McGregor’s New Look

The McGregor Model Forest Association (MMF) has a fresh new look!  To start with, this newsletter series - Advances - has been redesigned to allow us to keep our partners and interested members informed of the MMF’s activities using a short and easy online format.  A brief e-letter will be distributed on a regular basis with the headlines and a few words about each article, allowing the reader to browse through the topics and click on the article of interest for more details.  Please feel free to let us know how the new format works (or doesn’t work) for you!

You’ll also notice our website has a new layout, tailored by Concept Design, Ltd. and posted by Mag-Net, with graphics designed to represent people and knowledge partnering in progress.

Do YOU Want a Community Forest in Prince George?

The City of Prince George wants to hear your input on their application for a 5-year Probationary Community Forest Agreement with the provincial government.  This agreement would put the management of Crown forest resources within City limits into the hands of the community.  The primary objective for management of these resources is to reduce fire hazards within the city, caused in part by the increase in dead and dying lodgepole pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle. 

Public consultation and support is the key to a successful application. There are several ways to comment on the Community Forest Agreement.  By visiting the City’s website (www.city.pg.bc.ca, click on the beetle icon), interested individuals can obtain information and submit comments by filling out an online form.  The full draft management plan will soon be available online.  To get answers to specific questions, or to get more detailed information, people can call or email the city’s urban forester, Kim Menounos at 614-7874, or email her at kmenounos@city.pg.bc.ca. Your opinion counts!

CSTC joins the Model Forest Association

December 5, 2005 was an important day for the MMF. The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) became a member of the Model Forest Association and nominated Beverly Bird to the Board of Directors. Beverly fills one of four seats on the board designated for First Nations. One other First Nations seat was filled by Chief Dominic Fredric or the L’heidli T’enneh First Nation at the AGM last September and nominations for the remaining vacancies are expected by January 2006. “We see this as an important and evolving partnership” said Wayne Martin, MMF Board Chair. “First Nations taking a strong leadership role in the model forest can potentially lead to innovative solutions to many long-standing challenges”.

MMF supports the Chief Forester’s Symposium and Workshop on the Future of Forest Ecosystems in BC

On December 7th and 8th 2005 UNBC was host to over 100 researchers and forest managers who had been invited by BC’s Chief Forester Jim Snetsinger to provide advice on what the province should be doing to address changes in climate and forest conditions. The McGregor Model Forest, primarily through the efforts of Cindy Buker provided registration services to the Symposium. “This was a unique undertaking, involving a dialogue between scientists and managers with varied backgrounds and perspectives” commented MF President, Al Gorley, who chaired the proceedings. He noted that everything from forest fires to insects, diseases and species selection are affected by climate change and our management systems have to adapt.

First Nation Youth Programs in Natural Resources

Ecosystem Mapping Workshop Sheds Light on Opportunities

It is estimated that over 50% of BC now has some form of large scale ecosystem mapping complete. The highly successful forum held November 7-9 in Prince George marked the first opportunity to bring practitioners together to learn about the many existing and potential uses of ecosystem mapping. Summaries of the workshop break-out sessions and speakers presentations will be available on our website by January 2006.

BC Coalition for the Implementation of the National Forest Strategy

The Coalition was recently formed to promote the advancement of sustainable forest management in BC, working with the National Forest Strategy framework.  Its mission is to have BC become known as a world leader in sustainable forest management.  The first newsletter (PDF), released in September, describes the Coalition’s goals, progress, supporters, partners, and steering committee members.   This newsletter is available on McGregor’s website.

Improving Communities’ Odds in the Beetle Battle

Assisted by the McGregor Model Forest, community leaders from across the Bulkley-Omineca region joined together this summer to seek the Provincial Government’s support for a community-based Coalition and a Mountain Pine Beetle Trust Fund for the Highway 16 corridor region.  In September 2005, the Provincial Government announced its support for the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC) with an $800,000 grant for the OBAC’s start-up and mobilization. The communities in the OBAC area include Prince George, Vanderhoof, Ft. St. James, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Granisle, Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, many rural communities in two Regional Districts and at least 15 First Nations communities.  The funds will enable OBAC’s Interim Executive Committee to initiate a community-driven approach to maintaining vibrant rural communities in the Bulkley-Omineca region well after the mountain pine beetle has come and gone. Minister Coleman announced that this funding “gives communities the tools they need to plan their road ahead”. The OBAC Interim Executive agrees that by acting collectively now, their communities can be more effective in making the best of the short-term increase in forestry activity to prepare for future challenges.

The OBAC is currently in its start-up phase, identifying regional needs and opportunities and, developing terms of reference and an action plan. McGregor is pleased to continue providing this solution-oriented group with secretariat support and financial management services.

McGregor’s Annual Report Has Been Published

The 2004/05 Annual Report is now complete and available.  Last year we supported a diverse range of partners on projects under our Science and Technology Support program addressing sustainable forest management (SFM) issues such as windthrow risk, gap dynamics, and caribou and grizzly bear habitats.  In the Knowledge Management and Communications program, McGregor led projects intended to transfer knowledge about SFM issues to the appropriate partners and target audiences.  These included important regional events such as climate change seminars, National Forestry Week coordination, forestry field tours, etc.  Under our third program, Community Involvement, the McGregor-initiated BC Coalition for the Implementation of the National Forest Strategy is leading the country in its effort to achieve the goals set out by the National Strategy.  2004-2005 also saw the completion of an important socio-economic study for communities affected by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.  For more details on these projects and the activities that the McGregor Model Forest Association was involved in last year, please view our 2004/05 Annual Report (PDF).

Successful AGM - It’s All About Partnerships!

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