A local project to protect communities led by locals also increased employment. Prescribed burn on Goat Mountain. Photos courtesy of Creston Community Forest. When the heat of summer hits, the focus of many people turns to the forests and the potential threat of wildfire to communities, important infrastructure, and transportation corridors. Taking proactive steps to mitigate the risk of wildfire can help better protect communities and bring a higher level of comfort to many, which is exactly what the Creston Community Forest (CCF) has done. With a grant of $670,000 from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), the CCF was able to target an area on Arrow Mountain, three kilometres north of Creston,B.C., to reduce the risk of wildfire to the neighbouring communities of Creston and Wynndel. The project site at Arrow Mountain, also known to locals as Goat Mountain, is popular for hiking, off roading, and hunting, and accessed by a forest service road. “We were very thoughtful in our planning and in the treatment of the area,” noted Daniel Gratton, forest manager of the CCF. “We opened the forested area up by taking out some of the unhealthy trees and we left a good number of trees behind. Then we had a crew come in and do the cleanup work of gathering up some of the small bushes and shrubs—called the understory—to be piled and burned.” The project treated over 120 hectares on Arrow Mountain. Approximately 10,400 cubic metres was harvested from all seven blocks and mistletoe, infected larch, and unhealthy Douglas-fir were removed. The resulting state of the forest is now more like what would have existed when wildfires frequented the area prior to the introduction of the fire suppression programs in the early 1900s. “A lot of people don’t know it, but wildfires used to go through the Creston Valley and through the forests every 30 to 40 years,” said Gratton. “Many of the forests we see in our area today are not what they would have been 200 years ago because we’ve removed the occurrence of wildfires. What we are trying to do now is mimic what a wildfire would do; clean up the understory, take out some of the ladder fuels, and restore the ecology of the area.” Since completion of this project, the community forest has now identified several other blocks that need this mitigation work. “The Creston Community Forest has taken on a leadership role in their community, taking action, reducing the risk of wildfire to the community, and doing good forest management at the same time,” said Gord Pratt, RPF, FESBC Senior Manager. “They are finding the balance between forest management and wildfire risk reduction activities to meet the many needs of the public in the area.” The project also saw outstanding economic benefits to the community extending beyond wildfire protection and created a steady source of income for many locals. “The funding from FESBC helped provide employment to at least 15 locals who were involved in the development and planning phase, and the implementation to facilitate the piling, chipping, slashing, and burning,” said Gratton. Jim Macaulay of Macaulay Forestry Ltd. has worked in the Creston area for 27 years and was thrilled with the opportunity the project brought to his company. “It is very good working with local licensees to be able to complete this type of work. It’s beneficial to the surrounding community as we are trying to minimize the impact if we were to have a wildfire, so it won’t be so severe,” said Macaulay, adding, “We have nine employees on the payroll right now and the project supplied us with nine to 10 months of full-time employment.” Macaulay’s crew was involved in completing the slashing, piling, and burning on the majority of the project site and they even assisted the BC Wildfire Service, the Creston Fire Department, and the community forest on two broadcast burns, which are controlled burns that take place under specific conditions. “We all worked very well together,” said Macaulay. “The project got different parties working together and it was fantastic!” Another contractor working on the project was Lance Huscroft of Northspar Holdings Ltd, who also echoed the sentiments shared by Macaulay. “It has been very enjoyable working so close to home on these projects with the community forest,” said Huscroft, who has been logging in the area for 28 years. “We’ve all appreciated being able to work so close to our homes to be close to our families, to get to town quickly for parts, and then back to the job site should something break-down. In the process, we supported local businesses for our service/parts needs and hired a local mechanic and trucking contractor. The majority of the timber was also shipped to the J.H. Huscroft sawmill in Creston.” For Gratton, the success of this project is defined by the areas treated and the employment of locals. “It was extremely important to have received funding from FESBC,” concluded Gratton. “We wouldn’t have done this amount of work and in such a short period of time without it. Quite honestly, it is something that was very important to us, but economically, I don’t think we would have been able to carry out this work in these areas, so we are grateful.”

Funding provided to the Lower Kootenay Band Yaqan Nukiy Wetland Restoration Project Creston Community Forest board members, John Chisamore and Ann Deatherage presented Lower Kootenay Band Chief Jason Louis and Facilities and Operations Manager Ken White with the first of two $20,000 cheques to assist with fencing to protect the Yaqan Nukiy Wetland Restoration Project. For more information about the Yaqan Nukiy Wetlands Restoration project please visit: https://lowerkootenay.com/wetlands-restoration-projects/

The warmer weather has arrived and it’s time to get out hiking! The Creston Community Forest trails crew has been busy clearing trails and improving them for everyone to use. Please remember to use the trails with care and practice bear avoidance by hiking in groups, making nose and carrying bear spray. For more information about our trails and hiking maps click here.

To further our fuel mitigation work on Goat Mountain, the BC Wildfire Service will be supporting the Creston Community Forest by conducting a prescribed burn. A prescribed burn helps to reduce the severity of future wildfires and related threats to the Creston Valley. The burn will start at roughly 1KM up Goat Mountain FSR and will cover 12 hectares over 2 blocks. The exact timing of the burn will depend on weather conditions but it could happen as early as Tuesday, March 30th. The burning will only occur when conditions are favourable and the venting index rating is good. However, even with favourable conditions, light smoke may linger throughout the following days. To learn more about prescribed burning please click here.

