Forestry for the future Brothers Ron (right) and Doug (left) Fuller manage a 1,244-hectare woodlot in Powell River’s busiest forest, in the Duck Lake area. The mountain bikers, hikers, ATVers, horseback riders, and campers are no problem, they say, compared to the hungry elk.
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tanding nearly as tall as Ron and Doug Fuller themselves, is their latest anti-Elk experiment. It’s an upside-down white plastic cone, designed to cover their seedling cedars and firs, held in place with a four-foot piece of steel rebar. The contraption looks like a skinny white birthday-party hat. Each juvenile cedar tree in this cut block sports one of these protective covers. Adding the rebar is time consuming and expensive – taking a 40-cent standard seedling plant into the $6 range, by the time its free to grow. The cheaper wooden stakes they used to use for the job could be easily broken, the elk discovered. Rebar alone wasn’t enough, because the elk also discovered they could spin the cover off the seedling. So the Fullers add another pin to hold it down. The metal can be dangerous to future loggers if it’s left out and grows into the tree trunk, so they have to be sure to remove all the rebar later. But they do it anyway – a hands-on science experiment – because getting this right is important. “We have 4,800 pounds of rebar out here,” notes Doug, a little proudly and a little resignedly, as he stands in a cut covered with the soft green haze of new growth. The anti-elk experiments – which include pil-
ing brush just-so around the perimeter of their cuts – are just a small part of the Fuller’s tight relationship with their woodlot, a family business. As we travel through the 1,000 hectares of crown land and 244 hectares of private land the duo manage, we pass horse and ATV trails, a Ministry of Forests recreation site, a bear den, power lines from BC Hydro and Brookfield, Ministry of Forests research plots, and a cut block. Much of the Duck Lake recreation area – with its busy web of trails, runs through this property. Similar to the roughly 860 other woodlots in BC, the Fullers must comply with the Forest and Range Practices Act, and pay fees and stumpage to the province. It’s a small operation. “We want a strong, diversified forest for our children and our grandchildren,” said Doug. He’s not speaking theoretically – both he and Ron have children, and woodlots can be passed through generations. “So you have to think about your management with a long-term hat on.” In fact, their biggest land use problem is not recreation users or government taxes or sustainability measures – it’s elk. “A mature elk will eat 20 kilograms a day,” said Doug. “And they love seedlings.” FF
Woodlots: Are small, area-based forest tenures which are unique to BC. A partnership between the license holder and the Province. Are often passed on to generations within a family. Marry private & Crown lands. Provide a long-term approach to the sustainable management of all resource values. Are often located in close proximity to communities and residential areas or over areas with sensitive resource management issues.
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