The summer 2014 edition of Private Forest Matters—a quarterly newsletter distributed to members of the Private Forest Landowners Association. Includes: highlights from the recent field tour; details about PFLA's top policy priorities; an update on the Crititcal Wildlife MOU signed with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Ministry of Environment, Brushing tips for forest owners, and the Private Forestry Recognition Award recipient.

1. Private Forest Matters
PFLA’s 4 Key Policy Priorities
Hot on the heels of another successful
annual general meeting, PFLA wasted no
time getting back to business and moving
forward with what we see as a strong
mandate and clear direction from
the membership.
Consistent with what we heard earlier this
spring at the Hometown Meetings, we’re
inspired and confident you’ve given us a
solid endorsement to focus the organiza-
tion’s resources on the policy areas most
pressing and important to forest owners.
Early in June, we met with Minister Tho-
mson — Forest Lands and Natural Resource
Operations (FLNRO) — to highlight the ass-
ociation’s key concerns. We’re also working
with the Ministry of Environment and the
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural
Development because these ministries are
involved in regulatory matters that affect
our lands as well.
At the federal level, we continue to engage
with elected officials and civil servants
on similar policy concerns related to
international trade, migratory birds and
species at risk. Thanks to Chris Lee from
the Canadian Association of Forest Owners
(CAFO) for his update on federal issues at
PFLA’s forestry forum in June.
Below you’ll find the key messages PFLA
has developed to advocate on behalf of
forest owners.
Critical Wildlife Habitat — Crown land
first, Compensation and Cooperation
• PFLA promotes and participates in the
responsible stewardship of wildlife
habitat; however, we encourage
government to respect private and
productive lands and focus first on
Crown land with the least socio-
economic significance when looking
for wildlife habitat to preserve.
• As is standard practice when private
assets are encumbered to pursue
public goals, landowners deserve fair
treatment and compensation if it’s
necessary to restrict private land use
for wildlife habitat purposes.
• PFLA is also working with all levels of
government to better promote the
current assessment and planning
processes and stand–level practices
we have in place to protect wildlife
habitat on private forest land.
Fair Trade for Logs — N102 and Log
Export Restrictions
• In a world of increasing costs and
complexity, British Columbia needs
international log pricing to sustain
responsible forest stewardship.
• To date, BC’s log export restriction
policies have fostered a subsidy
dependent timber-processing sector
Contact Information
P.O. Box 48092
Victoria, BC V8Z 7H5
Tel: 250 381 7565
Fax: 250 381 7409
www.pfla.bc.ca
Rod Bealing - Executive Director
rod.bealing@pfla.bc.ca
Ina Shah - Office Manager
info@pfla.bc.ca
Lisa Weeks - Communications Manager
lisa@pfla.bc.ca
Continued on page 2
Summer 2014
In This Issue
PFLA’s 4 Key Policy Priorities 1-2
Forestry Field Tour Highlights 2-3
Critical Wildlife Habitat MOU 3
Out and About with the PFLA 3
Private Forestry Recognition Award 4
Stand Tending 101: Brushing Basics 4
Northern goshawk chicks in a second-growth forest on private land near Comox Lake. Photo credit: Grant Eldridge

2. Pg 2
where domestic log prices are often
below what it costs to sustainably
produce logs.
• Free trade in logs and lumber is
necessary and inevitable. It’s only a
matter of time before our competitors,
customers and the international
community force B.C. to open up log
supplies from private land to free trade.
This will have significant consequences
for domestic mills if they’re not given
sufficient time to adjust and evolve.
• PFLA is promoting transitional policy
measures to achieve the goal of a
domestic log market for private forest
owners built around international
pricing for logs. Initiating transitional
measures, at the earliest opportunity,
is the most effective means to help
BC timber processors adjust and
evolve into sustainable, globally
competitive businesses.
Property Taxation and
Succession Planning
• Worldwide, societies recognize that
carrying costs for land, especially
property taxes, have a crucial impact
on the viability of forest management
as a land use option.
• Similarly, British Columbia needs
a competitive property tax model
in order to encourage forest
management on private land. The
Managed Forest Program is intended
to embody this necessary element.
