Faces of Forestry is an initiative of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to highlight people doing great work to enhance our forests throughout British Columbia. This month, we feature Steve Law, RPF (Registered Professional Forester), General Manager of the Clinton Community Forest (CCF).

Steve’s profound passion for the outdoors, mountain biking and his “outside the box” mindset led him to start a career in forestry. He has completed a Diploma of Forestry Resource Technology from the College of New Caledonia, graduated from the Association of BC Forest Professionals Pupil Program and became a Registered Professional Forester in 1997. 

Currently, Steve is the General Manager of the Clinton Community Forest and manages ten woodlots in the Cariboo Region. In his role, he works with the volunteer Board of Directors and the Village of Clinton to carry out safe and sustainable management practices for timber production, recreation, and natural preservation. 

“Forestry is much more complex than just logging and milling. There is equal consideration of other factors such as wildlife, riparian, visual quality, social and First Nations values, etc. I especially enjoy the operations part of forestry, which includes increased utilization of poor quality, low-value timber or biomass which minimizes or eliminates the need to burn slash piles. I am involved from start to finish in planning, operations, and silviculture, and through my work at CCF, I get to see the proceeds go back to the community,” explains Steve. 

After meeting operational costs, surplus funds are invested into the community and surrounding area. As residents of the Village of Clinton, the volunteer Board of Directors seeks to benefit the local area through programs, events, and bursaries. 

“Community forestry with the direction of a Board of Directors, allows us more freedom to manage social and economic community values,” said Steve.

To balance the economic and ecological concerns, the CCF has applied for funding with the FESBC for fuel break and wildfire risk reduction treatments. The projects will help reduce the wildfire hazard in high-priority areas within the community forest and surrounding rural developments. The wildfire risk activities include standard fuel management practices such as thinning, pruning, removal of unhealthy trees, understory burning, and encouragement of deciduous tree growth.

“This has only been possible with FESBC support and funding, and the FESBC management and staff have been extremely encouraging in making these goals happen,” noted Steve. 

Faces of Forestry is a new initiative of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to highlight people doing great work to enhance our forests throughout British Columbia. This month, we feature John Davies, RPF, Frontline Operations Group, Principal.

Registered Professional Forester (RPF) John Davies’ forestry career germinated during his time working in a seedling nursery, which was owned by his future sponsoring forester. From there, he went timber cruising on the coast over 35 years ago. Since then, he’s worked in every corner of the province timber cruising, tree planting, fighting forest fires and practicing wildfire management.

Davies, who completed a BSc in Resource Management at the University of British Columbia, has covered a significant geographic area since 1988.

“I’ve worked everywhere from the Arctic to Montana—firefighting and forestry takes you everywhere.”

Davies was drawn to forestry through a combination of positive experiences working with other RPFs early in his career and the desire to work outside.

After ten seasons fighting wildfires, Davies established his own wildfire management consultancy in 2004, one of the first RPFs to start consulting in wildfire management after the Filmon report in 2003. Since then, he has contributed to millions of dollars in community protection projects. His career highlights are when two of his fuel management projects successfully protected homes during the 2020 and 2021 wildfire seasons in the Okanagan.  

“The landscape-level fuel breaks we planned, developed, designed, and implemented around Heritage Hills, Penticton, and Westshore Estates, North Okanagan, successfully protected those communities from the Thomas Creek fire in 2020 and White Rock Lake fire in 2021 respectively. These fuel breaks successfully reduced wildfire behaviour near the homes and allowed structural fire fighters to safely deploy suppression tactics before the approaching wildfires.

Regarding his career in wildfire management focused forestry, Davies said, “having the opportunity to practice and promote value-based management and make sound and integral decisions while protecting communities is a rewarding experience.”

“Being a forester allows you to work and live almost anywhere in BC and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a career.”

Faces of Forestry is a new initiative of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to highlight people doing great work to enhance our forests throughout British Columbia. This month, we feature Erin Robinson, Forestry Initiatives Manager at The City of Quesnel.

“I remember learning in school that we would eventually face a time of ecological change so drastic that we would no longer be able to ignore it – and then in 2017, it was on our doorstep. During the 2017 wildfires, I remember thinking, ‘Should I move my family away from here?’ and then I realized, there is no longer anywhere we can move to that isn’t facing an ecological crisis. 

The Forestry Innovation Centre is located in the City Hall of Quesnel and from inception in January 2019, I’ve held the position of Forestry Initiatives Manager. The Forestry Innovation Centre is excellent for fuel management and FireSmart. We also support research and innovation in landscape management and forest product manufacturing. I’ve always been interested in land and resource management from a social science perspective for most of my academic and working career. 

I chose this current career because, in my opinion, the pest outbreaks, wildfires and floods we are experiencing, while they have ecological explanations, are inherently social problems with social solutions.  I believe forestry has an integral role in restoring the ecosystems we rely on for continued human survival. I want to thank the Forest Enhancement Society BC for all the work they have enabled in Quesnel, the surrounding region and the province.”

– Erin Robinson, Forestry Initiatives Manager, City of Quesnel

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Erin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology and an interdisciplinary Master’s in Natural Resource Management and Anthropology, focusing on community forestry, from the University of Northern British Columbia. Her thesis The Cross-Cultural Collaboration of the Community Forest used the Likely Xats’ull Community Forest (LXCF) as a case study. For eight years, Erin was part of the LXCF Board of Directors and she has published peer-reviewed articles on the topics of community forestry.