Western Silvicultural Contractors’ Association
Rumour Mill Roundupdate
April 18, 2014
Vol. 14-6
Working group to focus on West Coast silviculture safety
– The BC Forest Safety Council will set up a workplace improvement team comprising contractors and licensees to develop guidelines and practices to improve safety for West Coast silviculture contracting. The recommendation to establish the forum follows on a recent meeting between the WSCA and a committee of the executive-sponsored Coast Harvesting Advisory Group (CHAG). The group will meet in May to discuss immediate concerns over hazards created by road deactivation, improvements to access and evacuation in general and providing better information on work site conditions, particularly helicopter-logged blocks. The initiative follows on discussions initiated at this year’s WSCA annual conference as part of the BC SAFE Silviculture Program’s Participatory Action Research project.
Area based tenure hits a bump
– From the beginning government’s reasons for converting some of the province’s volume based tenures to area based have not been all that clear or convincing. Now one of the province’s major licensee’s is saying the undertaking is a distraction from far more important things the industry and the province need to contend with. CANFOR CEO Don Kayne in a letter published this week in the Vancouver Sun stated dealing with the consequences of the mountain pine beetle epidemic and “the uncertainty regarding the total available timber supply” are among the “higher priorities that would yield more positive impacts.” Kayne also faulted the consultation process for its lack of inclusiveness and its narrow scope. Most importantly he feared the erosion of public support for the forest industry due to the controversies stirred about increasing private rights to the public forest resource. The road to area based tenure just got rougher for government. The WSCA will meet with consultation leader Jim Snetsinger in May. Kayne’s full comment can be seen at his blog http://www.canfor.com/media-center/world-of-wood-blog/world-of-wood-blog/2014/04/12/canfor-has-concerns-with-area-based-tenure-process
Industry tries out ATV roll bars
– Some silviculture contractors are trying out ATVs equipped with roll bars this spring as a measure to prevent injuries from roll overs. The attachments are no substitute for properly trained operators, but they may mitigate an unexpected crash. Manufacturers claim the roll bar can reduce the risk of injuries from both pitching and rolling. More information on the product at http://www.quadbarsafety.com