in severity and so is the incidence of interface fires," where cities like Kelowna and towns like Lillooet face  devastating infernos.

Indian Reserve communities are always in peril in spring, summer and fall today. "We have a lot of work to do on reserves because the biomass fuel is constantly interfacing with these communities. The cost of treatment to reduce fire risk increases every year," and Atkinson estimates it is currently $135 million a year. "We've submitted funding proposals over and over and they always get culled down."

He says the First Nations require $20 million a year in B.C. over the next three years, $60 million, to reduce the threat to communities. Instead of funding, FNFC continues a four year battle to find a place in funding schemes that would reduce the threat to communities. "We are down to $2 million a year and we have the local rural First Nations willing to do the work but the money isn't there."

It's a difficult situation for an organization that was established for the purpose of fighting a pestilence that threatens the safety and existence of Canada's first people. "Our industry is facing a new kind of forestry. Restoration is the goal and we want communities to be running their own programs. It includes cultural and social sustainability of these communities. We also need to participate in the research of climate change."

Atkinson says the communities are structured for biomass fuel management and proper funding would enable economic development. The FNFC worked diligently from the outset to design a strategy based on $20 million a year for ten years. "The present Prime Minister says he will supply $1 billion to fix the problem, but he fails to recognize the 20 percent agreed for First Nations."

The federal government put the money into existing federal departments effectively bypassing First Nations. Furthermore the money available causes competition between First Nations for available funds. This unexpected diversion has shattered the organization of support. "Most people recognize First Nation issues today," says Atkinson, "and they know a few things about our plight."

It's a fact, "When you give money to First Nation communities it ends up in the hands of non-Natives, but when you give it to non-Native communities it never ends up in First Nation hands. And we're not trying to do this alone. We have a protocol agreement with the BC Bioenrgy Network to showcase 'best practices' and show the way to replicate success."

In short, the FNFC is working toward a governance model that works with industry and business and which could ultimately lead to solid government-to-government relations and increased certainty for economic progress. "Everybody needs First Nations full participation to support the forestry strategy.