Search Results

This case study details the prescribed fire conducted by BC Wildfire Service in partnership with the Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative (SIFCo) on April 14, 2021 in the Slocan Valley, BC. The purpose of the project was to create landscape level fuel breaks to reduce the threat of landscape level wildfires in the slocan valley. "Benefits of Prescribed Fire Cultural and prescribed fire is the planned and controlled application of fire to a specific land area. It’s a natural part of our ecosystem, which is why it’s not only ecologically appropriate to use for wildfire mitigation. It’s also one of the most cost-effective means for achieving a variety of land management objectives." - prescribedfire.ca "Cultural Burning Indigenous Peoples are the stewards of the land, fire is a cleanser of Mother Earth and cultural burning is a tool of the Fire Keeper. A new call to bring back the balance in the forest and the need to enhance the fire safety of communities is a much needed breath of fresh air. Revive cultural burning practices, bring back burn cycles, and restore the land so all can thrive." – Joe Gilchrist and Harry Spahan (members of the Interior Salish Fire Keepers Society) Quote from page 7, Blazing the Trail book "In April, 2021 the BC Wildfire Service and the Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative (SIFCo) conducted a prescribed fire of about 150 hectares of land in Slocan Valley, BC. The purpose of this project was to create fuel breaks in the landscape that will help reduce the threat of future summer wildfires, some which can burn for months on end." - FireSmart BC To learn more about the importance of prescribed fire, watch: https://prescribedfire.ca/case-study/ponderosa-prescribed-burn/?fbclid=IwAR0NJBv8Pgbz9aHS-VO25zc3xVlVSy7i2JgBHhwcrNsokfJOU9Wh1r64jT4 #GoodFire #PrescribedFire #CulturalBurning #rxfire #PrescribedBurns

We would like to congratulate Kea Rutherford, recipient of UBC Faculty of Forestry's Best Masters Thesis Award for 2023. She partnered with us as one of the five community forest in the Kootenay region and measured key components of the wildland fuelbed in forest stands before and after treatment. Below is the abstract from her thesis and the full link is available on the BCCFA post. Fuel treatment efficacy in fire-prone forests of interior British Columbia, Canada. - Rutherford, Kea Abstract Extreme wildfire seasons have become a central challenge of forest management in western North America. In response to increasing wildfire risk, forest managers are proactively implementing fuel treatments. Although impacts of fuel treatments have been studied in the western United States, comparable research in the fire-prone forests of western Canada is lacking. In this thesis, I used two approaches to assess the efficacy of alternative fuel treatments to mitigate fire behaviour and effects in the seasonally dry forests of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. I partnered with five community forests in the Kootenay region and measured key components of the wildland fuelbed in forest stands before and after treatment. For the first approach, I used the pre-treatment field data as a baseline and simulated 16 alternative fuel treatment scenarios that spanned the range of thinning, pruning, and surface fuel load reduction combinations being implemented in the region. For full article: https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0432793

For #InternationalWomansDay we want to highlight our very own Angela French, recently featured in LIVING HERE. FORESTRY WORKER VALUES HER JOB AND RESILIENT FORESTS “Most people that get into forestry love the outdoors,” says Angela French of Salmo, British Columbia. SEEING THE FORESTER FOR THE TREES Angela believes there should be a better balance between keeping our forests resilient and good jobs. One of the reasons she got into this field was to try to change the legislation that guides the forestry industry. In a way, Angela speaks as a forester and a conservationist. “B.C. needs lumber, and timber to provide for numerous expectations that our society is accustomed to. The way that large industry functions is like a machine with lots of moving parts, that create jobs, support a healthy economy, and create contributing citizens.” It’s a big job with a lot of responsibility and doing it well is no easy task, says Angela. BRINGING COMMUNITY VALUES TO THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY In August, Angela was hired by the Creston Community Forest as a supervisor. “I love community forestry. It’s how all forestry should be conducted across the province and globally. It’s based on community-centric values. The main point is that a chunk of land is managed based on what a community needs and wants,” says Angela. #internationalwomensday2024  #forester #BCForester #iwd2024womenleadingtheway  #InspireInclusion For full article featuring Angela: https://livinghere.ca/forestry-worker-values-here-job-and-resilient-forests/

This Family Day long weekend we wanted to share what we are reading. Insightful and diverse in topics, it's the winter edition of the BC Forest Professionals magazine. Each edition of Forest Professionals BC  magazine covers timely forest management issues together with news and information of relevance to BC's forest professionals. BC Forest Professional is published four times per year by Forest Professionals British Columbia. We would like to give a respectful shout out to Creston Community Forest's very own Forest Planning and Development Supervisor, Angela French, RFT. Angela sits on the editorial advisory panel for the magazine and has been reading the magazine since her days as a student in the Forestry Program at Selkirk College. Here are just a few stories to read from this edition: Cover Story Page 10, ‘Namgis First Nation and Western Forest Products – Embracing a New Paradigm in Forestry Opinion Page 26, Responding to the Climate Crisis in BC’s Forests Features Page 12, Evaluating Ecosystem Integrity on a Managed Forest Landscape Professional Interest Page 21, Introducing the Affiliated Forest Professional To read the full magazine or to simply browse a few topics, click this link: https://www.fpbc.ca/.../uploads/2024/01/2024-BCFP-Winter.pdf

We are collecting and writing our articles for the next Creston Community Forest Newsletter. We decided to make it a quarterly release to keep in touch and share information that will be engaging for you. If you haven't signed up yet, here is your link: http://eepurl.com/iwjUgk The newsletter will be sent out Thursday, February 1st. Have a great Sunday everyone!

On February 1, Creston Community Forest staff met with other members of the Creston Valley FireSmart Resiliency Committee (CVFRC). The committee was formed in early 2023 to talk about the importance of Fire Smarting properties and wildfire reduction projects needing to occur in the valley. The CVFRC is made up of: Yaqan Nukiy, Town of Creston, RDCK, First Nations Emergency Services Society, BC Wildfire Service, Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, JH Huscroft, Creston Community Forest and Canfor. An open house is scheduled for spring 2024 to provide information and answer questions on the FireSmart program. Watch our social media, website and newsletter for more information on our spring Open House. You can sign up here for our Quarterly Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iwjUgk Pictured here are CVFRC members looking at a wildfire reduction project recently completed by Yaqan Nukiy.

Our quarterly Creston Community Forest Newsletter was released on Thursday February 1st and we received some great feedback. Our next Newsletter is scheduled for May 1st, 2024. If you would like to begin receiving our Newsletter, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/iwjUgk IN THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER: A Message from our Forest Manager Changes to the Creston Community Forest Board Wildfire Risk Reduction Project on Goat Mountain The BC Community Forest 2023 Insights The Douglas-Fir Bark Beetle Questions or Comments Community Upcoming Events

A very big THANK YOU to Gary. Pictured in the photo is Gary Sommerfeld accepting his retirement gifts after serving on the CCF board from June 2000 to September 2024.

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.