Operations up but planting numbers down; PLUS Introducing The Cache, WFCA Bulletin Board

Wait for the sign: an auspicious portent last year over a planting camp near Burns Lake. 2025, so far, is going well, according to field reports. Photo LL. WFCA.CA

According to information from provincial seedling storage operators, about a third of their tree cartons have been delivered to the field since Interior planting began in April. 

If things continue to go smoothly, these refrigerated warehouses will be mostly empty by the summer solstice. Summer hot-lift planting usually begins again around July. 

This year’s provincial planting volume is down about 60-million from the 2020 +300-million estimated to be the sector’s full capacity. 

That reduction in work for the overall seasonal labour force of approximately 7000 has been hardest on new recruits with only half of the usual thousand or so rookies hired, according to anecdotal reports. 

New First Aid regulations seem to be working with both contractors and WorkSafeBC figuring out what they mean in practice. Alberta’s planting at ~100-million has not been affected like the BC program allowing some BC planters to continue to cross the Cordillera for the summer planting east of here. 

No contractors are shorthanded with some reporting more returnees due to stunted prospects in other parts of the work economy. Drought remains a concern due to the lower snowpack levels with accounts of the last of the snow on blocks, in some places, seeming to sublimate.

 Anticipated wetter weather fronts this month may offer some relief. But continental long-range forecasts say things will heat up across the country to above normal later this spring and summer. As we go to press, crews are waiting out wildfire activity in Manitoba related to a recent heat wave.

The Cache  traffics in resource materials, job postings, and lately expert advice on First Aid, employment standards, and career and occupational paths.

Following the launch last March of an online Job board at The Cache,  the industry website has continued to grow with a new “Ask an Expert” section to answer questions posed by workers. The Job Board provides a method of posting work opportunities outside the channels of conventional social media. 

Postings have thus far included openings for tree planters, nursery workers, camp and kitchen workers, and firefighters. “Ask an Expert” articles have addressed topics related to new first aid guidelines, personal protective equipment, and employment standards, with new topics covered weekly.

The Cache is not intended to replace existing social media on Meta (Facebook) or Reddit, but instead it is designed to work in parallel and provide a forum for employers and employees that choose to avoid other media. Moving forward, The Cache will also provide a hub for online training opportunities, career development mapping, and other resources for people seeking to learn about silviculture work or advance their careers in the field.

Posting jobs on The Cache is free, and job ads and links to The Cache are shared across other social media platforms to broaden the audience.  With the primary recruitment pool for silviculture comprising young people between the ages of 18 and 25, 

The Cache fills an important space in the industry social media strategy. The Cache will also provide an important means of centralizing and increasing access to training as the industry adapts its workforce and skill sets to deal with changing industry needs, new hazards associated with climate change, and shifts in economic conditions and workforce composition.

Article reprinted from WFCA Round-Up May 2025 

http://www.mccollmagazine.com 

What about reforestation by drones?

Don't put away shovels yet

VICTORIA B.C. -- John Innes, Forestry Planning, said drones can plant trees 150 times faster and 10 times cheaper than tree planters. "Tree planting is the same for the past 4,000 years. Same technology, humans. There are now terrestrial tree planting machines that work for easy terrain. These are not designed for cutblocks in the forests. But there are machines that multitask things like scarification, injecting fertilizer and planting the trees."

A man named Jack Walters designed a propellant system to shoot seedlings into the forest floor. It's a process that can be seen in nature. Natu
re does it in mangrove seeds that sprout into plants and literally plant themselves by an aerial process into the mud below by falling. But dropping living seedlings into a slash pile on a clear cut will not penetrate to the soil.

Aerial broadcasting of seeds is done in Australia on sites where the surface has been burned off, and these are distributed by small plane or helicopter. They drop seeds, or drop pelletized seeds, or drop pellitized germinated seeds, depending on the soil conditions, and now they are firing pellitized germinated seeds into the ground.

Seeding drones are used to spread 40,000 seeds a day in bushfire areas in Australia.

A company called Droneseed USA uses drones with LIDAR (an acronym of "light detection and ranging" or "laser imaging, detection, and ranging". LIDAR is a method for determining ranges by targeting an object or a surface with a laser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidar) and aerial imagery into post wildfire landscapes for analyzing soil quality and determining which seeds go where. These methods over-use seeds.

Dendra Systems says they can spread millions of seeds in a few hours, and predict the planting of 500 billion trees by 2060: 120 seedpods per minute, pre-germinated seeds, using pressurized air.

AirSeed Technologies, efficient at post planting surveys. They can go back and survey for re-seeding and predict planting 100 million trees by 2024.

Looking at all these possibilities, however, planting a seed doesn't mean planting a tree.

FlashForest claims 1 billion trees by 2028, operating in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. The company is using drones on post-burn sites, post-harvest sites, and grassy areas. It seems the post-burn sites are best and high severity burn sites are the best sites for drones.

Timing is everything in these planting operations, which now operate earlier in the season, depending on weather. They have been successful in areas with reasonably high precipitation. Wet summers are better.

Grassy areas are not effective, grass competes too successfully with the tree seeds, so they use pellets, and collect significant quantities of wild seeds, which seeds are then encased in a mixture (proprietary) in encasements, including moisture retention material. The germination rate is quite high, said Innes.

Drones are constantly improving, and the technology of drones tends to be evolving rapidly, with planting capacity increasing progressively at a rate of 1000 percent capacity growth over the past couple of years. They can distribute 100,000 seed pods per day depending on number of drones deployed.

