world news - 10.07.2007
Millions of trees to be planted in Cariboo forests
The province is planting 3.2 million tree seedlings in the Williams
Lake and Quesnel area to help mitigate the damage in areas that have
been hard hit by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The $2.1
million planting program is targeted at areas that are not being logged
by companies, and is meant to address environmental issues like water
flows and animal habitat, as well as building a future timber supply. "This
is just the beginning of our reforestation efforts in the Cariboo,"
B.C. Forests Minister Rich Coleman said Thursday. "We've done the
mapping and the planning, and ordered the seedlings. Now we are ready
to get going on the ground," he said. An estimated 4,000 hectares
will be planted in the Williams Lake and Quesnel timber supply areas
next summer. Preparation of planting sites, including danger tree
falling, will occur this summer. As well, another 8,000 hectares of
beetle-attacked stands will be surveyed during 2007 in preparation for
planting in the future. B.A. Blackwell and Associates will
administer the reforestation activities within the Williams Lake and
Quesnel areas. The work will be performed by both private contractors
and First Nations. In B.C., the companies that log forests are responsible for replanting them. As
a result of logging of pine beetle-killed forests, it's estimated that
forest companies will plant about 12.6 million seedlings in the
Williams Lake timber supply area and another 26.5 million seedlings in
the Quesnel area in 2007. The beetle epidemic now covers more
than nine million hectares in north and central B.C., an area more than
twice the size of Vancouver Island.
See also:
- — The First EFI Regional Office Established
- — New native tree species discovered in Mexico
- — North America faces sliding demand for lumber
- — Australian Timber Investment — great returns on fixed term timber investments
- — Innovativ Vision is expanding its sales and service organizations in Europe
