ISSN NO. 0835-9814

SUMMER1994

Forest Fire ResearFriend and Foe

h Finds

Strange as it may seem, fire is not always thedeadly enemy it's reputed to be. In fact saysStephen Taylor, Fire Research Officer with theCanadian Forest Service, much of what we val­ue in B.C. forests we owe to fire. Historically,naturally occurring surface fires maintained fire­adapted species such as Douglas-fir, ponderosapine, and western larch at lower' densities thanare now common. Periodic high-intensity crownfires regenerated fire-adapted species such asDouglas-fir and lodgepole pine, and open habi­tats favoured by some wildlife species.

Contemporary fire management does notattempt to eliminate fire from fire-influencedecosystems but to suppress wildfires thatthreaten critical values, and to introduce firewhen needed to maintain forest health andecosystem function.

The Fire Management Program at PacificForestry Centre reflects this philosophy andstrikes a balance between research on wildfiresuppression and the use of fire as a strategictool. Program Head Bruce Lawson says thistrend in fire research towards ecosystem-basedforest management is relatively new. Hisresearch program examines how different firesbehave under different conditions of fuels,weather and topography, and quantifies effects,of fire on the ecosystem. That knowledge formsthe basis of systems made available to fire andresource managers at the provincial Ministry ofForests, the forest industry, and other resource agen­cies. "And a big part of the job is to get theknowledge organized into decision-support systems,"says Lawson.

Stephen Taylor, CFS fire researcher

The Canada/B.C. Partnership Agreement on For­est Resource Development (FRDA 10 is funding sever­al of their initiatives.

CFS researchers are studying and modelingsmoke production and dispersion from prescribedfires as part of the Smoke Plume Evaluation and Mod-

continued on p. 5

The newsletter of the Canada~BritishColumbia Partnership Agreement on Forest Resource Development (FRDA II)

Dawson Creek Mixedwood ConferenceBrings Researchers from Across Canada

Approximately 65 foresters, techni­cians and operators from north­eastern B.C. met in Dawson CreekMarch 23-24 to share informationand ideas on various ways to man­age B.C.'s northern mixedwoodforests. The conference was initiat­ed and organized by Canadian For­est Service researchers KethMcClain and Kerry Deschampsfrom Prince George, along with B.C.

Forest Service member RichardKabzems from Prince George, andDawson Creek District staff.

The workshop was funded bythe Canada-B.C. Partnership Agree­ment on Forest Resource Develop­me t (FRDA II) Extension and Tech­nology Transfer Component, andstemmed from recommendationsby the B.C. Ministry of Forests'HardwoodjMixedwood SteeringCommittee. It was specificallyaimed at providing information onmixedwood management includingsilvicultural systems for theharvesti g of mature aspen, andprotection of immature spruceunderstory in northeastern B.C.

A special feature of the meetingwas presentations from membersof the Canadian Forest ServiceMixedwood Silviculture WorkingGroup. Their presentations provid­ed provincial approaches to mixed­wood management, challenges andresearch initiatives active in New

. Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario andAlberta.

Conference organizer KeithMcClain explains that "We need toconsider what's going on elsewhereand compare it to what we're doinghere, and create an awareness ofdifferent approaches being taken inrespect to mixedwoods." To dothat, Canadian Forest Servicespeakers from across Canadajoined industry and B.C. Ministry ofForests presenters to offer theirvarying perspectives. The first daybegan with regional, district, andindustry perspectives on mixed­wood harvesting and silviculture.National presenters then exploredvarious mixedwood initiatives cur­rently being undertaken. Presenters

included Bob West (CFS-Mar­itimes), Denis Ouellet (CFS­Quebec), Darwin Burgess (CFS­Petawawa National ForestryInstitute), John Scarratt (CFS­Ontario), Paul Jewiss (Boise-Cas­cade-Northwestern Ontario), StanNavratil (CFS-Northwest), LorneBrace (Contractor-Alberta), andTony Sauder (FERIC-Vancouver).

The day ended with a wrap-upby Bronwen Beedle,Deputy Chief Forester,MoF, who added that"Managingmixedwoods is a realchallenge. We're goingto have a lot ofmanagement problemsbecause we don't yet

Conference organizerKeith McClain discuss-­es harvesting consider­ations with field tourparticipants.

have all the knowledgewe need". One of thegoals of the conference

was identifying those gaps inknowledge and finding ways to fillthem.