Planting drones now carry LIDAR and other technology. Early drones had smaller capacity, 80 pods, now they have the capacity for a million pods per day using three operational drones. The pods are fired into the ground, velocity and height are variables. Current drones fly high, but in the future the drones will fly lower with obstacle avoidance technology.

They geolocate every pod fired. Germination success is closely monitored by surveys. Top-up flights will be undertaken at sites with low success rates. The goal is to produce growth out of 20 percent of the seed, wasting 4 out of 5.

The question is, will drones replace tree planters?

Drones are cheaper and faster and do replacement planting both faster and easier, but mortality rates are higher. Drones can work in areas where tree planters have problems, steep sites, high bug areas, and sites with health issues like fire areas with ash. There are sites in Alberta where drones are operating in the north because it's hard for tree planters to get in there.

Drones are catching up and AI is moving things ahead, LIDAR on drones is one of the amazing advancements. The pellets and germination success rates are improving. But there will always be room for tree planters, says Innes.

Tree planting involves intuitive practices by planters, and these sensitivities are being emphasized by drone companies. Drones are dropping seeds obtained from the wild, while in tree planting, improved seed stock comes from nurseries. Two hundred kilos of wild seeds were collected by FlashForest this year. There is no apparent problems with seed supply at present. B.C. has seed zones, and A class seed is expensive. Seed lines up with the area being planted and seed transfer rules apply to drone planters just as they do to tree planters. "We need to make sure the seed rules are being followed." Wastage could be an issue while trees produce huge volumes of seeds.

Drones are mainly deployed to try to get forest cover back into place. They aren't being used to make harvestable forests at present.

It will become a numbers game, and drones will reforest areas affordably that might not be planted otherwise. Furthermore, tree planters will be drone pilots.

Optimium sites for drones are post fire sites, whereas cut sites are less drone worthy with all the slash impeding successful seed placements. "Drones could still surprise us," says John Betts, "but don't turn in your shovels just yet, planters."

B.C.’s Major Forestry and Harvesting Contractor Associations Request WorkSafeBC Pilot TEAAM

[Source: RoundUpDate, Volume 19, Issue 11 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION WFCA.CA]

British Columbia’s major harvesting and reforestation contractor associations have told B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains that helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) like the Squamish-based Technical Emergency Advanced Aero Medical (TEAAM) should be the standard of emergency response care for forest and other resource sector workers on remote worksites across the province.

Stating their harvest and forestry members represent a sector comprising 25,000 employees the Truck Loggers Association, the Interior Logging Association and the Western Forestry Contractors’ Association have sent a joint letter asking that WorkSafeBC fully fund a TEAAM pilot and conduct a business case analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing a provincial HEMS program.

The associations said that the current emergency response model, which often involves long distances and delays in getting injured workers to medical care, is no longer acceptable.

They pointed out that the helicopter TEAAM model can deliver emergency medicine to stabilize injured workers on site, extract them from often difficult access locations, then fly them directly to hospital. That level of effectiveness can reduce workers’ suffering and prevent injury complications leading to disablement or worse.

As reported in the RoundUpDate TEAAM has now performed four missions involving logging and planting workers since they began operating in spring 2018.

They are currently just funded by a volunteer patronage program available to employers working on Vancouver Island and up to the mid-Coast including as well the South West Interior and Chilcotin. https://www.teaam.ca

Background

Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical (TEAAM) reports their helicopter emergency medicine service has flown another workplace emergency mission involving a seriously injured tree planter. This recent incident occurred at a remote site in the Chilcotin in July.

It follows a few weeks after TEAAM air-lifted an injured planter from a difficult access location near Squamish in early June as reported previously in the RoundUpDate.

TEAAM estimates their part in flying to the Chilcotin and later to the appropriate hospital saved approximately four hours of patient travel time by land. It also reduced the chances of the incident leading to a disabling injury.

The WFCA is lobbying WorkSafeBC to support this advanced helicopter emergency medicine service for injured resource workers by funding TEAAM on a pilot basis.

The purpose would be to determine the effectiveness and benefits of the service for workers and employers, although the WFCA and others think that value is already evident.

One of the company owners involved in the Squamish rescue said that “Our investment in the TEAAM patron program was the best safety investment of our career.” It now remains to convince WorkSafeBC of the same.

B.C.’s major forestry and harvesting contractor associations request WorkSafeBC Pilot TEAAM

. . . and study of Provincial Helicopter Emergency Medical Service model for all Remote Resource Workers

British Columbia’s major harvesting and reforestation contractor associations have told B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains that helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) like the Squamish-based Technical Emergency Advanced Aero Medical (TEAAM) should be the standard of emergency response care for forest and other resource sector workers on remote worksites across the province.

Stating their harvest and forestry members represent a sector comprising 25,000 employees the Truck Loggers Association, the Interior Logging Association and the Western Forestry Contractors’ Association have sent a joint letter asking that WorkSafeBC fully fund a TEAAM pilot and conduct a business case analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing a provincial HEMS program.

The associations said that the current emergency response model, which often involves long distances and delays in getting injured workers to medical care, is no longer acceptable.

They pointed out that the helicopter TEAAM model can deliver emergency medicine to stabilize injured workers on site, extract them from often difficult access locations, then fly them directly to hospital. That level of effectiveness can reduce workers’ suffering and prevent injury complications leading to disablement or worse.