• There is room for improved clarity in
the area of succession planning and
the eligibility of smaller properties to
enter, or continue to participate in,
the program. PFLA is working with
all levels of government to achieve
this goal.
Provincial Jurisdiction for Forest
Management Activities
• Responsible resource management
is the backbone of British Columbia.
The province consistently recognizes
responsible resource stewardship as
a provincial priority.
• Despite clear provincial jurisdiction,
and consistently effective stewardship
measures, some local governments
have expressed an interest in having
more influence over the management
of private forest land.
• In the example of managed forests on
Galiano Island, it’s clear the provincial
policy intent is to enable forest owners
to reside on their land, as every other
forest owner can in British Columbia,
but the local government is reluctant
to recognize the province’s jurisdiction.
• In addition, despite a positive track
record with respect to maintaining
water quality, and strong working
relationships between owners
and water purveyors, some local
governments want increased
involvement in land use decisions
for areas that supply water to
their communities.
• Forest owners are responding to this
interest in more local involvement,
and ensuring protection of key public
environmental values, by educating
local governments about how we
manage our land, what provincial
and federal regulations are already in
place and working closely with local
governments to identify local values
and work together to protect them.
What do you get when you mix engaging
presenters, interesting locations, thoughtful
participants and just-right weather condi-
tions? Another fantastic forestry field tour!
That’s right, PFLA is happy to report the
2014 forest field tour was a rollicking succ-
ess. We owe a long list of thank-yous to all
the folks who contributed to make the day
informative and enjoyable for everyone.
The first thank you goes to Phred Judson
without whom we’d be nowhere, literally.
Phred has safely and enthusiastically
transported PFLA tour participants year
after year — over highways, along forested
roads and across countless kilometers — to
see one inspiring example of private forest
stewardship after another. This year was
no exception.
Participants loaded the bus at Tigh-Na-Mara
Resort and Conference Centre, bright and
early Wednesday morning, keen to reach
our first destination: The Coastal Fire Centre
in Errington, B.C.
The Coastal Fire Centre is one of six regional
wildland fire centres operated by the B.C.
Forest Service’s Wildfire Management
Branch. Derek Lefler warmly greeted tour
participants to the fire centre before we
divided into two groups for a detailed tour.
The first group, led by Forest Protection
Assistant, Richard Heard, was treated to
a look at the equipment and resources
fire fighters use to respond to wildfires.
The second group headed inside for a
firsthand look at the fire control room
where Catherine Morrison and Brent
Anderson provided a detailed overview
of fire response information, mapping
and communication technologies.
Our next shout out of thanks goes to
Morgan Kennah and Ken Epps from Island
Timberlands for organizing the Englishman
River Watershed fish hatchery portion of
the tour. Guest presenters provided fas-
cinating information about fish habitat
restoration and monitoring on the
Englishman River. Watch the PFLA blog for
more details and photos from this section
of the tour. In the meantime, thanks to:
• Mike Donnelly, Regional Water
Manager for the Regional District
of Nanaimo
• Dave Davies, Community Advisor
with the Department of Fisheries and
Oceans
• James Craig, B.C. Conservation
Foundation
It’s settled, the bar for future PFLA lunches
has been set suitably high. Thanks to Marc
Fortin (along with Nora Berg and Janet
Fortin for their skills on the grill) tour
participants were graciously hosted to a
delicious BBQ lunch of certified BC beef,
raised on Vancouver Island, at the Forest
Lakewood BC headquarters.
Along with good food, great company,
stunning views and the occasional bear
wandering across the field, participants
were treated to a wood splitting
demonstration with the impressive
“blockbuster”machinery Forest Lakewood
BC uses for the firewood aspect of their
Continued from cover
Forestry Field Tour Highlights

3. Pg 3
It’s been a little over a year since PFLA
signed a memorandum of understanding
with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and
Natural Resource Operations and the
Ministry of Environment regarding
critical wildlife habitat.
In case you’re not familiar with the term,
a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
is an agreement that reinforces working
relationships and helps establish a frame-
work for information sharing, cooperation
and collaboration in matters of
mutual interest.