The 16 presentations were fol­lowed on day two by a field tourfocussing on harvestingmixedwoods while keeping in mindwildlife considerations.Approximately 40 tour participantswere taken through a mixedwoodstand east of Dawson Creek, andwere then split into groups of sixand asked to develop a pre-harvestprescription with two objectives ­maintaining moose habitat andpileated woodpecker habitat. The

continued on p.8

Junior Forest Wardens' Arboretum Wasa Green Gold Success

Port McNeill may not be the first place you'd expectto find a Korean Fir or a Siberian larch, but thanks tothe work of some dedicated junior forest wardensand the support of a FRDA II Green Gold Grant, PortMcNeill is home to a community arboretum completewith such exotic species. With the help of the Canadi­an Institute of Forestry, the Junior Forest Wardensstarted the arboretum project seven years ago,adding new trees every year during National ForestWeek. In 1991, the Pacific Section of the CanadianInstitute of Forestry came together with the MountWaddington Regional Economic Development Com­mission to apply for a Green Gold Grant to help withthe purchase of additional native and ornamentaltree species. With these additional trees, the conceptof a 'community arboretum' was established,contributing tremendous educational, aesthetic andenvironmental benefits to the community.

The Green Gold program of FRDA II was initiatedto provide assistance to non-profit groups whowished to undertake projects that promote forestry

Junior Forest Wardens by one of the treelabels during the arboretum ceremony

A. Koch photo

awareness. To qualify, projects must have increasedpublic awareness of the importance of the forestrysector, of forests and of responsible forest manage­ment; created 'public support for, commitment to,and involvement with forest management activities;or demonstrated efforts in forest management.

The Green Gold program, which has now ended,saw many successes and funded many worthwhileprojects in addition to the Port McNeill CommunityArboretum, such as forestry school tours andexchanges, interpretive brochures, workshops, semi­nars, pamphlets, posters, forestry driving tours, sig­nage, photographic displays and much more.

493 Wood­land OwnersManage theirForests

Nello Cataldo, manager of Small-scale Forestry Program

began in 1991, it has paid for 1300ha of young second growth to bespaced, and 1300 ha of plantationsto be brushed so that the youngseedlings have a better chance ofgetting started; also, 850 ha havebeen cleared for planting with 500of those hectares planted so far.

The Program runs until March31,1996 which means there's justabout two years for additionalwoodland owners to take advan­tage of it.

guess I was alittle rough onthis property inthe past. MaybeI should do a lit­tle tree plantingwhere I loggedback in the early80s, and I sup­pose it wouldn'thurt to thin outthe trees in thatpatch of secondgrowth so theycan grow biggerand better."

Of courseeverybody's situ­

ation is different. Some woodlandowners recently purchased theirproperties while others have hadit for two or three generations andexpect their grandchildren to stillbe living on it well into the nextcentury.

Some properties are small butvaluable in terms of their timbergrowing potential while others an~

large integrated ranching andforestry operations. Still othersare combined with provincialCrown land and are managedunder the provincial WoodlotLicence Program.

The underlying principlebehind the Small-Scale ForestryProgram is to help woodland own­ers understand the forestry poten­tial of their properties and thenhelp them reach that potential ­should that be what the woodlandowner wants! Since the Program

Fifty-five thousand hectares.That's how much area 493small woodland owners are

collectively managing under theSmall-Scale Forestry Program ofFRDA II. Some are just starting for­est management programs by tak­ing inventory of their land, deter­mining what resources they have,and what to do with them, if any­thing. With financial assistanceprovided by the Program they'vehired forest consultants to countthe trees, examine other resourcesand help the woodland ownersfocus their plans.

Some go no farther than figur­ing, "I may do some logging in tenyears or so when I might needsome cash but for now I think I'llenjoy my property just the way itis. I expect Nature will take care ofit as long as I don't get too greedy."

