June – July 2026 General Board Meeting Updates

Here’s a look at what’s been happening across the Kaslo Community Forest this month; from wrapping up another successful tree planting season to ongoing road construction, wildlife monitoring, and exciting recognition for our wildfire risk reduction work.

Woodland Operations

Keen Creek Road Access

The Keen Creek Road has been cleared as far as the Deer Creek Road (3.5 km) to allow tree planting crews access to the area.

Several large trees remain down around the 9 km mark, with the potential for additional blowdown further up the road. When Marsh Hawes returns in the coming weeks to complete road and trail rehabilitation work, the road will be cleared to the park boundary.

Monitoring Western Toad Habitat

A biologist recently visited the Keen Creek area to investigate Western Toad sightings around upcoming harvest blocks. Multiple ponds and wetlands were assessed, with both breeding adults and migrating toadlets observed. A report outlining recommended management strategies to help protect breeding habitat is currently being prepared.

Lost Ledge Road Construction Continues

Road construction at Lost Ledge continues, with crews completing switchback realignments and constructing a new spur road into the harvest blocks. Once road construction is complete, crews will begin brushing older roads to improve access throughout the area.

Harvesting at Lost Ledge is expected to begin in July or August, with all work being completed by Sunshine Logging.

Cooper Face Harvesting

Harvesting at Cooper Face is currently expected to begin in July or August, with operations being completed by Timber Ridge.

Enhanced Post-Harvest Cleanup at CP 56

Hazard abatement work has now been completed in CP 56, the block behind the dump that was harvested this past winter. The work was required to address excessive slash loads and meet legal safety requirements.

We’re also pleased to share that our application for FESBC funding was successful. Because this block is located within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and near critical infrastructure, additional cleanup work will now be completed, including:

  • Mechanical piling
  • Manual thinning of retained tree clumps

These treatments will further reduce wildfire risk while improving the long-term health of the stand.

Safety

We’re pleased to report zero safety incidents this month across wildfire risk reduction work, tree planting, road construction, and timber development activities.

Silviculture

Another Successful Planting Season

Tree planting has wrapped up for the year, with local contractor Wes Mooney planting 51,800 trees throughout the Keen Creek fire salvage area. These seedlings will help restore the forest following wildfire salvage operations and support the long-term health of the landscape.

Monitoring Forest Regeneration

Silviculture surveys continue across the licence area, including:

  • Regeneration surveys in recently planted blocks
  • Free-growing surveys in established plantations

Overall, plantations from recent years are establishing well. However, a small number of blocks have been identified that will require fill planting after trees were lost over the winter—likely due to frost or heavy snow.

Some sites may also require brushing treatments to reduce competition between young trees and surrounding vegetation.

Looking Ahead: Plantation Spacing

KDCFS is also exploring the development of a spacing program within selected plantations.

Spacing treatments would:

  • Create additional local employment opportunities
  • Improve ecological and wildfire resilience
  • Remove diseased and undesirable tree species
  • Reduce competition for light and water
  • Increase the future value of the forest

Internal Updates

BCCFA Conference Highlights

Our manager attended the BC Community Forest Association Conference in Vernon this month.

During the field tour, participants explored several wildfire risk reduction treatments, including silvopasture—an innovative approach that integrates cattle grazing into vegetation management within fuel breaks. Conference discussions focused on:

  • Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) and timber supply
  • Delivering greater benefits to local communities
  • Harmonizing stumpage rates between Community Forest Agreements, Woodlots, and First Nations Woodland Licences
  • Wildfire risk reduction strategies

Jimi Crack Corn Named Project of the Year

We’re incredibly proud to share that the Jimi Crack Corn Wildfire Risk Reduction Project was recognized by FESBC as its inaugural Project of the Year.

Selected from projects across British Columbia, the award celebrates the project’s collaborative approach, bringing together multiple stakeholders and private landowners to improve wildfire resilience in the Kaslo area.

