PRT replanting the continent’s forests
Working to bring First Nations into forestry
Growing trees for First Nations
PRT replanting the continent’s forests
By Malcolm McColl
Silviculture is the growth of a forest from the ground up, and PRT (Pacific Regeneration Technologies) is a significant forestry regeneration company with operations in Canada and the US. As an important operator in the regeneration business they are aware of the opportunities and problems that exist in the forests of BC.
For instance, the province of BC has re-allocated 20 percent of the Annual Allowable Cut found in forest licenses, and a lot of the re-allocations end up being related to mountain pine beetle initiatives. In fact the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has implemented a Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative to replant private-held lands (found in B.C. and now Alberta) where the timber lost to beetles will come to be in an enormous area.
The focus at PRT is growing seedlings in order to regenerate forests like those destroyed by the beetle, as well as silviculture that continues for 20% of any Allowable Annual Cut in B.C. in any given year, plus the company does residual work to rebuild forest plantations. PRT grown seedlings will be found on many sites where replanting is ongoing to reforest fire damaged areas.
All indications are that forestry is going ahead as usual. Planting contractors obtain seedlings from PRT nurseries located in 16 places in Canada and the United States. Because logging and harvesting practices vary the company often has a wait and see situation, because, silviculture comes at unpredictable time periods. Realities of nature and science combine to create optimum times for planting.
Growing trees takes time, ultimately a lot of time, and the jobs done in silviculture end up being monitored until they are ‘freestanding’. In coastal areas it takes about 40 to 50 years to create a freestanding forest whereas for interior forests it can take more than 60 years . A strong demand for seedlings in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada and as well as in numerous regions across Canada. The use of artificial regeneration (planting seedlings) has become an accepted and success method of North American forest regeneration in the last 50 years. The obvious goal is to shorten the forest rotation after harvest.
The mountain pine beetle is a disaster that creates an imbalance in the market because the wood usually needs to be harvested within five to eight years of infestation , and there is a lot of it. Regardless of the conditions that forests are cut, regneration programs are mandated in every jurisdiction across Canada.
Working to bring First Nations into forestry
By Malcolm McColl
Coast Forest Management has been in business for 24 years now. They have a new logo, new location, and the same basic corporate strategy, "to deliver cost effective, practical advice to clients." Keith Atkinson, President and General Manager of the company, said CFM has become a Pacific Rim company in the past ten years. CFM is working with some government and industry clients but 75 percent of the business is with First Nation companies and communities. "We do a lot of work in Alaska, and are working almost exclusively with First Nation clients there and Canada."
He said, "That has been a strong focus from my end. We decided to go right at it. We have a well established company and a good understanding of coastal forestry and issues at a time when First Nation success is of high interest and importance to governments. For First Nations seeking a strong position in the forest sector, the trend in negotiations seems to include resource packages. Our company is well positioned to assist First Nations in resource management objectives and goals."
CFM helps groups looking to get into forestry. "We are a management consulting team, not logging a tenure for our own benefit. For us there is no real conflict in how lands are managed, so we are there to provide management solutions for our clients. We see our first priority in making sure the economics work. First Nations have visions that differ from Crown visions and once our clients are involved at a management or stewardship level they can introduce those visions into the planning process. We are working to help First Nations make it work."
In Alaska CFM works for First Nations that obtained treaty settlements in the 1970s. In the Canadian forest industry the land settlements are not done with long-term control of the land base for forestry. Control of the land base comes first, then comes management plans, and the rest of the non-timber related resource plans follow. "Hopefully this transition will be in the near future for BC First Nations that are seeking their treaty negotiations," said Atkinson.
The Ministry of Forests has been providing opportunites through Forest and Range Agreements to various First Nations that are willing to sign on. The agreements offer access to forest tenures which have been non-replaceable licenses to cut and Forest Licenses. "These new tenures provide a short-term way to get started in the forest sector," said Atkinson. Within the framework of the industry they are almost test-cases for a new licensee, he suggested.
"It seems that the success of one of these short term non-replaceable licenses may allow a particular group to negotiate a continued tenure opportunity," however, this is seldom if ever written in ink. "We hope that the Ministry of Forests will build on the success of some FRA tenures by renewing them with land based replaceable tenures."
