Transition Salt Spring hosted a workshop on February 27th, 2023
Fire Risk Reduction in the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Zone:
A Practitioner’s Workshop
The event brought together over seventy participants, including regional Fire Smart Coordinators, Fire Rescue, BC Wildfire Services, forest managers, and experts working in the CDF Zone. The many experts at the workshop spoke to the fire risk challenges unique to this area. They identified potential strategies to address these challenges under the current land management realities and limitations.
If you would like to review the event, please see the recording here (with timestamps)
Thank you to all panelists and participants and sponsors Islands Trust, North Salt Spring Waterworks District and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Summary
The workshop explored engaging and living in ecosystems throughout the Salish Sea. Adam Olsen, the MLA, encouraged people to understand their responsibility to be good stewards of the beautiful Coast Salish territory, viewing plants, animals, and islands as relatives. MLA Olsen is a strong advocate for ensuring that both our ecosystems and communities can remain resilient in the changing climate. Cowichan Elder, Robert George, shared a song and prayer, and spoke about Turtle Island, and how people should live in harmony with one another and the environment. The workshop came out of work on Maxwell Creek Watershed through Transition Salt Spring’s Climate Adaptation Research Lab on Salt Spring Island, which is looking at the legacy of over 100 years of intensive clear-cut logging and the changes to hydrology from roads and agricultural drainage that continue to affect the lake and water supply. With the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Region being over 70% privately owned land, the entire community has a role to play to reduce our vulnerability to Climate Change and extreme weather. Dimitri Vaisius, who works for BC Wildfire Service, presents actual information about regional extreme weather events, higher temperatures, prolonged droughts, and the need for active management.
During the workshop, several practitioners spoke to the issues and approaches they are using to promote responsible forest management and wildfire prevention in various communities in Coastal British Columbia. Mark Lombard shared information about the Cortes Community Forest Cooperative, which is a partnership between the Klahoose First Nation and the Co-Op, which represents other residents of Cortes Island. The network covers a significant portion of public managed forest land on the island and has identified several wildfire mitigation projects. Robert Seaton discussed his work with the Climate Adaptation Research Lab, to move forest stands closer to their structurally and ecologically diverse, pre-industrial state, which had inherent fire resistance. Robert discusses the use of multi-pass thinning, pruning, reintroducing species, and exclusion fencing as part of the broad toolkit that will be needed. On Galliano, Bowie Keefer of the Galiano Eco Forestry Association described their work managing abandoned industrial plantations that are now private forest lands for recreational, economic, fuel reduction and forest restoration goals; including protecting carbon sinks and reducing fire risk. Finally, Jay Zakaluzny, a fire management officer with Parks Canada, discussed the risk of wildfires in areas with human populations and outlined initiatives they are using to reduce fire risk through a combination of forest thinning, prescribed burning, and Fire Smart Programming.
The discussion covered various aspects of forest management, including treatments for private and public lands, and the challenges of balancing economic viability with conservation values. Specific examples included Bowie’s approach to pruning young trees on Galiano Island, the Cortes Island Community Forest’s light-touch approach to commercial thinning, and Parks Canada’s mandate to manage land and resources. Other topics discussed were the conflicting values about forests and forestry on Cortes Island, specifically how the Provincial requirements for annual harvests far exceeds the amount that can be sustainably harvested and used locally. The logistical challenges of working on isolated islands, with the high wildfire-human interface and high private land ownership became the focus of the rest of the day.
Practitioners emphasized the importance of collaboration, community engagement, and a long-term perspective in forest management, as well as the need to balance competing priorities and values.
A panel of Professionals working on the issue of fire risk reduction discussed some of the issues raised by the practitioners and introduced some additional information about work being done by the different responsible authorities in this region. The discussion centered on the need for active management in the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic zone to mitigate the risk of wildfires. Private land ownership and lack of funding mechanisms and educational resources were identified as challenges. Fire Smart programs were identified as a way to protect human assets by creating non-combustible zones around homes. However, the reality is that the responsibility for managing wildfire risk falls largely on private land and forest property owners, conservancies and managers.
Key Takeaways:
- Forests are essential for mitigating climate change, supporting biodiversity, providing clean air and water, and supporting human livelihoods.
- Ecological forest management that considers multiple values is key to maintaining the benefits provided by forests while also meeting human needs.
- The management of forests must consider both the ecological and social aspects of the forest, including the needs of local communities to have wood supply and sustainable jobs, and the importance of learning from and working with Coast Salish Stewards.
- Forest management practices should be based on scientific research and data to ensure they are effective and sustainable.
- Forest certification programs can help ensure sustainable forest management practices and improve market access for forest products.
- Forest fires can have significant negative impacts on forest ecosystems, and proactive fire management strategies are needed to prevent and manage fires.
- Restoration and conservation of degraded forest ecosystems is essential for improving their ecological and socioecological functions.
- Collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders, including governments, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector, are crucial for effective forest management and conservation.
Thank you to the Islands Trust, North Salt Spring Waterworks District, and Environment and Climate Change Canada who sponsored the event.
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