This particular MOU reflects a commitment
on behalf of all parties to promote the
“made-in-BC”approach to the protection
and management of critical wildlife habitat
on private managed forest land.
Why the MOU is important to
forest owners
Increasingly, public demand places
pressure on government to demons-
trate appropriate steps are being taken
to protect endangered species. In the
context of an evolving sphere of species
at risk protection, the province maintains
management of critical wildlife habitat as
a provincial priority.
PFLA realizes the necessity of improving
awareness, at both the federal and
provincial levels, of the contributions
landowners already make to critical wild-
life habitat. Equally important, is the need
to ensure appropriate distinction is made
between Crown land and private land.
Rod Bealing explains,“It’s about telling
the story of what’s already happening on
private land rather than coming up with
an idea about how to fix a problem.”
Critical Wildlife Habitat and the
PMFL Act
The critical wildlife habitat provisions of the
Private Managed Forest Land Act and the
Private Managed Forest Land Regulation
reflect a commitment forest owners made
to work with government; to enter into
agreements for the protection of critical
wildlife habitat on private managed
forest land if necessary.
The policy intent in British Columbia is a
two-step process:
1. If a species is deemed threatened or
endangered there is a structure in
place that compels the Crown to look
for critical wildlife habitat on Crown
land first.
2. If it’s determined the only land
available for the survival of that species
is on private land, then the Crown has
a duty to reach an agreement with
the landowner that provides some
measure of compensation for any land
use interruption, modified practices or
deferred harvesting.
A Positive Step for Forest Owners
To date, the MOU process and associated
working group is a productive, engaging
and positive experience for forest owners.
Landowners are working with government
in an ongoing, healthy dialogue about
what’s best for the creatures, how to meet
their habit needs and how to balance the
needs of wildlife with the needs of forest
owners, the province and communities.
Opportunities for Improvement
In terms of tangible outcomes, we hope
to identify opportunities for improvement
at the landscape level with increased
cooperation and information sharing
between owners, as well as between
owners and government. We also hope to
identify practices to improve habitat value
at the stand level—practical measures to
help raise awareness about these creatures
and their habitat needs.
business. Look for the newly minted Island
Valley Farms logo at a store near you.
The afternoon portion of the tour wrap-
ped up with a visit to Woodlot 0031, near
Coombs, where Walker Addison and Ed
Hughes toured participants to a number
of sites on the property. Discussions and
information ranged from:
• Commercial thinning
• Recreational activities and
trail construction
• Coastal Douglas-fir rare
and endangered
• Regeneration activities
• Harvest planning
• Pruning and browse control
A big PFLA thanks to Ed and Walker for an
engaging and informative afternoon; stand
by for more information and photos from
this portion of the tour.
One final arm-waving shout of appreciation
goes to Steve Lackey for all his help and
hard work organizing this year’s tour.
Update: Critical Wildlife Habitat MOU
Out and About with PFLA
146th Annual Cowichan Exhibition
September 5-7, 2014
Zucchini Racing! PFLA is pumped to
sponsor the 4th annual zucchini racing
competition at the Cowichan Exhibition.
UBCM 2014 Convention
September 22-26, 2014
PFLA looks forward to connecting
with municipal representatives at the
UBCM convention in Whistler, B.C.

4. Pg 4
Stand Tending 101: Brushing Basics
Brushing is the first, and in some ways most
important, stand treatment you’ll carry out.
If you’re not familiar with the term: brushing
describes the removal of unwanted
vegetation (brush) from the immediate
area surrounding your seedlings.
Competition for light, nutrients and water
from other vegetation at the early stage in
a tree’s life (2 to 5 years after regeneration)
can pose a real threat to growth and
survival. By reducing competition at the
beginning of the crop cycle you can help
your trees become firmly established.
The best form of brushing is no
brushing at all.
With careful planning and a few simple
practices you can significantly minimize the
amount of brush you have to manage. Here
are a few suggestions:
• Plant trees as soon as possible after
harvesting – this gives seedlings a
head start on brush and dramatically
increases their chances of survival.