Wildfire Risk Reduction

Following the successful FESBC funding application, Kaslo Community Forest has secured $40,000 to complete enhanced post-harvest cleanup work in CP 56 along the True Blue Road.

The project will include:

  • Mechanical piling of slash
  • Manual thinning within retained tree patches
  • Removal of unhealthy stems

These treatments will further reduce wildfire risk while improving overall forest health in an area located close to both the community and critical infrastructure.

April – May 2026 General Board Meeting Update

Woodland Operations

Keen Creek Road Reopened

Good news for both forestry operations and recreation users: Numerous trees and a small landslide had blocked access to Keen Creek, but Marsh Hawes cleared the road so tree planting could begin this week. Local recreation users can once again access the area as well.

Cooper Face & Lost Ledge Ready for Harvest

Timber development work on both Cooper Face and Lost Ledge is now complete, and permit applications have been submitted. We anticipate receiving approval in the coming weeks.

Once permits are in place:

  • Harvesting of CP 50 (Cooper Face) will begin with Timber Ridge.
  • Road construction and upgrades at Lost Ledge will get underway before harvesting begins in CP 57, with work completed by Sunshine Logging.

Lost Ledge Road Improvements

A few important upgrades are planned before harvesting can begin.

Near the bottom of the Lost Ledge Road, a fill slope is slumping and requires repair. In addition, approximately one kilometre of the existing road will be rerouted where grades are currently too steep for safe hauling. While crews are on site, Sunshine Logging will also continue brushing 5–10 km of older roads to improve access throughout the area.

Post-Harvest Rehabilitation

Several rehabilitation projects are also underway across the community forest.

At Keen Creek, the recent salvage logging operation required multiple trails and yarder spurs on steep terrain. Once the remaining snow has melted, Marsh Hawes will complete trail rehabilitation and general road maintenance.

Meanwhile, CP 56, located behind the dump and harvested this past winter, is undergoing post-harvest cleanup. Crews are removing logging debris and rehabilitating trails throughout the block.

Safety

We’re happy to report zero safety incidents this month across wildfire risk reduction work, timber development, and tree planting operations.

Silviculture

Tree Planting Underway

Tree planting officially began this week at Keen Creek, with work being completed by local contractor Wes Mooney. To keep seedlings in optimal condition, they’re being stored frozen in a refrigerated trailer at the Kaslo Arena. A big thank you to the Arena Board for providing a shaded, easily accessible location for storage throughout planting.

Survey & Regeneration Work Continues

Review of the 2025 surveys is ongoing, along with free-growing and regeneration declarations in RESULTS. This year:

  • 10 blocks will be declared free growing based on recent surveys.
  • 9 additional blocks are scheduled for free-growing assessments.

Once complete, nearly all legacy blocks within the community forest will have achieved free-growing status. To better track progress, a new silviculture tracking spreadsheet has been developed to monitor regeneration declarations, free-growing status, and RESULTS reporting requirements.

Crews will also complete walkthrough surveys on several blocks to determine whether brushing treatments are needed later this year.

Internal Updates

The first week of June, our manager will be attending the BC Community Forest Association Conference in Vernon.

This month we also welcomed Deb MacKillop, Forest Biodiversity Lead, and Julie MacDougall, Executive Director from the Office of the Chief Forester, for a field tour of Cooper Face.

Discussions focused on:

  • Old growth management
  • Biodiversity
  • Forest economics
  • The future of forestry in British Columbia

The conversations also explored opportunities to strengthen local manufacturing, create more value from pulp through bioenergy and biochar, develop new markets for small-diameter timber, and the important role the Province can play in supporting these initiatives.

Wildfire Risk Reduction

Manual treatment work in CP 55 above Lardeau is now complete. Pile burning is planned for the fall or early winter once snow conditions allow. Looking ahead, FESBC has announced a new intake for Wildfire Risk Reduction projects running from June 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

Kaslo Community Forest will be submitting an application to complete manual treatment in KAS3—the area of unallocated Crown land around No Brakes that Cathro Consulting completed a Forest Management Plan for in 2025.

