Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 16, 1991 —

; TERRACE -~ Time was when -
_ the ‘forest service's process in
, Stawing up a management plan
: simply involved advertising its
- intention to do so and ‘asking
the public to contact its office if.
__ they.had any concerns,
-” However, says Norm Parry, 2
Rew approach is being used in

Public gets say in fores

drawing up the Service’s latest
Antegrated resource manage-

‘ment plan, this one for. the
Thunderbird area south of Ter-
Tace. ~

__ Responsible for the Kalum
forest district's small business

Program, Parry heads up a |

‘group responsible for producing
the plan. arn i

. Emphasizing. the forest ser-

vice is making-a concerted ef- -

fort to seek public opinion, he
said increased public awareness
of environmental issues had
prompted the change.

_ Although ‘tomorrow . night’s
public meeting — it gets under
way at 7:30 p.m. in the Inn of
the West — is the most visible

sign of that change, Parry said a.

lot of consultation had already

taken place. Since November of

Jast year, many local groups had
‘been contacted and asked what
issues they. wanted addressed in
drawing up the plan,
__ To co-ordinate that process,
‘the ministry had hired focal

1 fishing’ guide Jim Culp. Con-
ceding the move was unusual, _

, mie rcs
Norm Parry
Calis for retention of old
growth forests and bio-diversity
were other new factors,
-? However, points out
planning-inventory officer
Glenn Smith. — he’s also a
member of the planning team —
there is a ripple effect to be con-
sidered when deciding whether
to cut or preserve,
Harvesting a site with a

"4

“We | wanted.

somebody that didn't

have the traditional
Forest Service eyes,” —
Parry.

Parry ‘explains, “We wanted —-

“:- somebody that didn’t have ‘the
-~ traditional Forest Service eyes." ”
~ Culp, he adds, is also familiar
_..with both the area (see map at.
oS spight) and many of those in-
-"s sterested parties, ot

~ “Noting this management plan

~ will be more detailed than those
_-,-Preduced only 10 years ago,

-Parry said that reflects the. in-
creased. emphasis on en-

~*~ vironmental issues these days.

For example, he says the En-
vironment’ ministry itself has
changed “its emphasis. Where

ee pegleusly i ‘was concetried'oit-

Mabiout ie lefects bf ldgdilis
~ ON game animals such as moose,

ee deer and bear, now it is also
.~.” focusing ‘on other species.

_ Thunderbird area profile
a _ Prior to beginning the public consultation pro-
cess, the Forest Service prepared an information
_ Sheet. which offers a profile of the Thunderbird
area, The following is a summary of its contents.
2a” Land Ownership
“:° @ Crown land makes up the greater part of the

area.

‘Lakelse River, “a

timat airport ‘and adjoining.

e Private residential and commercial proper-
-lies_are found around Lakelse Lake, along the
“Beam Station Rd., ‘at Old Remo and the speed-
track: There are elso numerous undeveloped
rivate lots, many. of which have already been
®-Four Indian reserves are located along the -
tie ‘federal government owns the Terrace.

<-@:Parks:and tecreatlon’“areas include the
- Lakelse Lake picnic site, Furlong Bay provincial

specific type of habitat increases -

pressure to preserve similar
habitat nearby. Conversely,
“lock up’’ an area to preserve
wildlife values and that can
simply. bring increased presure
to cut elsewhere.

Old growth retention plann-
ing also must recognize the
Forest Service has no control
over harvesting on private
lands. Therefore, private Forests
cannot be included in any
preservation formula.

Smith says determining the

oF fal

breakdown bétiveen“privattly.

Sy Deabteier pia cence ttre e bo da Be
and ‘ publically.owned ‘Forest

lands will be part of a detailed
information package being put

mice

legged frogs.

See
Jim Culp
together by the service. Also in-
cluded will be the extent of logg-
ing in the Thunderbird to date
and the progress of regeneration
where logging has occurred.
kkk.

. . Maintaining the consultation
: process for the “Thunderbird

area should not be dismissed as
merely a ‘“‘public. relations
gesture’, Jim Culp says it
should instead be seen as a new
direction in forest management.

However, while the goal is to
Produce “something real: and

‘ meaningful,” he is under no il-

fusions about the enormity of

the task faced.

"Given any plan mist try to

‘accommodate many different
. initerests, he concedes, “It’s a

challenge...and there are going
to have to be some difficult

‘decisions made in the end."

The initial round of consulta-
tion over, Culp said a draft
document will now be drawn up

which outlines different op-

tions, the potential impact of
each on other resources and
their feasibility. ;

That document would be the

subject of a further public
meeting March 27 after which a
“preferred option” will be
selected. Following further
review and’comment' by inierese
srébps, “the* final” management
plan ‘should be completed by
May. oe m

moose, black-tailed deer and wolves as well as fur

bearers such as martin, fox, fisher and beaver.
-® There is a large and diverse population os

smal] mammals including shrews, voles and field

° Reptiles and amphibians found there include
the common garter snake and tailed and red-

‘Fish

* Offering “near perfect spawning gravels’',
_ Very productive rearing areas and unusually warm
' waters, the Lakelse River drainage is the most
Productive in the Skeena system.
* Salmon spawning escapements have reached
as high as 1.5 million pinks, 35,000 coho, 20,000
sockeye and 400 chinook, .
* Other “recreational species’’ present include
steelhead, cutthroat and ‘rainbow trout, dolly
varden char and a variety of “coarse” fish such

Coldwater

| SE - Creek

fBlt ties &
. yi

ape
as
S Speer’ Ss

: os park; the Ministry of Forests Lakelse River camp-

‘recreation area...
_: Old Growth Forests
emaining old growth forests identified are