As reported in the WFCA RoundUp Date TEAAM has now performed four missions involving logging and planting workers since they began operating in spring 2018.

They are currently just funded by a volunteer patronage program available to employers working on Vancouver Island and up to the mid-Coast including as well the South West Interior and Chilcotin. https://www.teaam.ca

Background

Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical (TEAAM) reports their helicopter emergency medicine service has flown another workplace emergency mission involving a seriously injured tree planter. This recent incident occurred at a remote site in the Chilcotin in July.

It follows a few weeks after TEAAM air-lifted an injured planter from a difficult access location near Squamish in early June as reported previously in the RoundUpDate. TEAAM estimates their part in flying to the Chilcotin and later to the appropriate hospital saved approximately four hours of patient travel time by land. It also reduced the chances of the incident leading to a disabling injury.

The WFCA is lobbying WorkSafeBC to support this advanced helicopter emergency medicine service for injured resource workers by funding TEAAM on a pilot basis.

The purpose would be to determine the effectiveness and benefits of the service for workers and employers, although the WFCA and others think that value is already evident.

One of the company owners involved in the Squamish rescue said that “Our investment in the TEAAM patron program was the best safety investment of our career.” It now remains to convince WorkSafeBC of the same.

Building awareness of Manitoba forestry resources and management techniques

The team at Manitoba Forestry Association is working with Patricia Pohrebniuk, Executive Director, to expand knowledge, awareness, and ensure sustainability of forests in Manitoba, which is no small undertaking in a province rich in boreal forests. The programs they deliver across the province bring new awareness to diverse groups in the general public and corporate world of Manitoba forestry and resources.

First Nation members belong to the organization and work on various committees, and the MFA works across the province in collaboration with teachers and schools. “We are a non-profit charitable organization,” explains Pohrebniuk, “working with schools, private landowners, and First Nations with programs designed for each meeting,” and on-going public awareness programming at forest centres in the province that are open from May to end of August each year.

MFA runs their education programs to students K to 12 in classrooms, and the woodlot owners access technical services related to managing forests or attend skill-oriented workshops. Tree-planting, pruning, safe chainsaw use, and other courses are delivered by MFA. “The organization began in 1919,” explains Pohrebniuk. “We began delivering workshops and training sessions in 1992.”

Programming is diverse because landowners have a wide range of goals in forestry, she explains, “everything from recreational use to harvesting timber, to reforestation, and construction of shelter belts, or wildlife enhancement. Other forestry initiatives are in biofuel management, planting willow and hybrid poplar in various places around Manitoba,” part of the Trees for Tomorrow Program from the Federal government in Saskatchewan and Alberta as well.

Each year over 500 students and citizens of the province receive the benefit of some awareness raising or knowledge distribution by MFA through public extension activities. It may regard a disease like Dutch Elm that is hitting the trees of Winnipeg hard, or the spruce bud worm that is hitting pockets of the provincial forest resources, or warnings of other invasive species threatening arrival over the horizon.

 “We have a working relationship with a number of government departments and agencies,” says Pohrebniuk, “and we work with Manitoba Environmental Fund to participate on numerous initiatives in the provincial forests, and on the provincial logistics committee in forestry.” MFA has a five member staff working out of Winnipeg. Swan River Valley has an outreach program of MFA to deliver woodlot workshops.

MFA employs seasonal staff as well, at programming delivered in Sandilands Forest Discovery Centre, the main centre, located near Hadashville; Duck Mountain Forest Centre – Located in the Duck Mountain Provincial Forest south of Minitonas; Interlake Forest Centre – Located between Fisher Branch and Hodgson; Atikameg Forest Centre – Located in The Pas.

“The Sandilands centre has been open 55 years in 2012,” she says, this year running a Fire-Smart Pilot program to train people on forest fire prevention. The annual Day in the Pines event is taking place in May 11 and 12.

This time of year the in-school programming is underway and forestry is a topic in classrooms especially in Winnipeg with MFA curriculum and supplies. Classes typically feature 45 minute presentations on forestry topics, and as the grades go higher the concentration of information evolves to include career mapping. School program is constantly in redevelopment. Provincial funding delivers the MFA education stream, and the urban lesson plans may be expanding to other school districts in coming years, depending on budgets. 

Diversity in operations around forestry in Meadow Lake Tribal Council territory

"We are a very diverse operation in North West Saskatchewan, owned by the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, which owns NorSask and nine other subsidiary companies," explains Trevor Reid, President, NorSask, "100 percent owned by MLTC since1998 after buying in as a shareholder in 1988, and it's been fantastic. We run a stud lumber sawmill with production capacity to 140 million board feet per year, and, at capacity there are 120 people employed full time twelve months a year. We will be starting a second shift as the economy recovers from the world debt crisis and housing meltdown in the USA."

Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan is the site of all this activity. And the story gets even more interesting with the news of MLTC in the process of building a power plant on-site to produce 36 MWh in a bio-mass powerplant fueled by the sawmill residue," a hog fuel plant using the wood waste that was, "historically burned off in a beehive burner. That is opening soon, we are in the final stages of planning to build this $150 million power plant, turning the ground next spring in Meadow Lake, and by 2014 we will be selling all the energy to SaskPower, from the Meadow Lake Bio Energy Centre," a 'working title' for the power company)."