Forest Operation Map | CP 50 and CP 57

The public is invited to review and comment on the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) Forest Operations Map. The Map shows proposed road construction and cut block development for CP 50 and CP 57. The three year validity period upon which this FOM can be relied upon to apply for a cutting permit or road permit commences May 9th, 2026.

The public viewing and comment period is from April 9th, 2026 – May 9th, 2026. This is the period in which comments on the FOM will be received.

The Forest Operations Map is available for public review and comment at: https://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects

Download Full Details

CP50 Map Overview

Download Here

CP57 Map Overview

Download Here

February 2025 General Board Meeting Update

Mission Statement

The Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) will manage the diversity of values of the Community Forest in an ecologically responsible and fiscally accountable manner on behalf of the people of Kaslo and Area D.

WOODLANDS

Timber Ridge completed harvesting of CP 56 (the block behind the Kaslo airstrip) at the end of February. Close to 8,000 m³ was harvested, with tree species reflecting a classic Kootenay mix of Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, and larch. The project also produced a significant number of cedar pole loads.

The block spans approximately 2 km and incorporates a mix of patch cuts, group selection, and single tree retention, designed to blend well into the surrounding landscape. While the term “wildfire risk reduction” is sometimes flagged as justification for harvesting near private land and communities, that terminology was not used for this project.

That said, the block now contains a mosaic of age classes and openings — a forest structure that has been shown to help reduce wildfire behaviour. Post-harvest clean-up funding through FESBC is currently being applied for.

Timber development work up Cooper Face and Lost Ledge is mostly complete:

  • CP 50 (Cooper Face): 4 blocks, with a species profile of larch, hemlock, spruce, cedar, and fir.
  • CP 57 (Lost Ledge): 5 blocks total. Several blocks have a very high hemlock component and will not be included in the 2026 harvest schedule.

The goal is to have all blocks ready for First Nations referral and submission to the Forest Operations Map (FOM) by mid-March.

SAFETY

There were no safety incidents reported from wildfire risk reduction (WRR) work, logging operations, or timber development.

SILVICULTURE

Review of the 2025 surveys, free-growing declarations, and RESULTS data entry is scheduled for March.

INTERNAL

Winter in the Forest was held on Family Day, February 16th. Leading up to the event, it felt like spring might arrive early — but Mother Nature had other plans, delivering a snowstorm with 10–15 cm of fresh snow on the day of the festival.

The snowfall allowed the popular human dog sled competition to go ahead, but attendance was roughly half of what is typically expected.

Thank you to:

  • Zia for organizing and leading the festival
  • Board members Matt Brown, Chris Webster, Doug Drain, and Stephen Fawcett for helping out
  • Morgan (Kaslo FireSmart) for conducting a hedge burn demonstration

WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION

Manual treatment in CP 55 above Lardeau continues, with little to no snow at lower elevations.

FESBC — our primary grant funder for WRR initiatives — has limited funding available over the next few years due to provincial spending cuts. One of the projects submitted in our recent Expression of Interest has been selected to move forward to a full application.

January 2026 General Board Meeting Update

Mission Statement

The Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) will manage the diversity of values of the Community Forest in an ecologically responsible and fiscally accountable manner on behalf of the people of Kaslo and Area D.

Woodlands

CP 55
Timber Ridge completed harvesting of CP 55, the block along the highway from the Lost Ledge campground to Lardeau, before the Christmas break. Approximately 3,900 m³ were harvested, mostly Douglas fir, with minor components of larch and cedar. Some green firewood remains on site and will be sold or moved to our lot by the airstrip.

CP 56
Harvesting of CP 56, located behind the airstrip up the True Blue Road, began in early January and is expected to continue for several more weeks. The block contains Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar, with a high proportion of cedar poles. Approximately 4,000 m³ is expected to be harvested. After this project is completed, no further harvesting is planned until the summer.

This block features mixed retention, ranging from single-tree selection to patches of trees and regeneration. Many advanced regeneration trees (20–40 years old) were retained for biodiversity purposes, while smaller, less vigorous trees in these patches will be thinned by hand in the spring.

