The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has been issued a pesticide use permit to aerial-spray 182 hectares of residences, park and farm land around Elk Lake in Saanich with a spray approved for use on organic farms, to eradicate a growing population of gypsy moth and minimize the risk they pose to forests, farms, orchards and trees.

The next phase of the logging contractor sustainability review is underway, as the Province works to improve the competitiveness of British Columbia forest sector contractors and licensees.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns at sites west and south of Williams Lake between April 1 and May 15, 2017, weather conditions permitting.

Effective March 24, 2017, the allowable annual cut for Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd.’s Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 55 near Revelstoke, is 83,000 cubic metres.

Opportunities for greater input into local forest management are expanding near Fort Nelson following an invitation from Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson to the Fort Nelson First Nation and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality to apply for a community forest agreement.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities throughout British Columbia with the completion of more than 350 new campsites in BC Parks and forestry recreation sites, in time for the upcoming camping season.

The Province is providing $95,000 so 10 Aboriginal students in the Campbell River-area can learn the skills needed for employment in the British Columbia road building and forestry machinery sector.

Special Envoy to the United States David Emerson has issued the following statement following productive meetings in Ottawa and Washington D.C. where he advanced British Columbia’s interests in softwood lumber: