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The Creston Community Forest is a member of the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA). The BCCFA is a voice for 60+ community forests throughout the province advocating for sustainable forest management. The annual Community Forest Indicators report (pictured in the photo) showcases the benefits that community forests provide. If you're interested in receiving a copy, contact the Creston Community Forest office or you can go online at bccfa.ca. It's also a great read along with a pint and a pretzel!

A reminder about safety in logging areas: The Creston Community Forest has resumed logging operations on Goat Mountain as part of the wildfire risk reduction work for the valley. Starting January 2, our contractors will be working Monday - Friday for the next three to four weeks. * Please be extra cautious if driving up the Goat Mountain Forest Service Road as there will be logging trucks using this road system. Also, please do not enter the project site where our logging contractor is operating. We ask that you call the community forest office for more information if you are looking to access the Goat Mountain area. You can call our office at: 250-402-0070. (The photo is from one of our recently completed wildfire risk reduction blocks. A stunning view of the valley.)

We are proud to share this moment captured by the Creston Valley Advance. Our chair, Brian Churchill, and vice-chair, Tom Olenczuck, presented Creston Gleaners Society with funding towards the food bank. Wishing our Community a wonderful New Year.

Just another one of the many fun things we get to do at the community forest. We spent part of Friday morning collecting trees boughs to help decorate Santa's sleigh for Creston's Christmas parade. Here we see a mix of cedar, Douglas-fir, hemlock and grand fir boughs.

Although hiking has drawn to a close on our trails, our gratitude to all our outdoor enthusiasts continues. We enjoy reading all the comments.

A great photo of the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) board of directors on the steps of the legislature in Victoria last Tuesday, prior to their meeting with the Forest Minister, Bruce Ralston. Our Forest Manager, Daniel Gratton seen in the photo, has served on the BCCFA since 2018. Over the course of two and a half days the board members attended meetings with the BC Wildfire Service, the Forest Tenures Branch, the Forest Minister and many other government staff to discuss the important work that Community Forests are providing. One critical topic included the wildfire risk reduction projects that Community Forests have been developing in their respective communities and who have been instrumental in providing this incredibly important work.

If you are looking for a local winter hike, look no farther than Billy Goat Bluffs trail. The trail is still accessible and typically snow free from the beautiful cover of a Douglas-fir canopy. An easy access trail head is a short drive past Tim Hortons and located behind the Town of Creston Public Works Yard on Helen Street. To read more about the history of the trail, a few quick facts about the elevation, duration, directions and distance, click here: https://www.crestoncommunityforest.com/billy-goat-bluffs If you hit the trail, be sure to tag us in your photos! We may just see you out there snapping a few winter scenes.

Here's what we are reading this week. Grab a coffee and read an interesting yet alarming analytical projection for the Forest Industry. Feel free to share it with those in the industry. B.C. forestry industry is dealing with death by a thousand cuts. By 2035, the sector could be less than half the size it was in 2005, according to analysts. By Nelson Bennett | October 31, 2023, 3:30pm "In 2022, B.C. metallurgical coal exports totaled $11.9 billion, followed by natural gas at $7.7 billion and lumber in third place at $7.3 billion, according to BC Stats. That is a reflection of both of higher prices for coal and natural gas, and lower lumber prices and falling production. ... And if projections made by forest sector analysts David Elstone and Jim Girvan prove right, B.C.’s forestry industry will be much smaller a decade from now. The industry’s decline has a lot to do with the Mountain pine beetle epidemic. It has created a timber famine, but first it created a feast......" Link to full article here: https://biv.com/article/2023/10/bc-forestry-industry-dealing-death-thousand-cuts

Creston Community Forest (CCF) staff recently hosted a field trip for Grade 11 and 12 students studying Environmental Science. Despite getting caught in the rain on one of our field days, students learned about the CCF's wildfire risk reduction program, the reintroduction of cultural burning, types of forest health trees can face and how Light Detection and Ranging (also known as LiDAR) is used in forestry applications. Pictured in CCF's Canyon block is Mr. Erich Meyer's class.

NEW to our trails and perfect for the summer. Use it with the kids to create a fun scavenger hunt or keep one in your backpack for easy reading on the trails. The Creston Community Forest is very pleased to provide a pocket sized Plant ID Book to help hikers and nature enthusiasts identify trees, shrubs and wildflowers that are found in the Creston Valley. These booklets can be found at all of our kiosks/trailheads and are free to keep. Happy hiking!!!

Public Notification: Firewood Cutting Do’s and Don’ts The CCF has been experiencing illegal firewood cutting over the past couple of weeks, specifically in the Big Bear Brook wildfire risk reduction treatment area. Let’s work together to ensure these forested areas are safely and sustainably managed for the future of our community. Here are some helpful tips to brush up on when cutting firewood for personal use in the CCF: Do: 1. Request PERMISSION from the Forest Manager, Daniel Gratton of the Creston Community Forest, before cutting a tree within this area-based tenure by email at: dgratton@crestoncf.com 2. On an annual basis read, understand, fill out, sign and carry this free permit at all times while cutting or transporting firewood after you received permission from our Forest Manager, Daniel Gratton: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/.../selkirk_free_use_permit.pdf 3. Do work safely, preferably in pairs. 4. Only dead or downed trees may be cut for firewood. 5. Do leave decaying wood in place, they add to ecosystem function. 6. If purchasing firewood, ask where it came from to help keep firewood poachers accountable. 7. Do prevent the spread of insects, fungi, and other pathogens. Do Not: 1. Do not cut any tree that has wildlife habitat characteristics as identified on the permit, or “WT” for Wildlife Tree, painted on it. 2. Do not cut green trees for access. 3. Do not leave garbage in the forest. 4. Do not drive through the ditchline into a treatment area. 5. Do not cut trees in an active treatment area.

We would like to welcome Angela French to our team! She is the new Forest Planning and Development Supervisor for the Creston Community Forest. She started her career in forestry in the West Kootenays in 2013 after deciding to leave her home town of Langley, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. Over the past decade she experienced a diversity of roles and functions, including forest development, planning, silviculture, community engagement, and most recently in wildfire mitigation and community resilience. She worked in a variety of organizations including consultancy, a privately owned veneer mill, provincial government and local government. Since her time in the forestry program at Selkirk College in Castlegar, community forestry has been a passion of hers. To be able to be a part of managing a forest based on the values that stem from the community itself, though these values can sometimes be competing, provides so much purpose to what she does. With the goal of working with the community to try to find positive solutions as an essential objective, she is looking forward to building connections and working to continue to manage the community forest from a community-centric perspective. She resides in what is now known as Salmo on a small sustainable commercial vegetable farm with her partner and several fur-kids. In her spare time, she does as much horseback riding as possible, camping, hiking, and music festivals. She enjoys traveling and experiencing diverse cultures and perspectives. A big welcome to Angela. We are thrilled to have her as part of the team and the community.