WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012
COMMUNITY: SAR survives winter camp
PROFILE: HSS strikes up a brand-new band
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Timber plan raises longterm issues By Andrew Hudson Houston Today
Andrew Hudson/Houston Today
BASKET Blooms
Randy Lieuwen waters hanging baskets inside a greenhouse at Riverside Gardens last Wednesday morning. Theresa Keegstra says she and her dozen staff are busy preparing baskets for Mother’s Day and tomatoes for Houston’s sweet but short growing season. After more than 25 seasons, the family-run business supplies mostly bedding plants to towns all over northern B.C.
Woodstoves key to cleaner Houston air By Andrew Hudson Houston Today
When Houston councillors looked at a map of local air pollution on Tuesday, the most damaging stuff—fine particulate matter—was marked in red. What may surprise many residents is that
since local sawmills quit using beehive burners, the map now shows Houston’s industrial area as mostly green. “The interesting thing with Houston is that the industrial area doesn’t really contribute to air pollution, in terms of PM 2.5,” said Councillor Jonathan
“
“Unfortunately we have seniors’ housing right there.”
Van B Barneveld, ld referf ring to the size of particulate matter most likely to collect in people’s lungs.
- Shane Briennen “It’s primarily in the downtown core, from wood stoves,” he said. Specifically, the
map shows the greatest density of air pollution coming from the Ambassador mobile home park south of 11th Street. “It’s the thickest area in town, and unfortunately we have seniors’ housing right there,” said Councillor Shane Briennen. See SMOKE on Page 2
By the end of April, a provincial task force is expected to answer a big question for the Highway 16 corridor— can the province secure enough timber to justify what will likely be a $100-million rebuild of the Burns Lake sawmill? “We’re not there yet, but I’m optimistic,” said John Rustad, BC Liberal MLA for Nechako-Lakes. S p e a k i n g Wednesday to the Houston Chamber of Commerce, Rustad said the challenge is how badly the pine beetle has hit the Lakes timber supply area. In five years, its annual cut could fall to a quarter of what it was—from two million to 500,000 cubic metres of timber. “This impact is coming to all of our communities,” Rustad said. “What we do here, for Burns Lake, could be a blueprint for resolving many of the issues.” But that blueprint is already coming under scrutiny. Mayor Bill Holmberg questioned some of the yield numbers the province
“ “This impact is coming to all of our communities.”
- John Rustad
is projecting, and said he is concerned about the long-term impact of the plan. “I just see some knee-jerk reactions coming up here, and I don’t know if they’re well thought out,” he said. As reported March 28, the task force may relax logging restrictions in scenic areas, old-growth stands and the winter ranges of some animals, such as mule deer. On that issue, Councillor Jonathan Van Barneveld asked, “If we’re loosening the restraints on visuals or wildlife habitat or winter range, are we not tying our hands for developing other opportunities?” Rustad said that ultimately that question leads to a choice between $30 to $35 per hour forestry jobs and $10 per hour jobs in tourism. See TIMBER on Page 2