BC Ministry of Forests Details Timber Sales and Wildfire Salvage Plans to RDBN

The BC Ministry of Forests detailed its timber sales and wildfire salvage plans in a presentation to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) at the end of last year, Houston Today reported (2-23-25).

Nadina Natural Resource District resource manager Neal Marincak, Babine Area woodlands supervisor Jon Penninga, and BC Timber Sales (BCTS) woodlands manager Mike Watson provided a presentation to the district at its December 12 board meeting, outlining a general overview of BCTS goals, objectives, and principals. They also presented a summary of 2023 wildfire salvage plans, including specific details about plans in the district’s area of interest.

“Locations where stacked salvage is located and descriptions, including pictures, of what can and can’t be salvaged were shared,” the ministry stated. “Finally, a brief discussion in response to concerns about the limits of BCTS’ responsibility was had.”

According to Houston Today, some of the topics discussed were as follows:

• Decks of wood remaining on road right of way and private land being utilized for firewood
• Drax Burns Lake (pellet plant)
  • Business decision regarding the use of fiber near old-growth forests
  • Future benefits if Drax could utilize the wildfire salvaged fiber
• Forest health concerns regarding the potential for spruce beetle infestation with the wood being decked and left on the landscape
• Concerns regarding the bond required by Ministry of Transportation and Transit to utilize the roadway to remove the salvaged wood
  • Advocating with BC Hydro and ministry to provide considerations to remove the wood from the landscape
• Cheslatta working to remove decked wood on the south side of Francois Lake
• Importance of removing wood from the landscape by spring of 2025
  • Challenges regarding the exact locations of the decked wood
• Sustainability in the forest industry
• Old Growth Management Areas established by the province
  • Lack of support from local First Nations for the polygons outlined by the province
• Sawmill shutdowns due to no access to fiber and impacts from wildfires
• The Ministry of Forests has received letters from local First Nations, Chinook Community Forest, and Burns Lake Community Forest