Prior to the power plant project coming to the fore, "We are getting into wood pellet manufacture for the specific purpose of providing district heating solutions for remote First Nations communities, in essence becoming a utility for First Nations. We have four pilot projects under way, one for example in Canoe Lake First Nation with a district heating system applied to four houses. At Island Lake First Nation,the school was retrofitted with pellet heat. We have a demonstration project under way in Saskatoon and another in Meadow Lake. The demonstration projects are recent and have been under way since October 2011," installed and running all winter. "We want to help communities grow out from their dependence on propane, and provide (carbon neutral) energy services to remote communities."

"We have a trucking company MLTC Northern Trucking to do trucking of logs and chemical peroxide into mill, and haul chips out. We are expanding that company to grow the log haul division. We have a bulk fuel company called Polar Oils, 100 % MLTC owned, operating in North West Saskatchewan and providing First Nation community gas stations with petroleum, delivering 4 million litres a year."

MLTC’s Economic Development group runs with a 10-member core team, and lots of people on the ground. The forestry development occurs in a provincial Forest Management Area in MLTC traditional territory. The mill in Meadow Lake has been debt free since 2002. The company has paid dividends in housing and community infrastructure and other investments. The forests are in great shape. "We have no challenges from MPB like they have in B.C." though it may be coming, he says, "We have jack pine and white spruce. We've got a forestry management group and the forestry management involves a lot of consulting with Band members, such as trap-line operators.

Sustainable forestry departments in Fraser Valley First Nations

Photo credit: Jason Kemmler

Chief Clem Seymour’s Band, the Seabird Island First Nation in the Sto:lo Nation, has established a sustainable forestry department, “We have long term goals and forestry operations are making the Band money, and providing valuable jobs with long-term careers.” Tamihi Logging Ltd. has become a significant business operation that works in the Chilliwack-area forests on behalf of Seabird Island First Nation.

“It’s forestry operations in some deep valleys,” says Chief Seymour, “and we work wherever we have to in harvesting fir and cedar from second and third growth forests.” Fifteen to twenty employees are working in crews under Tamihi’s Gary Peters, falling trees and loading timber at the dump-sites. “We are managing these tenures in our fourth year, working in a partnership through Tamihi Logging and Dorman Lumber on the specialized form of logging that we do.”

The employment is going to Seabird Island members and other First Nation forestry personnel from around the Lower Mainland. Head office for Tamihi Logging Ltd. is about 20 kilometres outside Chilliwack, at Agassiz, B.C..

This arrangement is another example of First Nations finding innovative ways to work in the forests of traditional territories. Dorman Timber Limited and their subsidiaries, Tamahi Logging, and Fred Morris and Son Selective Logging are specialized in coastal forestry operations. "We have been working in the Fraser Valley with Seabird Island First Nation on their Forest Range Agreement," Brian Dorman explained last year, “including a 100,000 Cubic Metre (CM) annual allowable cut.”

Dorman also works with Scowlitz First Nation on a FRA of 32,000 CM per year. They work on Vancouver Island where they own and operate a couple of area-based timber licenses adding up to 400,000 CM. They cut contract logs for a couple of different forestry outfits including Timberwest, Island Timberlands, Western Forest Products, and First Nations in Sooke, Port McNeill, and elsewhere.

Dorman Timber has obviously established strong working relationships with First Nation foresters in the Fraser Valley and in coastal, island, and archipelago forests, and the company continues to build relationships that will see the forestry industry of B.C. evolve with a new set of important players.

Matt Wealick, RPF, of Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry, says, “A lot of preliminary work went into the recent logging with Alternative Forest Operations to make sure the value of the end product was going to make the bottom-line work . We paid for the more expensive single-stem logging operation.” The cedar was picked up by Helifor and delivered to the buyer, Gorman Brothers, “They bought  and marked poles on site,” said  Wealick.

“This was our first attempt at logging for a particular market in telephone poles. The market happened to allow for this type of operation   Poles were worth quite a bit more money. We plan cutblocks with all the options on the table and we go with best option. We own and manage the Tree Farm License and actively coordinate projects for the logging contractors, engineers, buyers, and operations conducted by AFO and Helifor.”

Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry operates from Chilliwack, B.C., and hired Alternative Forest Operations for a project that took two months to harvest  timber this summer, and a month prior to set up the job. The contract with Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry ensued from AFO’s commitment to alternative harvesting and  forestry practices, as Jason Kemmler explains, “The thing is, we have no real piece of technology that sets us apart.  It’s men, the training and care we put into work. It’s thinking outside the box.”
 

The job in the Lower Mainland involved up to 10 men, “The job was specifically designed to harvest cedar poles. Engineers go in and individually pick the trees that have the characteristics to make  telephone poles. These are straight, and uniform in length and size. We limb, top and jig the tree so there is no damage. The tree gets delivered to the drop pocket without touching the ground.”

This type of harvesting leaves no room for damage. “There’s a great market for these trees, a strong market for a limited resource. The biggest difference is we don’t fall the pole so there’s no potential for hidden breakage. It’s more time-consuming and costly. Single-stem harvesting makes the opportunity of harvesting cedar poles or other niche markets one tree at a time.”

Personnel are trained in identifying poles. Engineers mark the pole, the climber climbs.  The jigger jigs the tree, once the helicopter logs the stem a ground crew walks to the stump to confirm the single stem has been removed. The size of job that warrants something like this usually ranges from  300 to 3,000 trees.