• Remove the seed source of
undesirable species (red alder and
hemlock are particularly prolific seed-
producers). If you’re not planning to
reforest with these species, remove
mature seed-producing trees to the
fullest extent possible.
• Minimize ground disturbance.
Seeds thrive in a‘seed bed’. By using
designated skid trails, harvesting on
snow pack or working with equipment
that minimizes ground disturbance
you limit the amount of‘seed bed’you
create for unwanted brush species.
What to do if brush problems arise?
Despite your best efforts to prevent brush
problems before they arise, you should
be prepared to carry out brushing if pro-
blems do develop. Brushing is achieved
by a number of treatment methods and
techniques, including: manual, biological,
chemical and mechanical.
Manual brushing
Manual brushing is often selected for
sensitive sites, like streams or recreation
areas, or when brush is a problem only in
specific areas. It’s usually done during the
spring or summer months when the brush
species are most sensitive to treatment.
Manual brushing is labour-intensive and
can be expensive if you have a large area
or need to repeat brushing treatments.
The primary purpose of manual brushing
is to encourage light to reach seedlings.
The goal is to assist the seedlings to grow
strong, healthy root systems and stems that
allow them to fend for themselves. Timing
is crucial. You want to brush sufficiently
early in the growing season to allow your
tree seedlings time to respond.
Biological brushing
In some areas, the grazing of sheep is
still used as a means of brush control. If
you choose grazing as a brush control
technique you should also consider:
• Wildlife concerns, either through
displacement or predator conflict.
• Water contamination if livestock are
allowed direct access to streams and
lakes.
• Soil erosion, compaction or
displacement due to overcrowding
too many animals into one area for an
extended period of time.
• Transfer of undesirable plant species to
forest sites.
Chemical Brushing
Where brush is widespread or persistent,
herbicides are often used as the most
effective control method. It’s important to
give careful consideration to the choice
of herbicide and the method and timing
of application. Relatively few herbicides
are available for forest use and registration
changes so check with a local silviculturist,
as well as the district office of the
Ministry of Forests when considering
herbicide application.
Mechanical Brushing
Mechanical brushing methods are most
commonly used during site preparation to
remove brush prior to regeneration. Heavy
equipment such as excavators (hoes),
tractors or skidders are mounted with
special plows or cutters to clear brush and
prepare the seedbed.
What method of brush control is right
for your stands?
Finding the best method for your
woodland depends on site and stand
conditions, as well as environmental
factors. In assessing the situation be sure
to look at both the brush species and crop
tree species. Consider things like:
• How fast does the brush grow? What’s
the maximum height it will reach?
Versus: How fast are your seedlings
growing?
• What is your crop tree’s ability to
withstand competition?
• Do you have enough seedlings to
meet stocking standards, or should
you carry out a whole site treatment
and start the establishment phase
(reforestation) over again?
Thanks again to the creators of Managing
Your Woodland: A Non-forester’s Guide to
Small-scale Forestry in British Columbia for
the information we’ve excerpted above.
Private Forestry Recognition Award
At our recent AGM in June, Dave Lindsay,
fish and wildlife biologist with TimberWest,
received the PFLA Stewardship Award
for his contribution and dedication to
protecting wildlife and managing habitat
on private forest land.
Dave has a deep knowledge and
understanding, infectious passion for fish
and wildlife, and priceless wisdom gained
from decades of practical experience
observing what nature needs, what
works and what doesn’t when it comes to
managing wildlife habitat. We are lucky to
call Dave a valuable supporter of PFLA and
our programs.
Dave was involved with the development
of our best management practices (BMP)
program, and as a regular participant and
contributor to forest field tours and training
workshops, he not only helps forest
owners, forestry professionals and loggers
to understand the habitat needs of various
species, but he also helps government
representatives to see the processes,
practices, approaches and commitments
that go into managing habitats — streams,
birds, creatures — on private land.
In a burst of poetic prose, Rod Bealing
described Dave Lindsay as,“at times, the
thin red line standing between responsible
forest stewardship and the tyranny of
unnecessary regulation.”
A huge PFLA thanks and buckets of
appreciation to Dave for all his hard work
and contributions over the years.