British Columbia’s silviculture sector had an ambitious target to plant 314 million new trees this year, beginning to reforest large swaths of the lands lost to devastating wildfires.
But this spring, those plans were put on ice while government and the industry developed a pandemic plan so that 5,000 workers, who will spend the summer in temporary, moving camps, can carry on without risking themselves or the rural communities around them.
Most of the pine seedlings are in frozen storage, and would have been destroyed if the season had been delayed much longer.
On Friday, B.C.'s chief forester, Diane Nicholls, announced plans to allow the work to proceed, but she acknowledged that the remote and rural communities where they’ll be working won’t be keen to see the crews.
“We’ve heard from some communities [about] the anxiety over having outsiders come into their community,” Ms. Nicholls said. “The stories were that all these all these young adults are going to be flooding into the community and spreading germs everywhere.”
To protect the workers, the province has laid down new rules for its silviculture contractors to ensure better hygiene in the typically rustic camps, as well as inspections to ensure physical distancing is maintained. For the communities, the aim is to minimize contact. When work crews are passing through towns to shop for supplies, they will have to designate one member to go into the stores. And if they stay in motels, private security firms will be hired to make sure they follow the rules.
Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, said the replanting work is important for both ecological and economic reasons.
B.C. experienced wildfires in the summer of 2017 that were then unprecedented in scale and cost. More than 1.2 million hectares were scorched. Before the province could begin to repair the damage, the following summer proved to be even worse. For the second year in a row, a state of emergency was declared, as wildfires blazed in almost all regions of the province. A new record was set – 1,354,284 hectares of forest lands were consumed by fire.
This year was to be the largest reforestation effort in the province’s history, an effort to begin the restoration. Mr. Donaldson has been working with silviculture contractors since February to figure out how the work can continue amid the pandemic. “We believe this important work can proceed with the proper precautions in place," he said. “Seasonal tree planters are a crucial part of ensuring B.C. can address the impacts of climate change and wildfires, and build a resilient forestry sector.”
There is a unique challenge ahead. Many of B.C.’s Indigenous communities are actively discouraging visitors right now. To keep COVID-19 infections from coming into their communities, where health care resources are scarce, 87 First Nations in British Columbia have imposed self-isolation measures, with checkpoints or roadblocks in place to keep visitors out.
These populations were decimated by first contact with Europeans, who brought diseases for which they had no immunity. There is, understandably, little tolerance for visitors bringing the pandemic to their door.
On the weekend, B.C. reported the first death of an elder. “It’s a tragedy for all of us,” said Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer. “Our elders, particularly in our First Nations communities, are culture and history keepers. When they become ill and when they die, we all lose.”
B.C. Regional Chief Terry Teegee, of the Assembly of First Nations, wants assurances that the province will have enforcement officers on the ground to ensure the rules laid out on Friday are followed. “It’s important to understand the communities are really worried about a big, transient group of workers coming in to spread a disease that we don’t have the resources to deal with.”
He is a former tree planter. “I know some of the companies are less likely to follow the rules than others. That’s why I’m kind of worried about some of these camps,” he said.
John Betts, executive director of the Western Forestry Contractors’ Association, said he is confident the industry’s work force will abide by the rules – their own health and safety depends on these changes, too. And, he said, he believes communities will accept the crews once they see the stringent controls in place.
His organization has been working with Indigenous leaders in the Chilcotin, a key region in the B.C. Interior where much of the planting is set to take place this summer, and he is optimistic they will be able to work there. But he knows this industry must tread carefully.
“Other places, of course, we may not be able to have that happen. And we’ll just have to accept that.”
We have a weekly Western Canada newsletter written by our B.C. and Alberta bureau chiefs, providing a comprehensive package of the news you need to know about the region and its place in the issues facing Canada. Sign up today.