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“INSIDE ls
_ SPORTS MENU C2.

"_SKEENA ANGLER —

Cassiar cut wingy

ET’S DROP our anthropomorphic
bias — let’s forget that bizarre in-
terpretation of scripture that has led
us to the strange conclusion that
everything in creation is there to be exploited
for the benefit of man — and ask this question:

What do we need to know before logging part -
of a forest?

Recently I viewed a video called Critical
Habitat. At one point in the documentary a
scientist held a black and yellow centipede up to
the camera, then told how he and his colleagues
had just discovered that the little creature was
essential to the health of the entire forest be-

cause it chewed up leaf litter, thereby ensuring -

the transformation of vegetation to soil.

It seems this recently identified arthropod and
his fellows are the gut of the entire ecosystem.
A forester not in possession of this bit of knowl-
edge might do powerful mischief to the
centipedes, and ullimately an entire forest
ecosystem, with, say, a herbicide application.

Forest ecologist Chris Maser, in his book The
Redesigned Forest, devotes a lot words to the
critical connexion between mycorrhizal fungi,
voles and ancient trees, more evidence of the in-
credibly complex dynamic of forests.

Given this knowledge, its obvious we need to
have not only an exhaustive inventory of forest
flora and fauna before we put oil in the saw, but
also a damn fine understanding of how these
life forms interact, if we are ever going use
words like responsible, or sustainable, or stew-
ardship, or wise use.

Unfortunately .the more closely you look at

|. _fcosystems the more natural circuitry you dis- |
- cover: things tend toward-infinity, o

Ultimately we may well discover the answer
to today’s question might be: So much that we
may never be able io log.

But our society demands forest products, The
timber industry has irresistible momentum, So,
logging will proceed.

The way we look ata forest prior to logging is
vital. Clearly the process of assessment must
proceed from the inside out, small scale to large
scale, from the soil skyward.

If you were given the job to manage a large
tesort hotel you wouldn’t Hy over the place,
take pictures from 500 feet, return to your of-
fice, run the dala thus gathered through a com-
puter then develop an operating regime.

Somewhere along the line you’d be forced go
through the front door, have a look at the lobby
and the kilchen, check the rooms and shake
hands with the staff, ©

Managing a forest from the air with the use of
computer modeling is equally ridiculous. You

' need to get down and see what’s happening in

the dirt.

If after assessing these factors a forester is
convinced logging is sustainable, he needs to
know its impact on other activities, If the impact
on an existing industry is adverse, and the other
industry is sustainable, some serious thinking
needs to take place,

If the competing interest gencrates more bene-
fits or has the potential to generate more bene-
fits, economically and otherwise, it’s patently
obvious that logging showld take a back seat.
Let’s see what can happen in practise. In Cas-
Siar, the largest timber supply area in the pro-
vince, the District Forest Manager, Gary
Miltenberger has done some analysis. His con-
clusion: the annual cut can be increased by a
power of six,

This in an area renowned internationally for
wildlife and wilderness recreation, the home of
Spatsizi, Tatshenshini, the Grand Canyon of the
Stikine, Kawdy Plateau. Places that grow
animals abundantly and trees grow slowly.

The forest inventory of the area was done on
the wing. No accurate on-site data was gathered.
The computer models used in the analysis were
not for boreal forests, The trees of the boréal
forest are slow growing because of the influence
of the Arctic clime,

A truck lead of trees from Vancouver Istand
represents approximately 750 years of growth,
while it takes about 200 fiber poor trees
representing some 30,000 years of growth to fill
up a iruck in Cassiar.

In the northem boreal forests southern sil- .

vaculture models don’t apply. Any talk of 80 to
100 year rotations is Just so much spinach, In
the Serenghetti of North America it’s more like-
ly that the first cut will be the last.

There has been no Integrated resource man-
agement process, so people there have had no

" input into what appears to be a plan for the liq-

uidation of a large chunk of the boreal forest,
To make things worse, it appears the Casslar
timber — 20,000 truck loads a year of it — will

be hauled to Smithers, Burns Lake and Houston,
If a lumber Industry is viable in Cassiar, then a |

mill ought to be built in Dease Lake so that the
residents may benefit fully from it...

Ay “SECTION C
“MALCOLM BAXTER 638-7283,

One for the books |

‘THERE MAY be a place for
Mort Feddersen in the Guin-
ness Book of Records.

After all, how many rookies
can claim to have taken home
an ‘A’ event bonspiel trophy
after only three weeks curling?

