Riparian management focus of recent Public Advisory Committee field tour
|
A stunning fall day provided the backdrop for the recent Public Advisory Committee field tour, which this year was organized around the theme of riparian management. The excursion began with a short hike into Bessie Creek, where Silviculture Supervisor Brent Huizinga explained company procedures to protect riparian areas during herbicide application, including climate parameters and spray zones, as well as forest renewal activities to meet density goals in the recently replanted area. Farther up the road, members visited a bridge whose abutment was washed out during a 2012 flood. Millar Western’s Road Planning Superintendent Conor O’Donnell explained that the project, which required federal and provincial government approvals, involved bridge repair, stream channel reinforcement and fish habitat enhancement. The design includes flood mitigation measures, including the creation of deeper pools within the channel, to slow down fast-moving waters and minimize the scope for erosion during future flooding episodes. The third stop was a recently harvested site in the Tom Hill Compartment, where PAC had the opportunity to examine stream buffers and crossings, and a recently reclaimed road. Planning Superintendent Ken Anderson noted that stream buffer size depends on stream classification, noting that even a relatively small, intermittent stream like the one visited requires sizable buffers. Temporary roads, he said, are reclaimed as soon as possible, while more permanent roads are shared with other industrial forest users, to minimize incursions. The final stop was the site of a large culvert installation on Silver Creek Road, also necessitated by the 2012 flooding. The culvert was unique both in its size and design: measuring 2,600 mm, it was imbedded with materials that mimic a natural creek bed, to promote habitat connectivity and encourage fish passage. Conor explained that Millar Western is in the midst of a comprehensive culvert replacement program throughout its operating area, to ensure infrastructure is sized to cope with increasingly intense rainfall events. Millar Western established its PAC in 2007, combining separate public consultation groups for forest and mill operations. Members, who represent local communities, schools, contractors and forest users such as recreational groups and trappers, meet regularly to review company developments, including environmental performance and forest management plans, and discuss issues affecting the forest products industry. Held as a complement to regular meetings, the field tours expose members to the company’s forest management practices and mill processes, enhancing their understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing today’s forest products industry.
Millar Western’s Conor O’Donnell describes the 2012 flooding event that washed out a bridge abutment and efforts to repair the damage, reinforce the banks to prevent future erosion and enhance fish habitat.
|
migration.