Sylvie Paillard
[email protected]
The District of Squamish took another step toward entering the logging business last week.
The Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest appears to be winning the race to become Squamish's first community forest. District council received a report and delegation from Mike Wallace of JCH Forestry Ltd. on the benefits and drawbacks of a community forest, during a committee of the whole meeting Tuesday, April 18.
The issue is far from decided and soon, a community forest task force will debate the numerous details that have yet to be resolved.
The DOS hired JCH to study the issue after the Ministry of Forests and Ranges offered the district a 20-year community forest tenure - renewable every 10 years - with an Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) of 10, 000 cubic metres, or 250 truckloads annually. The report cites several areas as viable and gives the merits of identifying the Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest and lands within the district extending to Culliton Creek as the location for a community forest.
"The Brohm Interpretive Forest is a forest that is proposed as one of the features in forestry tours for Olympic planners, officials and the public," states the report.
A Squamish forest committee helped establish the Brohm Interpretive Forest approximately 15 years ago and it would be a great location to continue its educational benefits since the land abuts Evans Lake junior camp, said Coun. Corinne Lonsdale.
Currently the Soo Coalition for Sustainable Forests Society has an agreement to do maintenance on the Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest, with partial funding by the Truck Loggers Association.
But for several years, the Ministry of Forests has advocated the inclusion of the Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest within a community forest since it would put its management under the direction of the municipality.
A community forest could provide opportunities in tourism, a showplace for innovation in forest management, recreational opportunity and local employment, according to the report, and the community is in favour, as long as it doesn't cost the municipality money.
"There is strong support for a community forest tenure that is economically viable, would provide the residents with a vested interest and opportunity to influence management direction and strategies that would benefit all recreational interests while providing a supply of fiber to local wood manufacturers and artisans," states the report.
The feasibility of such a venture hinges on finding 2,500 to 3,000 hectares necessary to sustain the cut as well as taking on a partner to finance the operation.
"Entering into a partnership is the most viable option as it affords the opportunity of sharing the cost of planning, developing and maintaining the tenure with a partner," states the report.
Although Wallace spoke to BC Timber Sales, Squamish First Nations and other existing timber tenure holders and sawmills, he told council that until land is secured, there's no point negotiating a partnership.
"How do we negotiate when we can't tell them what we have?" he said.
Numerous areas were identified as viable pieces of land, but the province won't formalize the land transfer until negotiations with First Nations are complete, said Wallace, adding a settlement is at least one year away. "But we can ensure that community forest plans are set for when First Nations land negotiations are settled," he said.
Council passed a motion to write Victoria to request a timeline on First Nations negotiations. They also voted to continue with phase two of acquiring the land and appointing a forest task force from volunteers in council, industry and other interested sectors of the community.