“We create projects with our client,” says  Kemmler. “Our methods are more expensive and intense, involving a high level of professionalism/organization/ and communication. We are working with clients looking to maximize value and keep a sustainable forest. We do a few clear-cuts, where there is no retention, and steep drainage. Often we harvest without clear cuts, using no roads."
 

It’s investing, planning, communication and Integrity plus time taken to make a greater return for the clients. “Our operations require someone in the Timber-holder position to consider this. It's value-added forestry to sell logs into niche markets mixed with some conventional logging.”  Kemmler says, “We have few competitors. Our goal is to maximum value through recovery methods if the expense of additional harvesting methods warrant it.”

A timber sales company goes to log brokers to sell into the commodity market. “We are of the mind-frame that the commodity log market is part of it, but where there is the one red cedar that could be made into a totem pole, we want to find the niche markets to buy the log, to tap into the value-added side of forestry. Some trees double in value when the market is for transmission cedar poles.” It all depends on what the client has for trees to cut.

Kemmler says, "First Nations have a new resource in wood fibre baskets, but they may be missing important knowledge about how to manage it. It’s a matter of building trust. Without integrity nothing works. Being a part of the operation at Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry involved Matt Wealick, RPF. He’s a young RPF who has other First Nations calling him for advice. We work along side him to manage a timber harvest that incorporates alternative methods."
 

AFO has a staff complement of 30 to  40 full time personnel, working 10-12 months of the year. “Mostly our operations are on the coast of BC, harvesting fir and cedar. In Bamfield AFO is working with the Huu-ay-aht first nations, we are harvesting Highly valued red cedar logs and cedar trees picked for telephone poles the value or price of lumber that these species produce help the client harvest less valuable species such as Hemlock or Balsam with the helicopter which would normally be felled and left on the hill. “Huu ay aht is harvesting a community forest.”
 

They are taking a percentage of all species on the hill, sustainably logging the profile. There’s big wood and steep ground. We’ve been in there for a couple weeks. We’ll be in there another few weeks. The work is the same situation where we had a client who wanted to harvest in their community forest,  the sales value of the wood had the profitability of the project to small to warrant the risk. After re looking at the job we were able to apply the Single Stem method and create a win for all parties.  Kemmler has been impressed the Huu ay aht operations, “They have a well-rounded organization with lots of Band members working in their operations. 

Nupqu runs lean in growing forestry concern

Nupqu Development Corporation started on April 1, 2009, explains Norm Fraser, when Ktunaxa Kinbasket Development Corp was absorbed, “It became a new corporation and this was done for variety of reasons, when Nupqu took on the operations (of 13 years development) previously done by KKDC. Nupqu bought all the assets.”

In that context, history and experience of the company is much longer than the start date.  “The location is on St Mary’s Reservation outside Cranbrook, B.C., and the change in ownership was made to refit the corporation for new liability concerns. “We expanded, and the amount of business that was increasing is significant. “In 2006, under KKDC, we did $500,000 in sales. Last year we did $4.7 million in sales under Nupqu.” 

The expansion has been a boon to employment. “Last year we had 81 different individuals work  full-time or part-time, producing 81,000 hours worked,” the equivalent of 45 full-time jobs. It’s a work force that permits Nupqu to take on serious endeavors. “The bigger ones these past couple years? One is related to a BC Hydro transmission line, for which we’ve have had three different contracts. The centre-line slashing to start, then forestry consulting, marking boundary, road-planning, timber-cruising, assessing value of the forest as we did so, and thirdly, we are now clearing right-of-way and building access roads,” to a portion of the line. 

 

“The first two were whole contracts, all 115 km of line, the third contract is a partial road building contract on 6 KM section of the line.”  Another area of business activity for Nupqu is an annual contract with TransCanada Pipelines, “It varies from year to year. Last year it was 30-man contract for a month hand-excavating around the pipe, and doing other pipe maintenance jobs,” good paying jobs, “pipeline contracts pay well, and the contract is every year,” for the past 10 years.

 

“In other work we are more forestry-related, providing forestry consulting services for Tembec, doing all sorts of things, forest-planning work, locating cutblocks, road design work, forest health, danger-tree falling,” and this is an ongoing service agreement through the years since 2006, explains Norm. 

 

“In sliviculture, we are are contracted under the Forest for Tomorrow Program,” he says. “The idea is to reforest MPB areas or wild fires. What we do is some of the technical side,  surveys, and plotting, then danger-tree falling; we’ve done 5,000 hectares of danger-tree falling basically to clear the way for siliviculture workers.” That’s ongoing since 2007.

 

“Last year we had 45 different projects.” Nupqu runs lean, using a fleet of vehicles to move people to contract sites.” We don’t own of a lot of heavy equipment.” They subcontract and lease equipment in concert with demand. “We are working to develop the environmental side of our business. Teck Mining has five operating coal mines in our traditional territory, and in the past few years they have contracted the corporation to do revegetation, grass-seeding, noxious weed control, water quality sampling, and other duties,” in their fourth year working those contracts, “That’s seasonal.”

It’s the forestry opportunities that dominate, so, “Our winters are slow, We keep busy doing contracts on fuel reduction treatments around four reserves thinning underbrush, pruning trees, reducing the fire threat to communities,” by accessing provincial funding to make communities safer.

Four Ktunaxa communities own Nupqu, including St. Mary’s,  Lower Kooteney, Akisqnek and Tobacco Plains. “It all took place when one of the triggers was the provincial award of a Community Forest Agreement in 2005,” and suddenly they had capital. “What we had allowed us to develop the Tembec relationship. It allows for a lot of the job training and employment opportunities. We are moving people into positions, now having two Ktunaxa forest technologists on our staff,” and an education program continues on demand.

