Tag Archives: Ministry of Forests

Cutting Old Growth: Quadra Woodlot holder responds

On August 17, Cortes Currents published a review of David Broadland’s report ‘Land-use planning on Quadra Island has been undone by the Ministry of Forests.’

Broadland wrote that while all of the other Quadra Island woodlots leave big trees standing, Okisollo Resources fells a substantial number. In ‘before’ and ‘after’ satellite images from one of their cutblocks at Hummingbird Lake, he showed that 35 out of about 50 were logged in July and August of 2019. 

Continue reading Cutting Old Growth: Quadra Woodlot holder responds

SRD seeking legal advice about Hoskyn Landing access

How our local government works

The Strathcona Regional District is seeking legal advice about expanding the access road and parking lot at Hoskyn Landing, on the north east corner of Quadra Island.

Hoskyn Landing is used by foot traffic crossing from Quadra to Read and Maurelle Islands, as well as hikers on the Surge Rapids Trail and kayakers within Surge Narrows Provincial Park.

The SRD’s current tenure is for public moorage and a boat launch. 

The access road and parking lot are on crown land within the woodlot license of Cape Mudge Forestry Ltd. 

Continue reading SRD seeking legal advice about Hoskyn Landing access

The Cortes Forestry General Partnership

There are 60 community forests in British Columbia, but only one of them is a general partnership. This can be traced back 23 years, to a MOU in which the Klahoose First Nation and the Cortes Ecoforestry Society agreed to work towards a community forest. Then, in September 2013 the Ministry of Forests issued a Community Forest Agreement to the Cortes Forestry General Partnership (CFGP). 

Continue reading The Cortes Forestry General Partnership

Recognizing Root Rot

(#2 in a series coming out of the Cortes Forestry General Partnership’s 2022 AGM)

According to BC Hydro, more than half the province’s power outages are caused by falling trees. That number is probably higher on Cortes and Quadra Islands, which are heavily forested. Trees appear to be dropping on the power lines every time there is a storm. There are also large numbers of relatively young trees falling over in the forest, and in people’s yards. Some of them were critically weakened by root rot. 

In yesterday’s interview, General Manager Mark Lombard said a significant number of the fir trees that Cortes Forestry General Partnership recently harvested were afflicted by root rot.  

So Cortes Currents asked, “how do you recognize root rot?”

Continue reading Recognizing Root Rot

Mamalilikulla First Nation aims to conserve its spiritual home

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The sound of singing and drums rang across the ancestral land and waters central to the origins of the Mamalilikulla First Nation for the first time in over a century on Thursday.

More than 100 members and guests made the long boat journey to Gwa̱xdlala/Nala̱xdlala — (Lull Bay/Hoeya Sound) in Knight Inlet on B.C.’s isolated central coast — to mark the Mamalilikulla’s ceremonial return to the ancient village site as the stewards of their territory. 

Continue reading Mamalilikulla First Nation aims to conserve its spiritual home