I am back from a week on the fire line, covering the savage Rock Creek fire. It was a welcome change from covering the city, and it got me out into the country, even if it seems like half of the province is on fire. After covering the human aspects of the Rock Creek fire…

Scientists say climate change is forcing the boreal forest that covers much of northern Canada to a tipping point. The study, published today in the journal Science, points out that temperatures are expected to rise faster and higher in the boreal forest than anywhere on Earth. Those temperatures are likely to bring drier conditions, new…

At last Monday’s Committees of the Whole meeting, councilors were presented with a letter from Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Bill Mauro. Here is the letter in its entirety: Thank you for your letter regarding the location of the southern boundaries of caribou ranges in northeastern Ontario. It was a pleasure to meet on…

Critics say the province is spending huge amounts of taxpayers money fighting forest fires when it should be focusing its efforts on preventing them. Climate models predict hot, dry summers will be the new normal in B.C., and forestry experts such as Lori Daniels say the province needs to be realistic. The province allocated $63 million to fight…

Three Nova Scotia families are being recognized for their management of woodlands. The Woodland Owners of the Year are: • Martha Brown, eastern region and overall provincial winner • Norman, Gary and Brian Melanson, western region • Mike Oulton and family, central region “This award recognizes their commitment to innovative and skilled woodlot management that…

A case of Dutch Elm Disease in the city’s Queen Elizabeth neighbourhood appears to be an isolated case after nine trees in the vicinity tested negative for the wilting disease. “We’re pretty lucky,” said Michelle Chartier, the city’s superintendent of forestry and pest management. “That was kind of a relief to have no more positive…

They’re so tiny you can hardly see them but these little wasps may be the answer to saving the ash tree population in Ontario. The federal government has approved the controlled release of two nearly identical species of wasp that feed on the eggs and larva of the emerald ash borer. The wasps do not have stingers and are around the size…

Wildfire activity throughout B.C.  has  calmed somewhat from the situation  experienced  just a couple of weeks ago. There are 127 wildfires burning in B.C. right now,  three of them  spotted  yesterday.  Those numbers are well below the  days when  as many as 18 new fires were  being reported  on practically  a  daily basis as  most…

Hey Canada! Mother Nature is calling. She wants you to know that climate change is real, and she is going to kick your butt with another bad fire season unless you wake up and smell the smoke. Nearly four million hectares have burned so far this year in Canada – close to double the average…

With an exchange of gifts at the new Campbell River Band office Friday, Wei Wai Kum Chief Robert Pollard and Steve Thompson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, signed a woodland licence agreement designed to enhance employment and economic opportunities in the region. The 25-year First Nations woodland licence allows the Wei Wai…