Falling and slashing is the game for Edziza

Clayton Burger is a Northwest Pacific born and raised tree faller from Iskut, B.C., taking his skills with a chain saw all over the province, all types of forest and species of trees. After 20 years in the business as a faller, he went to work as a foreman for logging outfit, which proved to be excellent preparation to, “start my own. This is our second year operating out of Terrace, B.C..

Moving from Iskut (Tahltan territory) came after doing the coastal falling jobs, “I spent ten years in camps, had two seasons of heli-logging. I have ten 10 fallers working for me now, anywhere between eight and 15, through the year, and it will grow a lot more. We are working even as far as Columbia Valley, on the transmission line job there.”

Edziza is working in Edson, Alberta, and Dawson Creek, B.C. and, “right where we are with the Northern Transmission Line project.” Any falling or slashing is the game, “Line cutting, right-of-way, seismic,  oilfield line, pipeline,” routes cut to make trails for industry, or government contracts.

Edziza is working on the Northwest Transmission Line survey of the centre line for the 300-plus kilometre transmission line project that proceeds from Terrace in Kitsumkalum through the Nass Valley and Nisga’a Nation, proceeding across Gitxsan into Tahltan territory.

“Weather’s been horrible,” miserable, raining or cold, but the crew of 12 continues to plug away through the wet conditions, “We started September 2010, and we are working on the project from point-to-point. I have a 12-man crew working on the centre line.” Most of the employees have been trained in chainsaw faller competency at his own company’s expense, by a company called Enform, and these men form the core of a company that is expanding operations to other principalities, including Alberta, and the north.

The NTL project involves doing the survey, and at the same time, cutting a walking trail the entire distance so engineers and construction teams or environmental monitoring personnel can access the route. “We are working with All-North Contracting on the survey job at NTL. I am also working on a program now in Nisga’a to run a training course for two weeks looking for chain-saw-experienced people with no tickets. We will get them out and prepare them to test, then they can pass the tests,” to be certified fallers in the region.

He says, “Business is good and getting better. We go year-round. We worked last winter in Alberta in the beetle control fall and burn program from January to March. and seismic lines. I expect that’ll keep us going again this winter.” The personnel is usually First Nation, “Most of my guys are from Hazelton, Nass Valley, Iskut, Kitimat, and Tsimshian, even Prince George. I just hired four more from Lytton and Kelowna area, since we are getting work down south on the Columbia Power project.

AFOA has chapters across the country

Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of BC held the Annual Conference on Band Administration, June 28-29, 2011, a two-day event in it’s fourth year. That year it was held at the Coast Bastion in Nanaimo, B.C.. Mikes Meares is the General Manager of AFOA-BC, “People are not entirely aware that we helped develop the national organization.”

AFOA has chapters across the country, says Meares, however, “INAC support for the organization is lacking in some provinces. Manitoba and Ontario have no staff on board due to the lack of funding, and it’s difficult to run these kinds of training programs with strictly volunteers, even though that’s how we started out. We soon discovered you need a paid staff dedicated for it to keep moving forward toward the task of delivering financial training to Band administrators.”
    

The annual conference draws 60 to 80 people, and it is one of a series of conferences that the organization provides to Band administrators in workshop and specialized financial and legal  training sessions year-round. Says Meares, “We run three conferences per year, and offer six different types of community-based workshops. We have three staff in a model of program delivery that works to build capacity in our communities. We are able to say, facilitators welcome.”

He says networking is huge, “one of the biggest benefits from the conference, and building the facilitator network is constant within the organization. We are always looking for those who want to step up and deliver financial and legal skills training to First Nations. It’s a natural for those who hold accounting designations, financial management expertise, and legal backgrounds.” Faciliators receive a  small honorarium.
 

It’s essential training and Band administrators, “need people with expertise to talk to, so we are providing training to people for themselves to make improvements to the financial management of Band administrations all over the province.” Meares explains the AFOA-BC’s methods provide tremendous cost savings in the delivery of skills via 20-person workshops.
 

“The sessions are held by experts, (including law experts) and the facilitator is not costing us a fortune, so there is a huge cost-efficiency in our method, and the expertise goes all the way up to law and finance. We workshop on human resource (HR) issues as well, and we presently have one facilitator with a strong background on Human Resources issues.”
 

There are essentials in running an office, “and HR is a big issue in First Nations  Solid policies and procedures are essential to any organization. We are not in the business of fixing situations. Our goal is to put people into designations, and in terms of building capacity, nothing is more important than HR. We are equipping people in the organization to have the capacity to manage things in Band finance.”
    

Meares said AFOA-BC member administrators deal with Canadian accounting rules that change at pace, “and our staff and other financial auditors know the rules must be followed,” which explains the demand for continuous delivery of courses. Economic development doors are opening wide internationally as well, and First Nations will be required to follow international accounting standards in conducting new trade with countries in Asia and Europe. 
 

Meares notes that the national AFOA offices are instituting a public administrator program with a designation in band administration, curriculum now in development. “The CAPA program will  be rolled out in 2011 in the Fall.” See www.afoabc.org for more about AFOA-BC, started in 1996.