Timber Development
Timber development, which has been stalled for some time, will resume this month up Cooper Face and Lost Ledge, with the goal of having these blocks ready for First Nations referral and the Forest Operations Map (FOM) by the end of February.

Safety

There have been no safety incidents from road work, logging, or timber development.

Silviculture

Review of 2025 surveys, free-growing declarations, and results input is scheduled for February 2026.

Wildfire Risk Reduction

Manual treatment in CP 55 above Lardeau continues. While the lack of snow is favourable for this work, the Natural Resource Officer requires 2,500 litres of water on site in case of fire spread. Due to difficulties maintaining water without freezing, the crew is cutting and piling for now, with burning planned once snow is on the ground this winter, or next winter if necessary.

December 2025 General Board Meeting Update

Mission Statement

The Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) will manage the diversity of values of the Community Forest in an ecologically responsible and fiscally accountable manner on behalf of the people of Kaslo and Area D.

Woodlands

CP 55
Timber Ridge is harvesting CP 55, the block located along the highway from the Lost Ledge campground to Lardeau. The timber in this block is almost all Douglas fir and larch. Harvesting will be complete within the next week or two. More information can be found in the Wildfire Risk Reduction section below.

CP 56
This block is located behind the airstrip, up the True Blue Road. Plans for this block to be harvested start at the beginning of January. Depending on the Hemlock market, the plan is to harvest at least 3000m³ in the block. The species mix includes Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar.

CP 57
Western toads have been found in the large block up Lost Ledge. While this species isn’t legally protected, we are following best management practices and working with a biologist on a strategy that ensures we aren’t distrupting their habitat.

Timber Development
Timber development up Cooper Face continues. We were targeting spruce- and larch-leading blocks, but with spruce currently not marketable, we are shifting focus to developing more larch-leading blocks.

SAFETY

There have been no safety incidents from road work, silviculture surveys, logging, or timber development.

SILVICULTURE

Craig has completed the silviculture surveys for 2025. The data still needs to be reviewed, but numerous blocks have achieved free-to-grow status. This will be finalized early in the New Year.

Internal

The road from the highway up to the Moose Meadows cross-country ski cabin was narrowing, and the ditch was becoming a hazard for skiers descending the steep hill during low-snow years. We graded the road to widen it and reduce ditch depth, ahead of it’s use in the winter season ahead.

The donated firewood load is being processed by students, parents, and teachers for the JVH Outdoor Ed Class.

Wildfire Risk Reduction

There are many piles from the thinning work completed this spring around the Wardner Trail and Buchanan Fire Access Trail. These couldn’t be burned earlier due to warm weather and fire risk. With cooler, wetter conditions, these piles are now being burned and smoke may be visible from Kaslo.

CP 55

The CP 55 project stretching from the Lost Ledge campground to Davis Creek began earlier this fall. Approximately 10 ha will be treated with manual thin-from-below prescriptions, while the remaining 20 ha will be mechanically implemented.

Initially, the plan was to remove all trees that could fall on the power line. After completing this in the southern area, we received public feedback that it looked like a clearcut. As a result, the remaining areas along the power line will now be reserved for visuals from the highway. A heavier removal will occur upslope, centred around the old trails and roads, which have been upgraded for access. Patches, single trees, and immature trees have been retained for biodiversity and visual quality.

The FESBC put out an Expression of Interest call for 2027–2029 projects.

We submitted six proposals, including:

  1. KAS3 Manual Treatment
  2. FMP Development — for a large area of unallocated Crown land above Kaslo.
  3. Planning in the Shutty Bench area
  4. Fibre Utilization — for harvest to break even on shipping pulp
  5. CP 55 Post-Harvest Clean-Up
  6. Brushing Roads — within Kaslo’s WUI to allow for access, including continuation of the access plan started by John Addision on behalf of the Kaslo FireSmart Committee
  7. CP 56 Post-Harvest Clean-Up