Full impact of record wildfire season on BC forestry unknown
Posted October 29, 2017 7:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – As work continues to repair damage caused by BC’s worst wildfire season on record, the Premier admits he’s worried about how much the province’s forest industry will suffer.
John Horgan says it’s not clear how much harvestable timber has been lost. He adds the fires ripped through the Cariboo and the Interior at a time when those regions just recovered from another disaster.
“Beetle wood has now disappeared and we’re back to a more regular amount of timber available for harvest and job creation.”
While he waits for a report from BC’s Chief Forester, Horgan doesn’t believe this year’s fires will change how many trees will be allowed to come down in the Interior.
“Lumber prices are extremely high –higher than they have been historically and that gives us a great opportunity to get our product at a higher price than usual into the US market to help with the hurricane relief and so on.”
He says he’s also worried about American softwood lumber producers trying to keep Canadian product from getting to market.
“Disconcerting sounds coming from Washington with respect to the forest lobby in the southern states.”
Horgan says there’s no doubt many places that depend on summer-based business are suffering.
“To have 1.2-million hectares of land burned up is a huge impact on those communities. We’re back-stopping those largely tourism businesses, but all small businesses to make sure they can get through the lean times in the winter.”
If you haven’t made plans for the upcoming holidays, Horgan wants you to head up to the Cariboo.
“We put new dollars into promoting tourism –winter tourism. If you haven’t been to Barkerville in the wintertime for some cross-country skiing, I encourage you to go and do that. If you can get through the Cariboo and go to communities that have been affected by the fire and drop down a few of your disposable dollars to help the economy there, that would be a good thing.”
Meanwhile, more than six million dollars has already been spent restoring fences destroyed by flames along provincial highways and at ranches in the path of the fires.
