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Vol. 90 Issue 51 • Wednesday, December 18, 2013 • www.arrowlakesnews.com • 250-265-3823 • $1.25 •
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Burton volunteer firefighters save Arrow Park house Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
A fire in Arrow Park on Saturday, Dec. 14 destroyed an outbuilding, but the main house was saved by the fast-moving Burton Volunteer Fire Department. Less than an hour after Joan and Bob Beddoes left their home to go out and celebrate Joan’s birthday late on Saturday morning, their workshop trailer was on fire, the plume of smoke visible from the other side of the lake. Neighbour Brian Graham saw the blaze shortly after noon, and called it in to the Burton Volunteer Fire Department, of
which he is himself a volunteer. By the time he saw the conflagration, it was in full flame. Carla and Bill Poulin called from
across the lake to find out what was causing the smoke they could see from their side of the shore. In only 30 minutes, about ten fire fighters were on site with the truck and caddy, trying to get the fire under control. The extremely hot fire had begun to affect the main house, said Burton Fire Chief Brian Harrop, who was one of the volunteers batting the blaze. There was no way to control the fire consuming the shed, which burned so hot that it had melted the siding off the back of the Beddoes’ house. “Five minutes longer and they wouldn’t have had a house either,” said Peterson, the RDCK Area K director, who had watched some of the fire fighting. Burton Volunteers has stopped a few potentially homedestroying fires, he said, but residents are still required to pay insurance rates as though there is no fire coverage in the area. “Every cent put into the Burton Volunteer Fire Department was saved yesterday,” said Peterson, speaking with the Arrow Lakes News on Sunday, Dec. 15. The cost of the house that was saved made every contribution to the volunteer fire department worthwhile, he underlined. Three or four hours after the BVFD’s arrival, the fire was extinguished and considered safe. Popping sounds could be heard through the night, as the few remains of the building – which once had contained tools, crafts, and foodstuffs – continued to smoulder. The volunteers were back on Sunday
Neighbours were helpless to contain the blaze that consumed the Beddoes’ workshop. The fire was extinguished by the BVFD, leaving only twisted wreckage, pictured left, after it was out. Courtesy Brian Graham morning with an excavator on loan from as did the Beddoes’ two house cats, and no Crescent Bay Construction to finish the job, one was injured putting the fire out. The putting out spot fires and making sure noth- material loss is estimated at $130,000, Haring was left of the destructive blaze. rop told the Arrow Lakes News, and the Although damaged, the house survived, cause is undetermined at this time.
Forestry workshop discusses what’s needed to reinvigorate sector Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
It’s been a discussion that has been going on for years now: what can be done to revitalize forestryrelated industry and get the next generation profiting from the surrounding wealth of wood? At the Local Forest Economy workshop held in Nakusp Nov. 22, a series of presentations were given from different sectors tackling just this question. Hugh Watt and Brent Petrick gave a presentation about local and regional wood supply, highlighting under-utilized species and grades and future species trends. One of
the hot topics was hemlock, a lower value wood source due to difficulty manufacturing with it. High supply and other issues contribute to its low value, Watt said. Local timber frame builder Dave Madden told the Arrow Lakes News that there was more waste with hemlock as it’s subject to rot and unpredictable due to defects that can’t be seen on an initial inspection. When drying, it can twist and warp badly which makes it unsuitable for some building projects, although it could be used for flooring, timbers, outbuildings or agricultural buildings such as barns. “Hemlock has potential but it’s got less recovery than other spe-
“ I want to know more about mutual funds.”
cies,” said Madden. “You could get a lot less out of a logging truckload of wood than you think.” The timber framer compared it to other hardwoods like birch where recovery is about 50 per cent. So what to do with the other half? Manufacturing pallets or other products where quality isn’t an issue are an option, or fencing or corrals. Although Madden sees a possibility for the tree in the agricultural wood market, it’s a market with which Nakusp doesn’t have a connection. That being said, Madden has built timber frame buildings with hemlock, and said would use it again. Judiciously.
“You just have to be pickier about what you do with it,” he explained. For example, the wood is used for siding and paneling, he said. For the most part, people can choose not to use hemlock, thanks to the wide variety of species available in the area, and so finding a use for the wood has been a lower priority for the most part. It is the area’s diversity of tree species that may also mean that Nakusp will be in a good position to supply wood once the glut of beetle-infested wood has been cleared. As Madden mentioned, the reality of Nakusp’s remote location and difficulty with transportation to
markets and finding skilled workers were definitely hot topics for participants at the workshop. An introduction to international market possibilities was given by Scott Olsen from Olympic Industries, and Selkirk College’s training opportunities in the forestry sector were outlined by Greg Neelin. Developing industry closer to home is a big interest for people living in the area, and Marvin Funk from FP Innovations gave a list of subjects to keep in mind when starting up a new forestry venture. Bringing in innovative industry such as a biomass heating project to
See Forestry page 2
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