January 18, 2018, Vancouver – Protecting the working forest can reduce the effects of wildfires on rural communities in BC that were so badly impacted last summer.

“Fuel is the only thing we can affect when it comes to fire. We can’t control weather or topography—the other two main variables,” said Bruce Blackwell of B.A. Blackwell & Associates who is speaking at 2 pm this afternoon at the TLA 75th Convention & Trade Show in Victoria in a session called, Defending the Working Forest: Learning From Others.

“It’s clear we can’t deal with these fires through suppression,” said Blackwell. “So we need to invest in fire preparedness and prevention to make a real difference and the working forest is where we can have the greatest impact on fuels.”

This should be important to the TLA, he added. “Logging contractors are the largest source of people and machines with the capacity to address the fuel and hazard problem in a coordinated fashion,” said Blackwell.

In his presentation, Blackwell will call for a thoughtful review of policy and legislation, stumpage and the tenure system so government and industry can better coordinate forest fire management. That coordination will provide a process for TLA members and government to join forces when necessary to better deal with the hazards and economic loss from fires that we’ve seen in the past.

The TLA (Truck Loggers Association) represents 489 independent forest contractors and their suppliers operating in British Columbia. Our membership supports thousands of workers and, along with other independent contractors, accounts for close to 90 per cent of the trees harvested in BC. The TLA promotes a thriving, sustainable forest industry in BC.

For more information: Brenda Martin, Director of Communications, The Truck Loggers Association

Cell: 604.339.7554

Email: brenda@tla.ca

Twitter: @truckloggerBC

Website: www.tla.ca

 

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