All Aboard for The Save Our Community Rally
By 250 News
Friday, May 23, 2008 03:58 AM
Prince George, B.C. - The parking lot of the Dairy Queen on Third Avenue in Prince George will be busy this morning as people prep to get on board a bus bound for the Mackenzie “Save Our Community Rally”.
Supporters from Prince George and Fort St. James are expected to attend the rally which gets underway at 8:30 this morning in Mackenzie at the Alexander Mackenzie Mall.
Also in Mackenzie today, the Forestry Roundtable. The session is, once again, a closed door, invitation only affair, although rally organizers say the invitation list for Mackenzie seems to have “grown” since word of their rally started spreading.
The rally is taking place on the same day the District of Mackenzie would like residents to submit their ideas for job creation and how to best use the $2 million dollars recently awarded by the Province. The District asked residents to submit ideas which could be put into action quickly.
Nearly 2,000 workers in Mackenzie are off the job because of the reduced workforce at Canfor, the closure of Abitibi Bowater and the Pope and Talbot operations.
According to the Forestry roudtable website, here are the highlights of the issues raised at the meetings held so far:
Issues
- There is a shortage of skilled forest professionals - Industry and Province must partner to support increased training & recruitment of forest professionals
- Stumpage system needs reform
- First Nations tenures aren’t currently viable
- The Province must support a balance between traditional uses of forest and new uses (e.g, bioenergy), providing stability to traditional uses while encouraging new uses
Opportunities
- Community forests & woodlot licenses offer opportunities for smaller enterprises that can respond to market demands and shifts more quickly, understand the communities in which they operate better, and are better positioned to get the maximum value out of a given parcel of land
- Problems with recruitment of skilled professionals can be addressed in part by targeted efforts to educate youth about the advantages and opportunities of a career in forestry
- Better education of the broader Provincial public about the importance of forestry as a contributor to the Province’s health will result in more public support for the industry
- Longer term tenures will incent greater investment in the forest industry
|
|
|
Issues
- Communities must be true partners in any landbase decision
- Lack of coordination between different government agencies (e.g., provincial government, local government, federal government, cross-jurisdictional committees) adds to the costs of operating in the forest sector
- Tenure system needs reform
- Stumpage system needs reform
Opportunities
- Biomass & biochemical industry
- There is much room for better coordination & cooperation between different parts of the forest industry (logging, processing, bioenergy) to ensure the best and most productive use of land
- Markets can be developed for different uses of Beetle-killed wood (e.g., wood pellets)
- Beetle-killed wood may be viable longer than expected
- With greater security of the timber harvesting landbase, the forest industry will be encouraged to invest more and over a longer term.
|
|
|
Issues:
- Management and utilization of waste wood
- First Nations tenure viability
- Tenure system needs reform
- Stumpage system needs reform
- Water management needs a higher profile in forest management
- Transportation capacity
Opportunities:
- Ecosystem restoration opportunities for establishment of new forests in Mountain Pine Beetle infested areas
- Log exports can support industry
- Security of the timber harvesting landbase to support the forest industry
- Partnerships with First Nations
- Coordination of planning with ranching industry and forest industry to benefit both
- Community forest tenures
- Inland port capacity
|
|
|
Issues:
- Cost downloads from government
- Rising energy prices
- Stumpage system needs reform
- Tenure system needs reform
- Management and utilization of waste wood
Opportunities:
- Security of the timber harvesting landbase to support the forest industry
- Engage youth in the forestry profession
- New products such as bio-energy
- Ecosystem restoration opportunities for establishment of new forests
- Partnerships with First Nations
|
|
|
Issues:
- Tenure system needs reform
- Stumpage system needs reform
- Community stability is linked to forest industry stability
- First Nations’ tenure viability
- Management and utilization of waste wood
Opportunities:
- Promote forestry as a green industry
- Longer term tenures to incent greater investment
- Security of the timber harvesting landbase to support the forest industry
- Log exports can support industry
- Partnerships with First Nations
|
|
|
Issues:
- Tenure system needs reform
- Stumpage system needs reform
- First Nations’ tenure viability
- Woodlot licence administrative processes with government need streamlining
- Fee structures for tenures, rents, obligations, deposits and penalties needs review
Opportunities:
- Community forests
- Educate youth to enter forestry as a profession
- Longer term tenures to incent greater investment
- New smaller markets exist for fibre that larger producers may not be interested in supplying
|
Previous Story -
Next Story
Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 03:58 AM in
News by
250 News
Email
Print
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Del.icio.us
Posted by: anniemartin on May 23 2008 7:46 AM
I'll just bet it will a "pep" rally!
Sounds like it will be a big one!
Make some noise MacKenzie!