ae

paneer

~ Women In Timber — it’s
~ a process of education

by Stephanie Wiebe

"Our purpose is to educate
people about what the forest indus-
try is doing,” says Diana Wood,
president of the Terrace branch of

Canadian. Women in Timber. "We

try to get the facts and-stay away
from emotionalism and sensation-
alism."

Terrace’s CWIT organization
claims about 25 local members out
of 600 nation-wide. Despite the
name, members include not only
women but also men and students

. interested in multiple resource use,
Why the need for another resource
group? Wood, a Forest Resource
Technician by trade, cites one
example which sparked her interest
in CWIT. "A man that I know,
who’s been building logging roads
for years, asked me whether we
could make a difference. The

feeling I got from him was that he’

felt guilty about being in the forest

‘industry. He felt guilty for what

the industry has done in the past.
"I guess the message is that we

FAST
FOREST
FACTS

sponsored by

Canadian} Women
in Timber

Terrace Branch

FACT: Timber is a natural
material. it is ecologically
benign to grow, fell and
replant. It is a renewable
resource. It can be virtually
endlessly recycled. (source:
Timber Research and

; Development Association)

shouldn't feel guilty about the way
we make a living,

“Mankind has always used the
forest," Wood explains, "Up until
about 50 years ago, he basically
cleared the !and — exploiting the
forest. It’s in our history. But in
the last few years, things have -
really changed, the industry is
changing. For example, clearcut
areas are becoming smaller, except
for diseased areas and forest fires."

Wood notes that many people
aren’t aware of new trends in
forest management. "Just planting
the trees isn’t endugh any more. If
you're going to use the trees for
wood products, you’ve got to look.
after the forests. You plant the best
seed that you have, fertilize it, then
there’s weeding, spacing and thin-
ning. And at the same time, tne
area is still available for other uses
— there’s still fish, wildlife and
recreational uses.

Wood also says that media
reports sensationalize the. issues,
"B.C, is not Brazil. We have a lot
of controls.” The organization aims
to counter many of the modern
myths about forests in this prov-
ince by providing information and
encouraging education. "It may not
be as interesting as someone chain-
ing themselves under a vehicle
swrounded with gasoline to block
a logging road, but it will last
longer. We need a reasonable
voice, promoting wise use of forest
resources for the benefit of all.”

We'll meet you

"Even if we recycled every
newspaper, we still need to cut
down trees. Paper can’t be 100
percent recycled, you have to use
new fibre or the paper isn’t strong
enough to hold together. If we.
don’t want to log any more areas,
then we have to use the small
amount of land we have to pro-
duce more fibre. And maybe we
should take a look at the paper we
do use, and the packaging. "

Considering the local branch has

Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 8, 1991 C13

only been in existence for less than

a year, its members are certainly
active. They solicited funds for
two teachers to attend EduFor ’91,
a national educational conference
on forestry in schools; sponsored
workshops, and have compiled an
educational forestry resource list.
They also hosted educational con-
tests in this year’s district science
fair. Pat Fechiner, Chairman of
CWIT’s national beard, says of the
Terrace branch, "They’re just the
perfect example of what we hope
to accomplish, with the kind of
projects we wanted to support
when we organized."

Diana Wood sums it up. "The
underlying message is, if you’re
concerned, find out the facts and
get involved."

The Terrace branch of Canadian
Women in Timber will hold its
next meeting Wednesday, June Sth,
at 7:30 in the Skeena Health Unit
Auditorium. For more information,
phone Diana at 638-1602.

n your mailbox

~ «MACHINE SHOP
“. FACILITIES

_ «FABRICATING
©. «STRUCTURAL
STEEL SALES

“PORTABLE WELDING

WESTERN PACIFIC
MAINTENANCE LTD.

‘LATHE

‘BOAT REPAIRS

SMALL WE DO IT ALL” —

"ALUMINUM WELDING
‘MOBILE UNITS
‘MACHINING

FACILITI ES

635-9523
OR

635-5779

3415 HIGHWAY 16

FAX 635-6754

i

Diana Wood: | guess the message is that we shouldn't feel guilty
about the way we make a living.

Buffalo Head
Forest ce
Products.

The most
northerly :
forest licence _
in the
Pacific |
Northwest, |
Buffalo Head ©
Forest aS
Products
is —
headquartered
in Stewart, :
serving the
Great
Northwest!

2nd Ave.,
Stewart
636-2271