Williams Lake TSA

Continued from page nine

Weldwood harvests about 600,000 cubic metres of wood out of the Wil- liams Lake TSA annually. Therefore, its reforestation efforts are quite large.

Most of the Crown land in the TSA is used for range land and recreation, which are high priority uses. So any logging and silvicultural activity that Weldwood does must be executed with this in mind.

Weldwood uses feller bunchers and skidders on most of its logging stands in the Fraser Plateau and transition areas, and also utilizes conventional high lead systems in its steeper Quesnel Highlands area.

Like Lignum, Weldwood is plan- ning for a sawlog economy in its plant- ing and silviculture.

“The belief is that there will always be a market for a good quality saw- log,” says Forestry Superintendent Art Lacourciere. “If we aim for a sawlog economy and, in the future, it changes to a fibre economy, then we will have an economic advantage with larger log sizes.”

‘urrently, according to company forester Ernie Schmid, over 90% of Weldwood’s plantations are over mini- mum stocking levels.

Normally the company plants about 1,400 stems/hectare in spruce- pine-fir as a buffer against natural mortality where up to 200-300 stems per hectare can be lost.

This year Weldwood co-ordinated a spring planting from early May until the end of June, and a summer plant- ing from mid-July to September. The company plants 2-3 million seedlings annually.

To prepare the sites for planting

Weldwood uses mechanical site prep- aration. A disc trencher is used on

© Weldwood uses a backhoe to make a series of “mounds” where seedlings are planted. This is done in areas where water tables are

high and/or where soils are extremely cold.

Reforestation efforts in the B.C. interior are largely ignored by the mainstream

media

© Planter puts down seedling on sides of mound where water table is high.

some sites, much like a farmer ploughs a field. The disc trencher removes pine grass, which is a competitor with seedlings, and creates a furrow with better water retention capabilities. It is also used in transition wet belt areas.

Because the furrows flood in spring, seedlings are placed almost 1/2 way up the trench.

Weldwood also uses a “winged rip- per” which digs 2-3 feet into the soil profile. The ripper is mounted behind a D8-Cat. However, this system is utilized only in a few areas where needed. Cattle don’t like to graze in the areas with deep furrows.

On some wet sites a backhoe with a 60-inch bucket is used to make a series of “mounds” where the seed- lings are planted. This mounding is done in areas where soils are cold and for when the water table is high.

By planting seedlings on the side of mounds, roots grow faster as soil temperatures are higher. The grass mat and organic duff which insulates the ground is mixed with mineral soil and results in a good medium for trees roots to grow in.

Weldwood carefully surveys each logged off area and checks cone pro- duction and natural seedling regener- ation. Each harvested area is broken down into “ecosystem associations” to determine what site preparation and planting treatments are needed.

The company monitors the seed crops and picks cones in the areas of operation. This seed is used to grow seedlings which are returned to their native areas and planted.

In its site preparation phase Weldwood carries out the prescribed burning of about 1,000 hectares of recent logging slash in the eastern wet belt areas prior to planting. Burn- ing is used to prepare the ground for planting and control competing brush, which will impact the survival of the plantation.

Another way of controlling compet- ing vegetation is the limited use of chemical herbicides by aerial or ground applications.

For the last five or six years the Ministry of Forests, in co-operation with the government’s Fish and Wild- life Branch, has been allowing sheep grazing in the area for vegetation management. Although no final assessment has been made, early experiments with the sheep have indi- cated that the animals eat only the deciduous vegetation and leave the free growing seedlings behind.

Mr. Lacourciere, who has been in the Williams Lake TSA since the early 70’s, says he’s seen a lot of changes over the year and an increased commitment to successful silvicul- tural treatments.

“In the early 70’s, foresters looked for natural regeneration which, to a great extent, was dependent on how successful seed crops were. As there was no guarantee of success, foresters then turned to planting programs.”

According to Mr. Lacourciere, dur- ing the early years the planting pro- grams were smaller because of low government budgets and low tree nur- sery capacity in the province.

© Lignum employs local Native Band for juvenile spacing and mistletoe eradica- tion.

“Most of the public is largel: unaware of how much we've put pace into the forest and won't see the divi- dends for years to come. Reforesta- tion dollars are long-term invest- ments,” says Mr. Lacourciere.

For politicians, who often look at things in the short-term, reforesta- tion dollars are not an attractive place to put public money to get voters’

support. ‘However, ple whose livelihoods depend on the forest industry realize

the long-term necessity of an increased commitment to our forests.

In the Cariboo Chilcotin country, that commitment is taking place and must continue for the long-term sustainability of forest jobs and the protection of the environment.

12/LUMBERWORKER/AUGUST, 1991