Feddersen’s meteoric prog-
tess began the first week of

January when he was picked
up by the Brown rink to fill a -

gap that had opened up at lead
on the Thursday night men’s
team...

He impressed his new team-
mates immediately with ‘a
delivery better than expected
from a beginner and weight
control to match.

With only three league
games under his belt — all
victories — Feddersen found
himself in his first bonspiel,
the Legion Open held here
Jan. 27-29,

Mental attitude is a big part
of curling and from the first
game Feddersen showed he’
had the right stuff, keeping

cool as the wins and the pres- ..

sure mounted.
After surviving an ugly third

game which they were lucky . .

to win, the Brown rink started
rolling.
Deadly on his guard weight
and rarely missing takeouts,
Feddersen allowed the quartet
to get the pressure on early in:

. end after end, a major factor in

their progress to the final.
‘There it was more of the

same, Feddersen setting up the
end, second Bob Brown and...

‘third Tracy Hittel (both from

Kitimat) tightening the grip
and skip Maicolm Baxter
being left to thraw mostly
guards,
Facing Glen Baker of
Smithers, the Brown quartet
teak control with a four in the
first then salted it away with
back-to-back steals of two in

i ae

ii

Re bee

Sook SOLID in his debut bonspiel, rookie Mort Feddersen handled lead duties.
on the Bob Brown rink, The half Terrace-half Kitimat quartet took ‘A’ event at the
jan. 27-29 Legion Open bonspiel. Add last Thursday night's league victory to. the

the fourth and fifth.
Baker shook hands after six
on the wrong end of 2 10-1

scoreline,

After the presentations, in
which Feddersen picked up a
plaque and a mountain bike,
he admitted, ‘‘I’m still in
shock.”

_ Pointing out the team had -

now won nine straight since
adding the rookie, Brown said,
‘‘He’s. obviously our lucky

Time to
LOCAL CROSS country
skiing’s biggest event of the
year is only 10 days away.

The Alcan Marathon takes
place at fhe Onion Lake trails
Saturday, Feb. 18 and once
again a large turnout is ex-
pected,

It's the 14th year the races
have been held and there are
four distances — 5km, 10km,
20km and the marathon dis-
tance of 40km.

The skiing technique is clas-
sic and includes a mass start at
10 a.m,

Registration takes place in
person 9:00-9:45 a.m. and

‘spiel string of wins and Feddersen now boasts a 10-0 lifetine record,

mascat,’’

Alter a weekend which pro-
duced many close games, all
three finals proved disappoint-
ing in the suspense depart-
mnt

In ‘B’ skip John Kennedy,
third Duane Melanson, second

there is no entry fee.

Hot drinks, snacks and other
refreshments will be available
along the’ marathon trail and
all competitors can enjoy
apres race hot dogs and warm
drinks,

There are also prizes for the
first male and female in the
40km and first male and fe-
male junior (15 years and un-
der) over 20km.

In addition all skiers will get

a chance at spot draw prizes,

Once the marathon is over, __

all racers can warm up in the

hotspring pools courtesy: of ©

Mount Layton Hotsprings. .

She nose how to escape.

TRACKS SEEN on the Onion Lake trails underline the pos
sibility a cross country skier’s day out could include running into .

a moose,

Which might not be a pleasant encounter, depending on the.
mood of the beast. In case it isn’t, Terry Brown of the local club

points to an Associated Press story from Norway.

Kari Haugen, 33, was skiing near her home 80km north of Oslo
when she was charged and knocked down by a buli moose.
Pinned down by one hoof and being kicked with the other, she -
remembered horses had sensitive noses and took a chance the .

same might apply to moose,

She stuck her thumb in one nostril, a finger i in the other and

pinched with all her might. It worked — the moose Teapt back

and she escaped with minor cuts and bruises,
> So if it-ever happens to. you, just remember the Haugen
~Manouevre, a ae

Theresa Melanson and. lead
Stacey Ottenbreil comfortably
defeated Gomez of Prince
Rupert in eight while Andrew
Simpson, Kathy Simpson,
Kelly Olson and Gail Bassett
blew out fellow Terracite
Perry in the c final.

Dennis and Jones took third
and fourth in ‘A’, L..
Kawinsky and Parker the
equivalent spots in ‘B’ while,
Davidson and. Bennett’ filled
out the placings in‘C’._

A total of 50 rinks took part
in the "spiel.

wax up for Ski marathon —

ae oo

‘CROSS COUNTRY skiers of-all ages will be taking to
the Onion Lake trails Saturday; Feb. 18 for this year's -
Alcan Marathon, (and shorter distance). races,