Cutting them loose to the forest industry

]The BC Forest Safety Council is involved with the restoration process required in B.C.s beetle ravaged and decadent forests, and the organization is watching the uphill fight with funding for the massive process of forest remediation. 
     

Steve Mueller, Director of Workforce Development for the BCFSC, says, "The federal government announced $1 billion to remedy problems from the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) but the money was diverted to highways, bridges, and airport runways," he notes ruefully.
     

It appears the federal direction is missing in the management of the MPB crisis, although one initiative is more recent, "The Community Development Trust Fund (federal dollars for B.C.) is funding $500,000 inclusive of First Nations in programs directly related to training for the forestry siiviculture industry." He says there are 1,000 training seats available for truck driver training, machine and other safety training, and forestry supervisory training.
     

This funding is issued with parity inclusive of First Nations and the training is delivered to the grassroots in safety training on vehicles and forestry management. Meanwhile BCFSC is working on safety training programs for fallers, "We're have developed new faller training and delivered it to several First Nation communities," including Lytton Indian Band.
     
Mueller is closely engaged in the faller training initiatives underway this year. "Faller training is a 3-stage process including 30 days of field instruction, four days of classroom, and work-experience in the field with professional foresters." Following the course there is a 180-day practicum under the Safe Companies Program of WorksafeBC.
     
"Fallers are certifiable after 180 days," which means they are eligible to challenge for certification as a safe logger in B.C., "but they have to be experienced on falling trees larger than 6" at the butt." At BCFSC, "We do the 30-day training and cut them loose, and it's essentially a form of apprenticeship. Presently the economy affects their job prospects."
      

Mueller says, "I am proud of all the people we have trained. And I see an increasing role for First Nations in the provincial forests. For many of these opportunities training is required." He has made an insightful observation from these later years of exposure to the growing body of First Nation foresters. "Last year I presented on safety at the Aboriginal Forestry Industry Council. I was impressed by the young professional foresters who concentrated on safety right from the get-go."
      

He said their primary interest in safety flies in the face of old-school logging, and they have a persistent determination to overcome other barriers to learning because it remains an issue that First Nations have extraordinary challenges. "They have literacy issues in some cases, and technical concepts are often written."
      

Meanwhile, says, Mueller, First Nations are keen on the forest industry as a profession with a future. And he notes, "Siliviculture is a big business and employment opportunity for the First Nations." He notes the Western Silviculture Contractors Assocation has a large involvement in the current training scenarios from the aforementioned federal trust funds.

Log moving done by barge at Seaspan

Seaspan International moves logs on the water. They do it on the west coast and run logs from Alaska to California, but we’re talking to the Vancouver offices, and Glen Mcgee, Manager, Log Barge Division. “We celebrated our 100th anniversary a couple years ago,” says Mcgee.
    

First Nations work for Seaspan in positions, “across the whole fleet, captains, mates, deck hands,” and logs moved by Seaspan come from First Nation forestry operations more and more on the west coast, “It’s changing,” says Mcgee, “It used to be the big forestry companies. Now First Nations and a lot of smaller companies are brokering wood and moving logs to market.”
     

Seaspan makes direct contact with First Nations or intermediaries to market fibre, “A company like John Mohammed’s A & A Trading hires us to move the wood that is owned by First Nations Nuxalk Nation and Klahoose First Nation.” Other things have changed with Seaspan, “We used to be in log towing by log boom, but now we operate log barges, three of them, moving logs, and chip scows to barge chips to pulp mills.”
    

Safety comes first in the business of moving logs at Seaspan. “It looks simple but there are no second chances. We find various levels of safety on the docks are facilities that we visit, but the big companies like ourselves put in tons of training and adhere to the highest standards. It varies and we are more vigilant in some of the local pick-ups.
    

A run from Vancouver to Anchorage for example is a 10-day round trip. Nanaimo to Port Alberni is a 36 hour voyage. Seaspan log barges have a crew of six, four working at a time (two on respite). The crews are flown in and out. The personnel are machine experienced employees receiving good pay and good tme-out periods. “Our crews are ‘crane-safe’ operators working on our three barges. The loads are 600 to 700 truck-loads per barge on the biggest vessel. It takes about eight to 12 hours to load.”
    

The dump sites are usually on the Fraser River, or as they say in the  industry, ‘The River,’ including Haney, and Riverview, and in the New Westminster log sorting ground. Seaspan discharges on both dock and into the river. Howe Sound used to be a area of intense log sort activity but that is no longer the case, although logs continue to be discharged there, with a lot of chips delivered to Howe Sound Pulp and Paper.
     

Other sites for discharge include Ladysmith Harbour and Bernice Arm, and Nanaimo as well, especially when shipments are destined for Asian markets. Seaspan's Log Barge Division employs 16.

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.

Decadent forests in B.C. are failing to sequester carbon

Matt Mercer is a New Brunswick-born forestry professional who migrated to Vancouver Island where he works in forestry management consulting and raises a young family. Matt has been studying the forestry biomass file for the company he works for in Campbell River, B.C., Zimmfor Management Services Ltd., a consulting company of resource sector professionals that operates world-wide, including South America, Asia, USA, and Canada. 
     

Biomass has become a big file in on a world-wide scale and B.C. offers substantial opportunities in these emerging green-oriented (carbon neutral) forestry business practices. "We have quite a few clients in wood-products manufacturing and they are inquiring about regulatory changes from the B.C. government energy plan (of 2007)," says Mercer. 
     