Atkinson said, "From our office in Port Alberni we work with Tsesaht First Nation Chief Les Sam and CEO Stephen Conway to help them revitalize their involvement in forestry." In the past decade Tsesaht has experienced varying degrees of involvement in forestry and continues to build its position through non-replaceable tenures including new opportunities with the provincial government. "The Tsesaht decided to invest in CFM to build and run their current forestry program including the new FRA non-replaceable license signed last year."
Atkinson said, "We have been getting it up and running in the last year with development planning to meet Forest Stewardship Plan requirements, and FRA logging is planned to start this summer. We are working on a higher sustainable cut volume for the Tsehaht Nation that would stabalize their position in the forest sector." The first results of achieving this goal have been announced recently when the Tsesaht Nation purchased a market logging contract in the Port Alberni area.
Atkinson said, "From the First Nations perspective all lands in BC should be on the table for resolving the Aboriginal rights and title issues, aka treaty negotiations. When it comes to business opportunities, if you have the capacity to be in the forest sector then you should be able to access a tenure that suits your needs, either through purchase or givernment negotiations."
First Nations need better land bases to manage. "With our 24 years experience we want to show that timber tenure management can be and need sto be part of the First Nation economy and that when the management is in the hands of the First Nations it turns into successful long-term employment, education and advanced management of the land."
Growing trees for First Nations
By Malcolm McColl
Skimikin Nursery in Salmon Arm, B.C. is growing hundreds of thousands of trees for silviculture plantations that Stuwix Resources will be putting in the ground in coming months. "Basically we work for the forest companies, woodlot owners, and the Ministry of Forests," said Jim Kusisto. "We also produce trees for the Little Shuswap Band, Adams Lake Band, Shakan Band, Shuswap Native Tribal Council, and companies like Stuwix Resources Joint Venture."
Kusisto said, "These are good contracts for us that come as a result of changes to the Forestry Act, and we are seeing new business develop as we do a lot of work for First Nations, and have a number of First Nations employees." Kusisto said changes are creating a lot of work for everybody and yet there are growing pains, "however, there is no doubt that this mix of entrepreneurs is new and everyone is great to work with."
He noticed the Merritt area has seen increased development since the opening of the Coquihalla Highway. "We have seen an uplift in the cut in the Merritt area but there is diversity in the forestry industry, and it’s not just about harvesting. Today it’s about putting local human resources into the picture, which makes it relatively complicated while the economy is trying to move forward. With the Stuwix group it will be our first year in their replanting program, as it is the first year for them to need seedlings."
Even as people dream of change, it s occurring for more and more communities. Kusisto said, "It’s an eye-opener for people to see the sustainable side of forestry at work." Often times First Nations are in the front of the wave, while sustainable forestry practice are spreading far and wide. "Skimikin Nursery produces trees for Little Red River First Nation Forestry out of High Level. We grow white spruce that are sown early in January and delivered for planting the first week of July."
They work in a combination of greenhouses and outdoor compounds. He said, "Spruce and Douglas Fir are started indoors, and are sown at different times between January and March depending on seedling plant dates. We sow the pine crops outdoors in May." Seedlings are produced for companies as far away as Northland Forest Products Ft McMurray operations.
"We have a lot of nursery activity for the Alberta forestry industry. We also do reclamation work for oil patch," some of which requires a great deal of attention. Kusisto and the rest of the nursery industry wait for major harvesting to occur before they are called upon to grow the huge volumes they are known to produce. "As for our name, Skimikin Nursery it is located in the Skimikin Valley close to Skimikin Lake. I’m not sure of the origin of the name "Skimikin" or if the word has any translation."
Robin Dawes is nursery manager of K&C Silviculture located south of Oliver B.C.. (The company has other nursery operations in Red Deer, Alberta.) "We are on Highway 97 south of Oliver," said Dawes. "We employee anywhere from 50 to 120 people on the 50-acre site, activities vary that much through the year. We grow indoors and outdoors." K&C has made new business contacts with First Nation forestry companies, including Stuwix Resources.
They have lots of experience growing trees. "The company has been producing forest seedling for over two decades, including all of the usual species, some fruit trees, lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, White pine, cedar, Coastal and Interior fir, larch, hemlock. We grow trees for customers all the way from California to Alaska and east to Alberta."