Tree harvesting will take place on about 105 hectares of Crown land east of Cranbrook over the winter to reduce the amount of forest fuels and help lower the wildfire risk to the community.

The provincial government has issued an order to make sure nests, dens, salt licks and other important wildlife habitat features (WHF) are protected when forestry and range activities are carried out.

The Province has awarded $110,000 to the Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resource Society to help restore grasslands and forests in the East Kootenay and Columbia Valley.

Building on the economic benefits and jobs created by getting to yes on major projects and provincial investments in infrastructure, Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett announced immediate investments and a long-term action plan outlined in B.C.’s rural economic development strategy that will create jobs and economic opportunities in the Kootenays.

Up to 144 East Kootenay residents will be receiving the training they need for jobs in their communities thanks to the federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

Comments are being accepted until Nov. 7, 2016, on two discussion papers released as part of comprehensive timber supply reviews for the Cranbrook and Invermere timber supply areas.

A stewardship management agreement between the Cranbrook Snowmobile Club and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations will help protect endangered mountain caribou from snowmobilers.