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(Photo credit: Tiffany Christianson Photography)
17 Projects in Region

Project collects wood debris in the Thompson-Okanagan

Jan 24, 2024 | 12:08 PM

Investments in forest enhancement work yielded some positive results in the region.

The province committed $47.9 million to the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESCB) in 2023, which was used to fund 66 projects across the province to harvest wood fibre and repurpose it, rather than slash burn or leave it on the forest floor.

“The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) supports First Nations, community forests, rural communities, and many others who take on projects to help strengthen forest health and ecosystems while creating good jobs in communities across the province,” Minister of Forests, Bruce Ralston, said.

“As we look ahead to a new year, it’s vital we build on the lessons learned in 2023, specifically following the worst wildfire season in our province’s history. With the help of the 66 projects funded in 2023, B.C. is taking necessary steps in battling climate change and becoming more resilient in the face of worsening wildfire seasons. Thank you to the entire team at FESBC for a job well done.”

Through that investment, $9.3 million went towards 17 projects in the Thompson-Okanagan, including eight led by First Nations.

Those projects led to 84 hectares in the region being cleared of 626,761 cubic metres of wood fibre. That was equivalent to offsetting 193,350 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, or taking 43,063 cars off the roads.

In total, the 66 projects in 2023 cleared 3,075,757 metric tonnes of fibre from 649 hectares of forest, avoiding 1,060,168 metric tonnes of emissions.

“Healthy forests are essential to thriving and diverse ecosystems that support healthy people, secure communities along with a sustainable B.C. economy,” Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman said.

“They also have a key role in address climate change impacts, given their ability to absorb and store large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. We are proud to work with FESBC, First Nations, and local communities to strengthen forest stewardship so forests, watersheds and our communities are more resilient to the changing climate.”

It was noted that work was still planned for 434 hectares of forest, with 410 hectares in the Cariboo and 24 in the Kootenay-Boundary region.

Further specifics and locations on these projects were not provided by FESBC.

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