"The plan outlines the energy strategies for the next few years with the goal of energy self-sufficiency by 2016," he says. Government policy has been undertaken to meet these energy goals, and institutional frameworks like the B.C. BioEnergy Network have been allocated funding to encourage development of research in nine basic streams of energy production from renewable or reusable resources. 
     

Canadians are behind parts of Europe where most facets of resource potential are exploited, including cities doing energy production from forest waste products found in Canadian sawmills and turned into wood pellets. Mercer says federal policies in Canada favour reduction of 'carbon intensities,' and part of B.C.'s energy policy reflects that strategy. 
     

"The federal government says that suppliers must reduce carbon intensities by 20 percent between 2010 and 2020." Suppliers with carbon-based energy output are looking at research into celulosic-based ethynol (alcohol fuel derived from wood waste), which, "emits smaller carbon intensity than other ethynols."  
     

And, he notes, "Co-generation is not uncommon in the forestry sector, with pulp mills recycling biomass into hog fuel to power their facilities. Mercer says the Zimmfor approach to biomass potential looks at both sides of the equation, from the points of view of both wood product manufacturer and fibre supplier. One informative source to follow is the BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group of pulp and paper, saw-milling, and forestry sectors.  
     

Decadent forests in B.C. are failing to sequester carbon due to mountain pine beetle devastation and other issues. These forests are under examination in Request For Power calls and Request For Qualification research proposals, and these forests stand to be harvested intensively for biomass, with high-priority silviculture operations to follow. 
     

"The forestry sector is looking at carbon-offset programs related to fertilization of forests, use of seed-stock to make better carbon-sequestering trees, and aforestation policies to plant new forests," says Mercer.

Forest industry sailing through a perfect storm

Skimikim Nursery in Salmon Arm, B.C. continues to grow trees for silviculture in a province where forestry is struggling, and Skimikim has contracts to fulfill in First Nation forestry departments including Adams Lake Band and Stuwix Resources Joint Venture, two forestry outfits operating in the B.C. Interior. 
     

Skimikim had to close their Surrey greenhouse operations that had been growing trees since the 1960s. “We’re probably not as hard put as eastern Canada,” said Jim Kusisto, but the workload at Skimikim is clearly reduced, “We shipped 275 million seedlings about three years ago, this year we will ship 185 millions seedlings. We’ve lost millions of seedlings in sales in the past three years.”
     

All areas of the province are harvesting less timber, mills are shutting, “Its way down and mills are closing,” said Kusisto. “All of the towns of the B.C. interior are tied to the forest industry and stores are closing on main streets, every month one or two more.”
      

Kusisto agreed that wood pellet manufacture and use of forest waste and biomass, these are new directions for an industry that faces a full blown mountain pine beetle disaster in B.C.. “There are hundreds of thousands of trees standing that have already exceeded their life expectancy,” dead pine trees standing or leaning all over the forests of B.C., and Jim gets to see them up close.
     

The forests of B.C. have been painted a different colour from the normal constant verdant; where once was a constant bright green, instead great red swatches cover long mountain slopes from Houston to Burns Lake, from Prince George to Merritt. It’s a patchwork of dead trees, some standing red and dying, amid thriving spruce or fir. Other pine vistas provide consistent ruination from the top to bottom of a mountain slope.  In the face of all the tumult in the B.C. and Canadian forest industry, “Silviculture has not been ignored,” said Kusisto. But let’s face it, “There are limitations on what you can do to remediate a problem this big. This is off the scale in terms of what we’ve ever done before.”
     

In the forestry industry they’ve encountered what amounts to a perfect storm, “Massive amounts of wood to harvest with no market to sell to and everything in the economy going against us,” thus more than a few have scaled down operations. 
     

Skimikim closed Surrey greenhouse operations that had 20  employees. Kusisto said the time was right for most of the people concerned because the median age in the Surrey operation was older, most were at or near retirement.
     

The operation near Salmon Arm has a more diversified workforce of about 12 to 15 employees. “We are confident that we are going to go on. This year’s contracts look okay. The problem is margins are going to hell as the cost of fertilizer rises and hydro bills increase on greenhouse operations. We did get a break on natural gas this year,” and indoor growing occurred with cost-efficiencies this past winter.
     

The main goal in this economy is to keep the quality of their product up, “You are trying to maintain market share,” and ensure that word of mouth about the Skimikim seedlings is all positive. Good business relations with First Nations also help, “We got a later order from Lower Nicola First Nation this spring.” 
     

\The problem now is finding pine seed, “Pine seed is a valuable commodity right now,” said  Kusisto.  With all the pine in the province dead there is a huge volume demand for pine seed, “and more mixed species planting with pine and spruce, even pine and Douglas Fir. Not to say we’re out of seed, but those who own it are nervous about selling it right now.”
     

Cone orchards are needed, in fact, “It’s a 25 year commitment to invest in cone orchards, and it takes years to collect on that investment. We do grafts and create orchard seedlings by the thousands. You graft the pine strip to a root stock and produce a highly favorable pine tree for cone production.”
     

They did 2,500 grafts this year for cone orchards in B.C. and Alberta. The goal is to produce a bigger, better self-pruning pine tree that grows bigger and produces ‘clear’ wood,” wood without blemishes and knots. “You pick grafts that will produce taller, straighter, self-pruning trees that will deliver clear wood.”
     

\Bigger trees with better volumes of usable timber means the province can adjust future Annual Allowable Cuts upwards without adversely affecting the balance of volume in the forest.