Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Quesnel’s Forestry Initiatives Program is up and running!

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

The City of Quesnel is pleased to announce its new Forestry Initiatives Program, that began in January of 2019, is up and running!

The Forestry Initiatives Program was created to address the multiple challenges facing our community at this time - mainly protecting our communities from wildfire, rehabilitating the land after wildfire, and finding ways of innovating the forest products manufacturing sector.

“Quesnel is one of the most forest dependent communities in BC, so it’s important that the City is taking an active role in advancing the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), working with the provincial government on rehabilitating the landscape, and working with the forest industry to diversify the economy,” states Erin Robinson, City of Quesnel Forestry Initiatives’ Manager. “This does not mean stepping back from forestry, but rather finding innovative ways to utilize the available wood-fibre and types of manufacturing potential already here in the area.”

The Forestry Initiatives Program emerged from the Future of Forestry Think Tank process, which brought together 65 technical experts in May of 2018 with a wide range of knowledge and expertise to discuss land management and innovation in manufacturing of wood.

The objective of the program is to build ‘home-grown’ solutions for Quesnel during it’s time of transition to be innovative, resilient and help grow a sustainable future for everyone who chooses to call the area home.

The Forestry Initiatives Program is carrying out the following:

• Protecting homes, businesses and infrastructure through implementing our CWPP on publicly owned and Crown lands
• Working with the provincial government and academic partners to restore the land after insect outbreaks, fires and the resulting floods - figuring out news ways to manage for ecosystem resilience
• Encouraging home and business owners to FireSmart their properties
• Researching ways to diversify the wood product manufacturing sector
• Constructing the new Forestry Innovation Centre
• Advocating for a community forest

The Forestry Initiatives Manger, Erin Robinson, and the Forestry Initiatives Coordinator, Taddea Kunkel, operate the Forestry Initiatives Program. This program is made possible through funding provided by the City of Quesnel, BC Rural Dividend, Community Resiliency Investment Program, Forestry Enhancement Society of British Columbia, and Cariboo Strong.

More information about the program, as well as updates, can be found on the City’s website under www.quesnel.ca/city-hall/major-initiatives

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