Out of necessity many otherstake a different view admitting, "I

First Nations Woodlands ProgramPasses Halfway MarkApril 30, 1991 - the date that the Canada-BritishColumbia Partnership Agreement on Forest ResourceDevelopment was signed and the date that the FirstNations Woodlands Program came into being. A lothas happened in the two and a half years theProgram's operated.

Seventy-five First Nations have signed on. Someare just beginning their forest management programsby taking a hard look at their forests and seeing justhow much wood and other products are out there.Others have passed this stage and are figuring outwhat to do with it. Communities are askingthemselves, "Should we log it? Should we lock it upand do nothing? or, Should we do something inbetween? How many jobs will there be? What are theeconomic benefits and environmental trade-offs?"

It's a long, sometimes arduous process but thesequestions are eventually answered. In fact, forty-twoFirst Nations have at least answered the preliminaryquestions. They've spaced 1270 ha, pruned 330 ha,prepared 610 ha for planting and have planted 250 ofthem. In addition, 200 ha of plantations have been

eling (SPEM) Project with B.C. Forest Service Protec­tion Branch and with the support of several otheragencies. This project will develop models to helpresource managers manage smoke from prescribedburns.

The project initially focused on sampling smokecharacteristics from broadcast burns carried out fol­lowing logging, but is moving on to examine smokefrom ecosystem maintenance burns. The SPEM teamis now working with the B.C. Ministry of Forests' Nel­son Forest Region staff and B.C. Environment in theEcosystem Maintenance Burning Evaluation andResearch (EMBER) Project.

Public concern with smoke is expected to be amajor factor limiting the reintroduction of fire inso.me ecosystems - the goal of the EMBER project.CFS is also examining factors affecting tree mortalityto help managers develop prescriptions to achieveecosystem management objectives.

On the suppression side, Lawson's program spon­sors, cooperates and conducts research into both thebehaviour of fires and the materials and techniquesof fire fighting. CFS researchers have just developed a

brushed to make sure the seedlings can become free­growing.

A lot of First Nations are using the Nicola ValleyInstitute of Technology (NVlT) to help themunderstand what some of the questions should be.The First Nations Woodlands Program financed NVITto develop "An Introduction to Natural ResourcesTechnology" and provides funding to First Nations tohave the five-day workshop delivered in their commu­nities. Close to 100 community leaders have takentime out of their busy schedules to attend.

A lot of communities are using the Program as astepping stone to forestry work off reserve. Manyaboriginals were employed last summer in the ForestService's Unit Crew Program fighting forest fires, oth­ers took on provincial silvicultural contracts and stillothers were involved in joint ventures with industry.A video has been developed highlighting some ofthese projects.

The Program runs until March 31, 1996 whichmeans we've just passed the halfway mark. There'sstill lots to do and a general call has been made to allFirst Nations to submit their proposals for 1994/95.

new model to help fire managers predict when fireswill ignite in several key forest types. A FRDA-spon­sored study is also underway in which experimentalfires will be lit in standing forests to determinethreshold burning conditions for crown fires.

CFS researchers and FRDA are also sponsoringresearch on the effectiveness of Class-A foam forfighting fires in B.C., both in forests and in the wild­land/urban interface. Experimental fires are attackedwith different combinations of foam and water to findthe most effective suppression methods. The group isalso cooperating with BCFS and CFS fire research inEdmonton to try to quantify the effectiveness of theMinistry of Forests' helicopter-based fire fightingcrews in different forest types, fire behaviour, andtopographic conditions.

Put it all together - fire behaviour prediction,suppressants, crews, and environmental effects­and you have a research effort that translates wellinto the practical task of fire management - a systemof fire environment models Lawson considers part ofa "Strategic Decision Support System for Fire Manage­ment."

ew PerspectivesATLAS Showson Harvesting

A researcher at the ForestEngineering Research Institute ofCanada (FERIC) has found an inno­vative way of determining whateffects forest management and bio­diversity guidelines have on tim­ber harvesting in British Columbia.Don Thibodeau simulates applica­tion of harvesting rules to 7000hectares of drainage in the Nehal­iston River area near Kamloopsusing ATLAS, a tactical landscapeanalysis system developed at theUniversity of British Columbia.

"I did what's called a totalchance plan on the entiredrainage, that is, I developed cut­blocks and road systems as if I wasgoing to log the entire thing anddesigned rules consistent with thetree species in that area. WhatATLAS does is schedule harvestingbased on the rules you impose onit."

