Candidate backs Community Forest License

As candidate for Kamloops council in the November 2008 civic elections, supports the City of Kamloops working with others to acquire a Community Tree Farm License.

Currently, Weyerhaeuser is selling its Tree Farm License (TFL) that supplied its now closed Kamloops sawmill. The only local group that has bid on a portion of the TFL is the Whispering Pine Indian Band. West Fraser Timber, with head office in Quesnel, is one of the other groups bidding on the TFL.

I applaud the Whispering Pine band. They seem to be the only local group that is actively trying to keep wood processing jobs in Kamloops. But even more jobs could be kept in Kamloops if we had a community TFL. There are a number of small wood processing plants in the Kamloops and without an assured source of wood they will have a difficult time continuing to operate. All of Kamloops should be concerned if these processing plants loss this wood source.

There are many communities in BC with at TFL including Revelstoke, Burns Lake and Mission. These communities consider their TFLs as a key component to their economic plan.

These communities have worked to keep high paying forestry jobs in their community. While they are at the Union of BC Municipalities convention this week in Penticton, I encourage the current councillors to speak to their colleagues from these other communities to see how it's done.

Source materials:
http://www.mission.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=31
http://www.cityofrevelstoke.com/edc/profile-economic.htm
http://www.city.terrace.bc.ca/documents/Community%20Forest%20Overview.pdf

Directory of Community Forest Organizations in BC: http://www.denmanis.bc.ca/directory