ANAHIM LAKE, B.C.: West Chilcotin Forest Products (WCFP), a company owned by the Ulkatcho First Nation, is pleased to announce that work on a fibre recovery program is well underway thanks to the approval of funding by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC)
“The West Chilcotin plateau lacks the infrastructure many other areas of our province take for granted,” said Stephen James, Executive Director of WCFP. “Given the distance to markets for our forest products, enhanced utilization of our forest fibre has always been a struggle. With funding from FESBC, we can now start to do our part to fight climate change while at the same time provide much needed employment for our band members.”
The fibre recovery program is enabling WCFP to increase utilization of non-merchantable and undersize logs by providing economic support for the cost of harvesting and hauling of the pulp wood to Bella Coola to then ship to the Harmac Pacific pulp mill in Nanaimo.
“This program has many benefits for the area that would not be a reality without this funding. We’ve been able to contribute to economic benefits for the west Chilcotin area through increasing the number of good jobs – a total of approximately 20 full time positions for local harvesting companies, log haulers, and pulp mill workers. Plus, we are forging strong relationships with the community of Bella Coola, the Bella Coola Community Forest, and Harmac Pacific. This is a good news story for our area and for the community members.”
On the ground, the fibre recovery program is increasing utilization of forest fibre by approximately 20% based on current harvest plans with the added benefit of addressing the use of waste wood which has concerned local citizens in the past. As a result, cull piles are now smaller, and less material is burned as waste in cut blocks.