Logging the Mission Creek Watershed draws landslide concerns

How much is enough?

That was one of many questions posed by Joe Rich residents who attended a public forum to hear from Gorman Bros. Lumber representatives about the West Kelowna company害羞草研究所檚 timber harvest plans for the Mission Creek watershed.

While Gorman害羞草研究所檚 logging plans for the watershed have not changed since 2021, a renewed influx of questions about those planned activities in recent weeks gave pause for the company, with the support of the Joe Rich Society, to organize the forum, which was also broadcast via Zoom.

害羞草研究所淥f late there have been some major concerns expressed to us,害羞草研究所� confirmed Gorman Bros. forester Luke Gubbels.

Those concerns have largely centred around logging on the watershed slopes and what impact that might have on the watershed, most notably potential landslides that affect Joe Rich residents and Mission Creek.

While there has been a renewed grassroots focus on restricting timber harvesting in watersheds, residents along Mission Creek are worried about soil instability not being able to sustain logging and necessary road building to access cutblocks.

The memory of the Highway 33 washout in the spring of 2018 also serves as an ongoing wake-up call for many area residents about water retention issues along the watershed slopes.

Elsewhere across the Okanagan, the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance has been advocating to suspend logging in that community害羞草研究所檚 watershed, while the Interior Watershed Task Force is developing a campaign to press the provincial government to restrict clear-cut logging in community-dependent watersheds.

They cite the environmental harm coupled with the declining economic impact logging has on the overall provincial economy.

At the forum, Gorman Bros. forester Matt Scott acknowledged some of the company害羞草研究所檚 initial cut block harvest plans for some lower slopes below Highway 33 have faced technical feasibility pushback from hydrology and geotechnical experts.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檝e told us we can害羞草研究所檛 do what we plan to do so we are reviewing those plans after which they will be reassessed again,害羞草研究所� Scott told the forum audience.

害羞草研究所淪o for now we害羞草研究所檝e had to put our plans for some of our cutblocks on hold.害羞草研究所�

Both Scott and Gubbels, joined by another company forester Bryan Darroch for the forum presentation, talked about the company害羞草研究所檚 move away from clear-cut logging due to environmental impact concerns, although acknowledging it remains the most economically viable method to harvest trees.

They said selective logging, the harvest of 50 to 70 per cent of trees in a given cutblock, is evident now in the watershed with its 害羞草研究所榗heckerboard害羞草研究所� appearance.

They explained while clear-cut logging means regrowth for an entire logging site starts from point zero, selective logging does offer a more age-diverse post-logging site renewal.

害羞草研究所淲hile there is no hard and fast rule on that, it is generally considered that less than 75 per cent removal of timber is considered selective rather than clear-cut logging,害羞草研究所� said Scott, in response to some in the audience questioning the result difference between selective and clear-cut logging.

Scott also stressed companies have up to seven years to replant in logged areas, but Gorman害羞草研究所檚 tends to start that process within two years.

He noted the company relies on technical expertise in devising harvest plans, and the provincial ministry of forests for timber harvest allocation.

That caused one resident to say while she appreciated the company representatives speaking at the forum, 害羞草研究所淚t sounds like we may be talking to the wrong people. Who we should really be talking to is the ministry of forests.害羞草研究所�

Another resident voiced that beyond a landslide into Mission Creek, part of a key domestic water source servicing the Black Mountain Irrigation District, there is also potential damage for tributary streams feeding into Mission Creek that flow across many people害羞草研究所檚 watershed rural properties.

In response, Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield, who attended the forum, stated she was willing to take any concerns Joe Rich residents have regarding logging in the watershed to ministry officials.

害羞草研究所淚 am willing to champion any local concerns,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所