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By MALCOLM BAXTER
MORE THAN 150 north-
westemers could be out of a job
as a result of reductions in ihe
amount of wood that can be
logged in the Kalum and Nass
limber supply areas (TSA).

Chief forester Larry Pedersen
released his decisions on the an-
nual allowable cuts (AAC) for the -
two TSAs last Thursday,

Pedersen has reduced the
Kalum AAC. by 3.3 percent to
_ 464,000 cu.m, and the Nass AAC
by eight per cent to 1.15 million
cu.m., both effective January 1.

The Forest Service estimates
that will cause the loss of 98
direct and 53 indirect person-
years of work in the northwest.

But that doesn’t translate to just
151 people being affected, ‘local

Logging
areas get

protection.

By MALCOLM BAXTER

A’ NEW. Democrat . government”.

will introduce legislation. to pro-:
tect the provines’s iworking
forest.

Forests minister Andrew Petter
gave that pledge last Friday in an_
interview wilh the Terrace Stan-—
dard.

Petter acknowledged a. lot of
uncertainty existed as (9 how
‘much land claims settlements,
crealion of new parks and other
land use decisions would reduce
the area available for harvesting,

At the same time, he maintained
those were issues that would not
be solved simply by ignoring
them. vos

However, the result of complet

ing those processes: ‘would essen:

district forest resource . officer
Dave Nicholson confirmed. It
could take the hours worked by
several part-time or seasonal
workers to add up to one person-
year of employment, he ex-
plained.

However, he also emphasized

“the figures were only an.estimate. © -

“We'll have to see if they prove
out,” .

AS for what the effect will be -
_on individual companies, large ”
‘and ‘small,:that’s not known: yet

and won't be for some months. |

Kalum district manager Brian
Downie explained the chief for-
ester’s decision is only the first —
step. It’s now up to forest minis- ~’
ter Andrew Petter to decide how *
the reduction is spread over the.
various licencees, including the

Forest Service’s own Small Busi-
ness program. .
Downie said the local district

will prepare-a report for the min-

ister outlining ‘different’ options
for apportioning the cut and the

possible impacts of each. The -
feport will nat ‘coritain | any,

recommendation, he added.

-Downle could not say | how long.
that — dnd the minister's deci-":
sion —-would take; ‘but doubted |
the other shoe’ would drop by the .

end of the year, °*”

TE the Proposed: cuts are applied
equally “across ~ all licences,

Skeena Sawmills: manager Bruce

MacNicol said the Kalum reduc-

‘ton will. have little effect on his.

operation:

2 ‘That's ‘because: only a small.
: volume of its wood comes from

reatens jobs"

there so the potential loss is an
“insignificant” 850 cu.m./year, ‘
It's avery different story with
the Nass, however, where the
company would “Tose 20,000
‘cu.m. of timber, That, MacNicol
‘pointed out; translated to 7.5 days
‘Production at.the Terrace mill.
“He'said the company would at-

‘tempt to cover that shortfall with

purchases. from elsewhere. While
optimistic it. could do so, -he

pointed out it would simply | be at

the. ‘expense of. whatever ‘mill

‘might have - ‘bought that wood.
” “Someone, somewhere loses,’*

As for the effect on.jobs, Mac-
Nicol « said. “Skeena, . Sawmills
would likely: “spread the pain?’

“across its logging” contractors

which would trinslate to eight per

; cent less work for them. .

tially be -to. define what areas | a

were available for logging. ©

And, recognizing the’ need for

“some - degree of permanency’’,
he said the government would
then pass legislation to protect the
newly defined operable forest,

Petter explained it-would work
along the same lines as current
legislation which protects areas
that have been designaled as
parkland.

That approach would provide
stability for the industry through-
out the province, he. added.

Local industry reacted
enthusiastically to news, of Pet-
ter's promise,

‘Its something we’ve been

proponents of for a long time,”

said Skeena Sawmills: manager.
Brice MacNicol. “I think that
would be an excelient move on
the government’s part and jong
overdue,”

While there was gencral agree-
ment different areas should - be,
protected for different reasons,
“fwe tend to forget the forcst in-.
dustry is very critical for British |
Columbia,’”

He suggested neither govern-
Ment nor industry could be ex-
pected to spend a lot of money on
the forest. land -base if: they .
couldn’t be sure they would be

“able to reap the benefits of: that
investment.

- Echoing that point, Skeena Cel-
lulose woodlands manager. Tim
Fenton said having a. defined
forest base would encourage {n-
vestnent not just in the land, but
also in manufacturing plants,

Investment in plant was. hard to
justify, be poirited out, unless
there was ‘an’ assured supply of
wood to’put through it,

*‘It would create. a lot bette

try,” he added. .

Russian Sunflowers,

ry | Tallest i in Terrace?

THESE BRIGHT BEAUTIES climbed past the roof of the Philippes* shed to stand 4 proud
13'3” tall, Jessie Philippes grew the glant sunflowers from plants given to her by: friends. -}-
Shantel and Charity Pritchard. ‘Though the Philippes family has grown sunflowers: before, .
they've never reached such heights, For interested gardeners, the Variety In * question is Giant

“Mills” “Meiiorial

~ Force, which Teporied earller” hi
summer:

By JEFF NAGEL
IF AN ELECTION were called
today, which opposition party
would have the most money to
batile NDP MLA Helmut Gies-
brecht?