The simulation relies on har­vesting rules developed from localland-use decisions and availablelogging and silviculture informa­tion found in the Kamloops Hand­book on Ecosystem Classification.Once the ATLAS model has gener­ated a harvesting schedule basedon the data provided, it 'regrows'trees after harvesting, followsunharvested stands through theirlife stages and starts secondarygrowth. Thibodeau says this pro­vides "a very accurate picture ofwhat happens between differentharvesting regimes".

What ATLAS also permits Thi­bodeau to do is to determine whateffects the increasing number ofrules governing forestmanagement in this province haveon timber supply and other valuessuch as recreation and wildlifehabitat.

"Let's say wehave a hillsidethat stands outon a lake and it'sfairly steep andit has a VisualQuality Objec­tive (VQO). Thatmeans about 15percent of thearea can be dis­turbed visually.So you have twooptions: eitherclearcut 15 per­cent of that hill­side in verysmall blocks orgo with selectivelogging whereyou only removesay 30 percent ofthe stand."

Or suppose, Thibodeau says,you have no choice but to clearcutbecause the dominant tree species- say lodgepole pine - requireslots of bright light on the forestfloor and warm temperatures,something not provided by selec­tive logging. If minimum heightrequirements for the trees are alsoin place to preserve the aestheticappeal of the stand, forest compa­nies would not be permitted to login that area until the minimumheight was achieved. The result ­a significant reduction in the com­pany's allowable cut.

Similarly, a cutting permitcould be denied or limited if a par­ticular age-class of tree indigenousto an area was not represented insufficient numbers to guaranteeadequate regeneration. ATLASenables researchers like Don Thi­bodeau to balance all these forestmanagement restrictions on VQOs,

FERle researcherDon Thibodeau

aesthetics, age-class distribution,regeneration rates and minimumgreen-up periods, singly or in com­bination, and then determine thelikely effects on allowable cuts,costs and future timber supply.

Funded under the Economicand Social Analysis program of theCanada/B.C. Forest ResourceDevelopment Agreement (FRDA II)the results of Thibodeau's workare expected to be released soon.Once the report is submitted tothe Canadian Forest Service andthe Ministry of Forests it becomesavailable to forest planners atlarge.

"We hope the report will bewidely distributed so all the peo­ple making plan ing decisions onthe land base have current infor-

'mation to apply to their job," con­cludes Thibodeau.

They're on the front-line inSouth Moresby, the Stein,Klashkish and Clayoquot

sound. They're not loggers, notprotesters, but Vancouver-areateachers who want to find out thefacts about these high-profileissues, and other forest-use andmanagement practices that areoccurring throughout B.C.

How did they get there? Whomakes it happen? How and howoften can teachers participate?

The answers can be found inan organization euphemisticallycalled "The Festival of Forestry."The Festival is a non-profit volun­tary organization partially fundedby FRDA II, and started by BillMoore, a 'Bull of the Woods,' fromas he likes people to know, down­town Winter Harbour. Twenty-sev­en years ago, Bill and a few friendshad the idea of taking loggers'sports to 'Big Town' Vancouverduring t e annual PNE Exhibition.This vision became a reality,' andthey went on to sending our mostskilled people to logging sportsevents in Europe and other over­seas locations.

The idea of bringing thewoods to the city spawned aneven better idea - taking people

to the woods! With financial sup­port from various governmentprograms, individuals, and compa­nies, and guidance from aBoard of Directors composed ofinterested citizens, academics,school administrators, IWA mem­bers, government resource man­agement staff, forest industry pro­fessionals, and a travel agent, thetour program began in 1967 withthe hosting of 33 students from 15Pacific Rim countries. Subsequentefforts have hosted European,Mediterranean, U.S., Mexican, andeastern Canadian tours.

Commencing in 1971, the Fes­tival turned its attention to stu­dents from B.C., with two tours ­one to B.C. forestry operations,and the second to Scandinavia.Thereafter, two or three tours peryear to B.C., and on occasion toeastern Canada were arranged forforestry and education students.The Festival also hosted Europeanforestry students and sentforester and student groups toScandinavia, Great Britain, andChina, and hosted reciprocalgroups.

