There is “no relief coming in the immediate future” for northern communities affected by forest fires, the provincial government says. “It’s fairly obvious we’re in a significant forest fire season. We’ve been days into and we have days to come,” said Colin King, deputy commissioner of the province’s emergency management and fire safety branch. As…
The N.W.T. Department of Transportation closed two highways Saturday as a combination of lightning, hot, dry weather and high winds continued to spark new fires and help existing ones to spread. Highway 6, the road to Fort Resolution, closed early Saturday afternoon. A fire burning in the area jumped the highway and campers were being told…
Yukon Wildland Fire Management is looking for truck drivers to help move crews, vehicles and equipment around the territory. The agency is compiling a list of drivers with Class 3 or Class 4 licenses who can work one or two weeks at a time during what’s turned into a busy forest fire season. Local fire districts…
A forest fire burning on the shores of Harrison Lake is still approximately 0.5 hectares in size as of this morning. Fire Information officer Donna McPherson says the fire, which was human-caused, is not threatening any structures. The fire is within the Harrison Hot Springs Fire Department jurisdiction, but they called in provincial coastal fire…
Auditor General Kim MacPherson has released a new report detailing audits into infection control in hospitals, as well as chapters on silviculture and private wood supply. MacPherson outlined her latest report to the legislature on Tuesday morning. Hospital infection prevention and control programs lacking, AG finds The auditor general’s report described how the province’s two regional health authorities do…
MLA Bill Bennett was invited to the Elkford Lamplighter Pub on Wednesday, June 17 to discuss several issues, including Jemi Fibre’s cutting near Josephine Falls. The meeting, hosted by the Elkford Chamber of Commerce, invited locals, councillors and District of Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher to bring forward their concerns, many of which were addressed by…
New research from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences shows that pine beetle attacks not only lead to the death of adult trees, but can also leave the next generation of pine vulnerable to future insect attack. “The next pine forest is at risk,” said Justine Karst, an assistant professor…
Nowhere are the extreme drought conditions affecting the east coast of Vancouver Island more evident than in little streams like Hart Creek, not far south of Courtenay. On the heels of the driest May in the weather record and a June that’s on track for another record rainless spell, Hart Creek has already run completely…
In her latest report, released today to the legislative assembly, Auditor General Kim MacPherson concluded that while expenditures on silviculture activities over the past 30 years will contribute to increases in the future timber supply, there are deficiencies in the oversight, management and administration of the silviculture program. In particular, the Department of Natural Resources…
Trading textbooks for tools of the trade, first year Selkirk College Forest Technology Program students wrapped up their semester in the bush. Though outdoor work in the natural surroundings of the West Kootenay is a fixture of the nationally accredited two-year program, the semester ending ten-day field study session is an important send-off for the…