Local forest licensees will be hosting a forestry open house in the New Year.
The open house is set for Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 6–9 p.m. at the community centre.
The purpose is to provide information the local forest industry, upcoming logging operations, as well as seek feedback from the public.
The open house is being held at the request of the Revelstoke Cycling Association and the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club in response to proposed harvesting in several recreation areas around Revelstoke, including Mount Macpherson, Boulder Mountain and Frisby Ridge.
B.C. Timber Sales and Stella Jones will be taking part; BCTS manages the upper Macpherson area, while Stella Jones logs on lower Macpherson, Boulder Mountain and Frisby Ridge.
The Times Review reported in September that in 2016, B.C. Timber Sales intends on harvesting a large cut block on Mount Macpherson that would impact several mountain biking and Nordic skiing trails. The news resulted in several letters to the editor opposing the decision.
The RCA recently decided not to actively oppose the harvesting on Macpherson because the current land use makes it easier to obtain permission to build trails. Instead, it opted to work with license holders to minimize the impact on trails.
“The RCA Board feels it is in the best interest of all members, licensee holders and recreational users and encourages users to work together to develop longer term strategies for future land use planning,” the RCA board wrote in a notice posted to its website.
The news of the open house was accompanied by a lengthy article explaining how timber harvesting works in B.C. It was written by Pat McMechan, a professional forester with Stella Jones, and can be read below.
Information on How Forestry Currently Works in the Revelstoke Area by AlexCooperRTR