The Creston Community Forest has been constructing road in the Birch Creek area near Kitchener throughout the month of January. The road constructed will lead to both conventional logging and cable logging blocks which will be harvested throughout the spring. The recent road construction also included the replacement of bridge timbers on our bridge at Lower Birch. Please be aware of active logging and road construction if you happen to be using either the Birch Creek or Russell Creek Forestry Roads from January to April.

A new walking bridge has been constructed across Sullivan Creek on Mount Thompson. This bridge completes the Sullivan Creek Connector which connects the Pack Trail with the Sullivan Creek Trail. The bridge was constructed on site over two days by Jerry Bauer, Greg Perry, Bob McDonald and Dave Wigen. Thanks to everyone for their hard work! For more information about Creston Community Forest’s hiking trails on Mount Thompson please visit the Forest Recreation section of our website or click here.

The Thompson Pack Trail kiosk located on Vance Road in Canyon got a makeover thanks to Ms. Adam’s 2019-2020 Grade 10 Homelinks Class. As part of a Wildsight Ecostewards Project, the Grade 10 students were tasked with researching the history of the Thompson Pack Trail. The students then produced an informative poster which is now displayed at the Creston Community Forests’ kiosk on Vance Road! Thanks to Ms. Adams and her Grade 10 Homelinks students, Melissa Flint, Wildsight, Jerry Bauer, Tammy Bradford, Ed McMackin and Allan Richardson for their collaboration to help see this project through. To see a full copy of the poster click here.

The West Ridge Trail Extension was recently completed on Mount Thompson. The West Ridge Trail runs form the valley floor to the top of Mount Thompson and the Rim Trail. Along the West Ridge Trail be sure to check out the historic hang-gliding site, Gliders’ Point. Gliders’ Point now has two picnic tables, a fire ring and a cedar bench which were supplied by Recreation Sites and Trails BC. Gliders’ point can be found at 1.8 KM from the West Ridge Trail trailhead. The entire West Ridge Trail is just under 8.5 KM one way. For more information about the West Ridge Trail and driving directions please click here.

A mountain goat was spotted on Mount Thompson enjoying the views of the beautiful Creston Valley. We welcome all visitors (even wildlife!) to hike our West Ridge Trail. Make sure to visit the old hang-gliding site located at the half way point to view the amazing scenery and check out the historic hang-gliding ramps built in the 1980’s. There are now two picnic tables, a fire ring and a bench at this site for your enjoyment. This makes for a great spot to have a picnic while taking in a beautiful view and getting out in to nature this summer. For more info on the West Ridge Trail please click here.

On Thursday May 28th, a picnic table, bench and fire ring were flown via helicopter into the old hang-gliding site on the top of Mount Thompson. Construction work continues throughout the summer on the Creston Community Forest’s trails on both Goat Mountain and Mount Thompson. Please see the “Forest Recreation” section of our website for more details.

Social distancing being the current practice, Couns. Jim Elford accepedt a cheque from Creston Community Forest chair John Chisamore (centre) on Friday while Mayor Ron Toyota looked on. The CCF donation is part of its $75,000 commitment for the mitigation of the Crawford Hill water reservoir site. Lorne Eckersley photo By Lorne Eckersley The mitigation of the old and now unused open water reservoirs on Crawford Hill got a major boost last week from Creston Community Forest, which has evolved into a major promoter of outdoor recreation in recent years. CCF board chair John Chisamore announced a contribution of $75,000 as the Town of Creston works “to create a public (community) space for the enjoyment of the general public on a portion of the property.” Mitigation of the site will mean restoring portions of the property to a more natural state and converting the old reservoirs into small ecosystems, such as marshes. A large bat house on the site will help reduce the mosquito population, Couns. Jim Elford said after accepting part of the CCF contribution on behalf of the Town of Creston. Chisamore said the donation is part of a greater effort by the CCF to create outdoor recreation and educational facilities like walking paths and outdoor education opportunities. “The Corporation supports the environmental improvements of the (mitigation) project and wishes to ensure that sufficient funds are available to complete the project,” he said. Elford, who serves as the Town Council representative to the CCF, credits the Forest Corporation’s board and staff for its efforts to diversify and play a greater role, not just in logging, but in other areas as well. “CCF did an amazing job in Canyon,” he said. A truly sustainable logging operation involved taking out half of the merchantable timber, then replanting, is now complete. For full article: Creston Valley Advance Article

The Creston Community Forest was recently approved for $670,000.00 of provincial funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC for wildfire reduction projects. This funding is a multi-year wildfire risk reduction project that is scheduled to occur on Goat Mountain and in Arrow Creek. Funding for a pilot project at the base of Thompson Mountain in Canyon, BC was fully funded by the Community Forest in 2018/2019 and involved spacing the tree canopy and removing the dense understory in order to help mitigate the spread of wildfire to the area. Goat Mountain currently poses the greatest threat of wildfire to Creston and surrounding areas given its proximity to the town and will be the next area of focus. The intent of the multi-year project is to reinforce existing fuel breaks on either side of the Goat Mountain forestry road and the hydro power line. This will be achieved by creating a buffer on either side of these features where half of the tree canopy will be removed, as well as the dense underbrush. The result will be a more open stand that will help mitigate the spread of wildfire, if it occurs. Approximately 130 hectares on the north and west sides of Goat Mountain are planned for treatment and will be completed this coming winter and spring. We ask that you exercise caution when travelling along the Goat Mountain Forest Service Road as operations are scheduled to occur up until March 2020. Please contact the Community Forest office at 250-402-0070 for more information or if you have any questions.