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TUESDAY August 21, 2012
Theft at Big Lake
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin since 1930
Redstone Rodeo
VOL. 82. No. 67
$1.34 inc. HST
racer rides to victory
Tools were stolen from a property in the Big Lake area recently. The Williams Lake RCMP received a complaint that a property in the Big Lake area had recently been entered and suspect(s) stole a significant amount of tools and household items. Police say that also during this occurrence the suspect(s) caused extensive damage to a pump. The Williams Lake RCMP are asking for public assistance regarding this incident and encourage anyone who may have information regarding this theft or any other crime to contact police at 250-392-6211 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Inside the Tribune
Dan Hicks photo
NEWS Vehicle thefts on weekend.
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SPORTS Scenes from motocross.
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COMMUNITY A12 Printmaking in the lakecity. Weather outlook: Showers ending near noon today, risk of thunderstorm, high of 21 C. Cloudy/chance of showers Wednesday, high of 21 C.
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Micole Myers easily leaves her competitors several horse-lengths behind to win the Redstone Rodeo Quarter Mile Flatland Race on Sunday, Aug. 19.
Foresters weigh in on timber report Monica Lamb-Yorski Tribune Staff Writer Tolko’s woodlands manager in Williams Lake says the timber supply report submitted by the legislative special committee last week is a start. “I look forward to seeing where we go from here and how the government and communities will move forward with these recommendations,” Tom Hoffman says. “From a forest health and community sustainability stance, the committee’s work was extremely important.” Hoffman insists there will be a contraction in the industry. “It’s important that we don’t exacerbate that, but that we plan in an organized, structured fashion and wherever possible mitigate those impacts,” he says. The recommendations captured much of what Hoffman had expressed in his presentation to the committee during the hearings in 100 Mile House. “I expressed that one size does
not fit all, that there are different issues and different opportunities in different regions within the province with regards to the mid-term timber supply.” He says he is pleased the report recommends the resurrection of local management committees. When it comes to operating in marginally economic stands, he says that’s something already taking place in the Cariboo. “That’s not the same in other jurisdictions, but in the Cariboo we are already doing that. We need to ensure that we do access and harvest the dead pine stands now to preserve the mid-term timber supply, not to be forced into the green stands that contribute to the midterm but to focus more right now in the Cariboo.” There is a “whole bunch” of dead pine out there that needs to be addressed both from an economic and a forest health perspective, he adds. “We need to get the land base back, growing young revitalized forests and the recommendations
talk about that; however, this a report that’s written for the province and we really need to drive down to what is possible, what is important, and what are the opportunities locally.” Dave Lehane, West Fraser Timber’s vice president for the company’s Woodlands division, prefaced his reaction stating the beetle epidemic in Williams Lake is not new. “The first step was to salvage as much as possible of beetle-killed timber for as long as possible. The companies in Williams Lake have done a very good job of that. Those companies, Tolko and ourselves, are manufacturing logs that have been dead up to 10 years, “ Lehane says. The report is encouraging because it highlights that options exist. Each timber-supply area or community will have different solutions, he suggests. “From our view we’re eager to work with government and folks like the Beetle Action Coalition to try and develop those options.” It is important, he adds, that what-
ever options are considered high environmental standards and globally recognized forest management practices are maintained. “That has to be the underpinning of any review of options,” Lehane emphasizes. In his assessment of the report, registered professional forester Bill Bourgeois from Healthy ForestsHealthy Communities notes the recommendations raise the profile of forest management, but do not push the envelope and are focused on short-term economic actions and include only a minor amount of long-term sustainability. Bourgeois outlines deficiencies in the recommendations including the lack of a timeline and the cost of implementation. “The committee should make it clear whether the expectation is for government to provide funding and resourcing, if the the overall timber supply objective is to be achieved. See TIMBER Page A2