, e than 63 non-game bird species are
fouzid inthe watershed from common robins to
bald:eagles and trumpeter swans, 0.
Game bird spécies include ruffed and blue

site, Gruchy's Beach and the Herman and Hai

higher elevation forests along Herman Mountain:”
ind the northwest corner of the Planning area and

as suckers and squawfish.
mo _ Recreation
* The Lakelse River and Lake are recognized
; BS.regionally significant recreational areas for
local residents and tourists, 9 < -
* Recreational pursuits include picnicking and
camping, swimming and boating, sport fishing

and wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing and -

“snow mobiling, ._
7 Thmber 2°

_. © There has already been considerable
harvesting in the area under three categories:
timber licences along the Lakelse River, timber
_ Sale licences throughout the area and logging of.
‘privatelands.

:'® Harvesting on’ private lands cannot be

5 pei Boy

TERRACE -~ Although it
will be some while yet before
Skeena Cellulose finalizes its
new five-year management
plan for Tree Farm Licence
I, company silviculturist Ar-
chie MacDonald says it will
be quite different from the
current one. sO

Although that is due in
part to changed economic
conditions — in 1986, when
the last one was drawn up,
the industry was just coming
out of the recession — he

said ‘‘the number one
reason” jis the. emphasis
Skeena Cellulose had placed
on soliciting public input this
time,

MacDonald said that was
being achieved’ through a
series of meetings with ‘just
about any interest group we
could think. of and in-
cluding native bands,
anglers, . local governments
and senior government agen-

After initial sessions with
these groups, an ‘objectives
statement’’ had’ been
developed and. more
meetings held to discuss that
document. .A draft plan was
now. being prepared- and
would be-the subject of one:
more round of meetings.

CI staying in touch’

Archie McDonald

date as ‘‘constructive™’, he
said the company had heard
“some good, legitimate con-
cerns,"

Some of those, he noted,
included issues the company
had from the outset decided
ta. tackle, issues which
perhaps did mot get enough
detailed attention last time.
Those included the use of
herbicides, slash . burning,
fish habitat protection,
wildlife values and clear cut-
ting.

On clear cutting, for exam-
ple, Skeena Cellulose was

. already targetting a reduc-

aren grad a a dige,

ahgiic cages entegned

fee! asp

tion in the size of the average
block from 6Sha to 4Qha,
However, while that would
meet public concerns and
assist in natural regeneration
— shorter distances to seed
trees — it also meant more
road construction and
therefore increased potential
for erosion.

Another problem was
while smaller openings
favoured some wildlife
species, others did better
where there were larger ones.

Despite the difficulties
arising from such conflicting
goals, MacDonald: said he
was pleased with the way the
process was going at the mo-
ment,

rxkkk

TFL 1 covers 600,000ha
extending from the Nass
River between the Kiteen and
Ishkheenickh south to in-
clude the Whitebottom and
Copper River areas.

The net operable forest —
where harvesting is possible
— makes up only 27 per cent.
of that area but still accounts
for approximately 70 per.
cent of the company’s
available timber. :

-Skeena Cellulose logs.
1,800ha in TFL | each year
with the yield breaking down

"G

‘and mallard and-pintail ducks, _ fegulated under the Thunderbird planning. pro-

Describing the sessions to
“Include. ‘black bears, Stizzlies, cess. — a

60:40 sawlogs to pulp logs. 7

P says ine ustry chang ing too slowly
TERRACE — There ate “wore positive | , ome

iF] t
ah the ‘limes, bar age Shang
Fulton says it still hes a long way to go.

While the introduction of new effluent
_ technology -~ at Repap's Watson Island

However, he adds, ‘'That’s not being
done.” ;

Maintaining greed is one of the root
causes Of these problems, he suggests
"shareholders are pushing management
io make more money, more quickly and

out one third of the organized jobs had
disappeared over that same period.
Meanwhile, he says, a federal forestry
report. claims 44,6 per cent of all areas
harvested-over the past ten years are not
‘propery regenerated.

Takla cutting rights to Prince George “
operations rather than the closer ; oy
Hazeltons-Smithers mills also “rock the
confidence the public have,’"*he adds,-

Inevitably, he says, the cumulative ef-._.
fect of the above will be greater demands

pulp mill for example — shows that side that causes cutting plans.to be based'on "Tae present forest licy strikes Ot for regional or local control | try
of the industry récognizes and is acting profitability Instead of environment and:.°> ali counts,” he maintains ae decisions. “That may be al ser pa 7
on public concetns, he does not believe regeneration grounds. That's ‘wheve. .' Charging the industry is “creaming the ingtoendup,
the industry is moving quickly enough in we're losing out.” ae source’? and then itaving single in- ‘ ak ge
the area of overall forest. management. Many. of those shareholders, he adds,:-: dustry towns to face the consequences of Meanwhile, the politicians will have to

answer to the residents of forest-hased:
communities. ‘'The overwhelming :ma-*
jority of non-urban seats in British.

are neither British Columbians nor even
. Canadians. and therefore do’ not..care
- “what happens here. : ae

mull’ slowdowns or closures, Fulton says
uch communities have become increas-
ingly Uncertain ‘about.the reliability of

quality protected
tect wildlife and

«While the lost decade had seen profits:-‘the information they're being. given by umbia will roll out of office those. who
‘skyrocket”® and the annual cut doub ‘both industry and corernmment ef We have been responsible for the pillage of

"our: forests," he predic

more than 100 ralllion cu.m., he such aa awarding the Sustu-

. f

y

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