PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The North Central Municipal Association is supporting a pilot project by the  Western Silvicultural Contractors Association. The project will see immediate action in replanting areas devastated by the mountain pine beetle.

The pilot project proposes reforesting thousands of hectares of beetle-killed forests by first strategically harvesting the dead wood and sorting it into sawlogs, pulpwood, and biomass.

 

The wood would be auctioned at the roadside to support existing sawmills and kick start bio-energy opportunities. The revenues from the wood sales would pay for the ensuing landscape level restoration as well as provide valuable experience in finding practical ways to restore beetle plagued forests to health, harvest bio-mass, and reduce the growing wildfire threat.

 

NCMA President Murry Krause said “We are planning to work more closely with the WSCA in future and have invited the organization to do a presentation to our members at our AGM and Convention in Dawson Creek in May.”

In announcing their support for the WSCA initiative, which has already been presented to the province’s new Minister of Forests Pat Bell, NCMA Executive members credited the “Putting the Forest Back in Forestry Tour” as the motivational impetus to back the proposal.

 

WSCA Executive Director John Betts welcomed the support from NCMA. “This is a real step forward for both our organizations,” said Betts. “The WSCA has developed a plan to work with local governments who we believe can make a significant contribution to restoring the forests to health through fire threat reduction, bio-energy projects, and ensuring forest-based communities benefit directly from forestry activities. We are encouraging a number of groups and organizations to join us in resolving these important forestry issues.”