It was in 1984 that the firstjoint teacher and student tourtook place. Twenty participants

C nfrontingReality withOn-siteForest VisitsFestival of Forestrytour participantsenjoy a break fromtheir usual cityviews.

examined forestry operations onthe Sunshine Coast. Since then,the Festival has arranged on aver­age, two tour per year of about 20teachers and two students to vari­ous forest activity locationsthroughout B.C.

These tours are designed tobe informative with opportunitiesto see forest activities, to meetforest workers, companyforesters, government agencyresource managers, and localcommunity teachers and environ­mentalists. So while the tours areusually run by company and agen­cy people, they are carefullydesigned to ensure that the partic­ipants have adequate opportunityto hear from forest managementcritics as well as supporters.

And what do the teachers getout of the tours? The overwhelm­ing response suggests a betterunderstanding of B.C.'s mostimportant industry, of the natureof conflict, and of the range of for­est practices and the speed atwhich they are evolving. Theexposure stimulates critical think­ing and ensures that today's stu­dents are being taught the com­plexities of natural resourcemanagement and the realities ofwhat's happening out in theforests.

FRDA II Mid-term EvaluationFinds ignificant Positive Impact

The impact of FRDAII has been sig­nificant. This finding is one ofmany in the recently released Mid­Term Evaluation of FRDAIIconducted by Deloitte andTouche.

In citing specific positiveimpacts, the report outlines:

• more than 6100 hectares havebeen treated creating approxi­mately 569 person-years ofemployment to June 30, 1993.

• approximately $120 millionworth of spacing, fertilizingand pruning young stands areplanned over the term of theAgreement of which over $31million was expended by June30, 1993.

• the determination of the valueand timing of future harvest onparticular sites.

• gaining new knowledge on longterm impacts of research anddevelopment, inventory andnew silviculture systems.

Mixedwood...continued from p. 2

group then gathered together todiscuss their harvesting and silvi­culture prescriptions, and toshare some of the concerns theycame up with when trying to man­age the mixedwood stand.

In all, the conference helpedidentify where we need to do fur­ther work, where our thinkingneeds to be directed, and fromwhat other sources we can drawinformation and learn from expe­riences in other Canadian regions.

"The report indicates the audi­tors' expectations that these longterm impacts will be significantand we concur," says ElaineTeske, federal co-chair of the Man­agement Committee of FRDA II."We also agree, as stated in thereport, that quantifying theimpacts can be difficult."

To achieve this quantification,the report recommends that theManagement Committee shoulddirect an increased emphasis onthe definition of costs, benefitsand impacts over the remainingterms of the Agreement.

Similarly, to improve account­ability, the report recommendsthat clear and measurable outputor result-oriented performancemeasures should be established atthe project and the program level.

The Mid-term Evaluation alsodetailed recommendations foreach of the seven FROA programs.For example, it recommends that

ene I is the newsletter ofthe Canada/ British ColumbiaPartnership Agreement onForest Resource Development:FRDA II.

Editor: Barry GeeLayout: Dan Dunaway

II s jo ntly unded by:

Canadian Forest Service506 West Burnside RoadVictoria, B.C.V8Z 1M5Tel: (604) 363-0600

Canada

the Research program shouldfocus significant attention on a fewcritical management issues duringthe latter half of the FRDA II Agree­ment.

"This report as assured usthat provincial and federalresources are being effectivelyapplied to assist sustainable forestdevelopment in B.C.," says HenryBenskin, provincial co-chair of theFROA II Management Committee."There have bee good, demon­strable achievements based onour goals."

Copies of the executive sum­mary are available by writing toDean Mills, Canadian Forest Ser­vice, 506 West B rnside Rd.,Victoria, B.C. V8Z IM5.

Please direct your com­ments and inquiries to:Barry Gee,Communications OfficerCanadian Forest ServicePacific and Yukon Region

Contributors: Mark Atherton,Barry M. Gee, David Kosub

B.C. Ministry of Forests1450 Government StreetVictoria, B.C.V8W 3E7Tel: (604) 387-5255

BC~Partnership Agreement on Forest Resource Development: FRDA II

@ Printed on recycled paper