This summer鈥檚 wildfires have raised concerns with local government.

The Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) are concerned how the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is going to make discretionary decisions for the apportionment of the allowable annual cut (AAC) that was affected by wildfires.

鈥淭he total number of hectares burned in B.C. so far this season is estimated at just over 2.8 million hectares,鈥� said RDBN Chair Mark Parker.

鈥淭he timber lost is an important number that needs to be determined, which is why the RDBN has asked the Province to complete an inventory,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he RDBN had a resolution go forward at the 2023 UBCM convention in September asking for a pause on certain forestry initiatives until an inventory is completed. We are also lobbying to make sure that as much of the burnt timber is harvested as possible before it is unusable.鈥�

鈥淭here has already been a downturn in the forest industry due to lack of fibre and this year鈥檚 fires have added to the issue significantly.鈥�

鈥淯sing the current stumpage rate of $50 per cubic meter multiplies to 200 cubic meter per hectare. It equates to $10,000 per hectare in lost revenue for the Province. And that is just stumpage. Add in the jobs to harvest, mill and replant, and you can more than triple that number in an economic impact to the sector and to communities. This adds up to billions of dollars in lost revenue.鈥�

鈥淭he RDBN has a number of concerns from the wildfires. Everything from possible mill closers and job losses with the trickle-down effects being far reaching. Environmental issues from the fires such as run off into the streams and rivers. Land stability issues from the loss of trees,鈥� said Parker.

Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad said, the impacts of wildfire on the timber supply for the Lakes District will be significant.

鈥淚t is critical that the ministry makes issuing permits a priority so that what wood is salvageable can be removed and reforestation can happen quickly.鈥�

鈥淚n Merritt, we have seen a delay of two years or longer. We cannot let this happen in the Lakes District. I don鈥檛 believe we need to increase the AAC unless the damaged wood can鈥檛 be harvested in three to five years. Trees damaged by wildfire do not have a long shelf life.鈥�

鈥淚t is also very important to take another look at what the old growth deferrals. For the most part, these don鈥檛 make sense in the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA). These areas are our mid-term timber supply and without them being included, the impacts to supply, contractors and the operations of our mills will be significant.鈥�

Director of Public Affairs and Communications Kristin Rasmussen from Hampton Lumber said, the company have not been impacted in 2023 even though there is a fiber supply shortage in B.C. Interior.

鈥淲e have not been impacted in 2023, however, there is a fiber supply shortage in the B.C. Interior that has resulted in multiple mill closures and permanent shift reduction over the past few years.鈥�

鈥淲ildfires will only add to that fiber supply shortage in the future. It will continue to be extremely challenging to keep our sawmills operating at capacity due to fiber supply challenges. The wildfires make those challenges even more difficult to overcome.鈥�

鈥淲e harvested a significant amount of burnt timber at both Babine and Decker Lake this year that was the result of the catastrophic fires that occurred three to four years ago.鈥�

鈥淲e are working with our First Nations partners to encourage the government to speed up the permitting process on timber burned this year to preserve the value of the wood and get the land base replanted.鈥�

The Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston said, 鈥淭he fires season has had significant impacts that are still being felt.鈥�

鈥淔ront-line workers and communities are dealing with significant losses, and are beginning the process of rehabilitating and recovering the landscape.鈥�

鈥淢any fires are still active within the identified fire perimeters; the full extent of the burn severity and the impacts to merchantable timber within each fire can not be fully quantified at this time.鈥�

鈥淎 number of efforts are underway including the work being done by Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch to coordinate provincial spatial fire intensity mapping which will facilitate a better assessment of impact and loss, identification of priority salvage opportunities and quantify short to mid-term timber supply impacts.鈥�

鈥淎t the local level, district staff have begun engagement with local stakeholders, industry and First Nations to discuss and better understand impacts to their operations.鈥�

鈥淭hrough engagement with the existing tenure holders, the Ministry expects existing tenure holders, including First Nation tenure holders, to shift timber harvesting into fire damage stands for the purpose of salvaging burnt timber.鈥�

鈥淥nce the full impacts to the merchantable timber in the Lakes Timber Supply area is understood, local Ministry staff will work with the Office of the Chief Forester to determine if opportunities for additional salvage opportunities may exist if the burnt merchantable volumes exceed the AAC.鈥�

While many fires continue, ministry staff will work to complete surveys of the 2023 fires as soon as feasible.

鈥淒ecks of wood created from creating fire guards are already moving to mills, and key stream crossings are being rehabilitated. We expect that rehabilitation of the 2023 fire suppression works will take two years to complete.鈥�

The Ministry of Forests in partnership with First Nations and communities are taking action in the Lakes TSA to increase forest resiliency and withstand the effects of future wildfires.

The Lakes Resiliency Planning is working to:

Reduce wildfire hazards and decrease the risk of future catastrophic wildfires.

Create a more resilient forested land base.

Maintain ecological services and cultural values.

Contribute to the stability of the timber supply, jobs and a viable competitive forest sector.

The Provincial Government has announced the creation of a new emergency response task force that will examine lessons learned around response to the 2023 wildfire season along with the responses to drought, heat, floods and other emergencies B.C. has experienced.