Nat the Liberals, They claim to
have a bit more than $6,000 in the
bank,

Not B.C. Reform. They may be
‘better organized: than the Liber-

_ als, but trail much’ further back In:
the quest for cash. « 7
Believe it or not, ‘the: ‘biggest
: eel war chest in Skeena Fight
: |

Comeau won t say how much is -
left over. in the constituency asso-
clation’s account, but he. denies

suggestions the sumber is as high:

as $50,000.

 *Tt’s'a sizable amount’ but: it
‘doesn’t ‘approach. “that ‘igure,
- Comeau says. | -

“Weve looked : after. those

: funds and been very frugal,’’ he
. says. “We've been holding .the |.
fort and now we're waiting for.
some of our ‘people to come: out:
‘of the woodwork,"

So fat Social Credit is: a ‘shell: of
the onganizatio tha that: defended in

“Premier ‘Bill Vander Zain’s
self-destruction and: the party’s
eventual defeat under Rita
Johnston was expected: to wipe
out the party across the province,

All but one of the Social Credit’
MLAs that escaped oblivion four 78 here, -he says,’ the. Skeena
~. years ago defected ‘to. B.C,

o Reform, led by Jack Welsgerber.”

- Party “leader. Larry.: Gillsndere

‘ bas no. seat, but carries on a
Marginal ‘existance, beaming his

And as far as mill employees
were concemed, if the company
couldn’t find replacement work,
they would lose more than a
week's work.

Skeena Cellutose (Scr) wood-
lands manager Tim Fenton said

:any reduction in.the AAC would

obviously have an impact on the
company’s operations.

However, . “admitted,

. “Overall, it?s a as bad. as: I

originally thought it might: be,??,
Fenton . agreed . uncertainties
about the accuracy of estimates of
the amount of standing timber out
there and how fast new. forests
grow. back ‘left -question. marks
hanging over.the AAC i issue, — -
On the whole; however, he was
optimistic. there was. greater
Potential for

Hospital

increasing. Bs the

-amount of wood available inthe. >
:Kalum than had beed. secousted. ;

for in Pedersen’s rational

For example, 80° per
SCI’s _cutblocks®
restocked - even’ overstocked. in’

some cases —by ministry stan-)<

Sards within two years of, cutting,

. That was-one to four years car= .-
‘lier than the standards. ‘used: ‘in the "

Aimber supply review ‘Ped

had used in making his decision -

. He also” ‘conceded there

serious questions ‘about | possible *
‘overestimation’ of the, standing .

timber volumes. -

* But on the other side of the coin .
Fenton noted ‘a ‘consultant:had™
suggested the. Forest Service‘had
Significantly underestimated the
Tate. at which: new forests. would’.

grow in that area,

pleas”

fall on deaf ears.

HEALTH MINISTER Paul
Ramscy..doesn’t want to hear
“Hospital's |
repeated pleas for « bigget budget

_ recognizing its regional sérvice,:..

He told, The Standard: Friday

that a major change to. the way, .

the health ministry views Mills
Memorial just isn’t:'on with the
Skeena Regional. Health. Board
getting prepared to take control of
regional health spending,

“We're. _ not...
interfere with the: Process that.the
regional — health .. board has
underway,’? Ramsey. said. ‘Let's
get real here, It’s.time to stop
asking Victoria ta sort out health
care incach region.

“We have to have the regions
sort it out theraselvés” ‘and. that’s
what the health’: “boards ‘are
undertaking!” oc. °°

Ramsey said: the ministy wil
merely continue. to. ‘work: with
Mills Memorial as. Jit. has i in the
past, Cea
**Taxpayer .: “fans: are. * not
unlimited and we ‘have to ask-all
facilities to achieve: the’ ‘greatest
efficiency that they can,?” he. said, |

“Mills Memorial Hospital; like |
other hospitals, has:to do What.it.-.

can to achieve efficiency:
Ramsey-. ‘called © news. ou
across northem B.C. Frida tore
announce ©": two.’
unveiled programs to: help small
communities»: recruit” ;
physiclins © and -help: subsidize

", holiday relief for existing ohes.

Those programs came out of the
Northem ‘and Rural Health. Task -

The eoruilment and slocaid
assistance: ‘programs will’ be of '

_} tittle use to Terrace, he

Socr ed cash is election wildcar

it to unseat Giesbrecht,

But that’s not they, says :

Comeau. . .
If no. Social ‘Credit: ‘candidate

~ war chest might be transferred to.
help ‘Socred candidates in other

paris of the province...
Corneaw isn’t brepared to, con,
cede, cnet :

Messages by) fax “to newarooms, 7

~ ground the province,
Bit.

t with'an lection "expected
Socred cash

‘prepared’ to .

“previously -

mew ¢

Get real, _
board: told.

Paul Ramsey

' The number of specialists here ;
Or planning to move here is'at ari-.
“all-time high. - And° the © locim-

- assistance. program : is. only. for :

communities with Mire or:
physicians... ae

are’ trying. to igure out h a :

‘hospital will maintain its , Present
leyel ‘of service: in: ‘th fa
ee

“Care or has: decided ta defy

. Victoria: and:n Tun a budget Aeficlt
Aad they? LP F

away. We' re atill here. And we're
Jooking for new members, Séme
of our best members are the ones
that signed up in recent Years.”
Hé'noted there are more than'20
“candidates confirmed © dn other.
-constituenciess::) 2...
He sald that’s: because of the in

dependence of the, party’s: indi-

vid al nstituency. associations,

; 0 ne 4
that’s been one of the etait ¢ of

. Social Credi

were. fully

ria Taverna TT