B.C.'s chief forester painted a mountain pine beetle picture both good and bad Thursday for silviculturalists gathered in Kamloops.  The good news is the historic infestation that destroyed Interior pine stands through the middle of the last decade wasn't as destructive as first feared. Read more...

The province’s investment in a human resource strategy for B.C.’s silviculture industry is evidence that more trees will be replanted over the next five years, said Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell. Read more...

The B.C. Liberal government is ignoring dead forests — a policy that will haunt the Interior economy for decades, Opposition leader Adrian Dix charged Thursday. “We don’t know key questions about the inventory in our own province. Read more...

Steve Zika, Hampton Affiliates chief executive officer said to Lakes District News last week that he remains optimistic that Babine Forest Products will be rebuilt.  Hampton Affiliates owns a majority share in the local mill that was devastated by an explosion and fire on Jan. 20, 2012.  Zika said to Lakes District News that the mill is insured for its replacement cost and while Zika said he can't elaborate on the details of the insurance policy, he said that generally the policy covers the cost of rebuilding the mill or alternatively a [cash] payout. Read more...

The land is made up of 64 properties, with an estimated value of $1.2 million, south of Burns Lake on the shore of Ootsa Lake, Cheslatta Lake and Cheslatta River. In April, 1952 the Cheslatta Carrier First Nation was forced to surrender the former reservation lands to make way for construction of a reservoir on the Nechako River to power the Kemano hydroelectric dam. Read more...