Following fire mitigation efforts in and around the 108 Mile Ranch, a new generation of trees have been planted to restore the land.
On Saturday, May 24, West Fraser 100 Mile donated 1,200 trees that were planted by treeplanters from Zanzibar Holdings Ltd. on behalf of the 108 Mile Ranch Greenbelt Commission. Greenbelt commissioner Chris Betuzzi said it's all part of the commission's work to secure the 108 Mile Ranch against future fire seasons and avoid a repeat of the 2017 Gustafsen fire, which burned parts of Walker Valley. As a registered forest technologist, he said helping manage the forest is a responsibility close to his heart.
"We had a report done in 2018 where a registered professional forester by the name of Ken Day gave us an overview report on how to manage the forests and grasslands. In 2018, we harvested quite a large area in Walker Valley, selectively harvested, to reduce the fire hazard after the Gustafsen Wildfire," Betuzzi said. "The objective is just to reduce the fire hazard and also as a side benefit, it keeps the forest insects in check."
In May of 2024, Betuzzi said they carried out fire mitigation efforts in three areas along the Greenbelt, including Donsleequa Road, Qua Place and Gloinnzum Drive to reduce forest fuel in the event of a wildfire. Betuzzi said they had Tsi Del Del Enterprises Ltd come up to process the slash piles and fibre.
Following the cleanup of the sites, Betuzzi approached West Fraser to ask if they would be interested in helping them replant some of the areas. In addition to the fuel removed for fire mitigation, Betuzzi noted they have to create landings for heavy equipment and roads.
"The natural forest, say 150 years ago, before Europeans arrived in the area, a lot of these forests had periodic fire intervals. They were either set intentionally by First Nations because they saw the benefit of fire or caused by lightning," Betuzzi noted. "They were generally light intensity fires, but what that did was keep the forests more open. A variety of things, but mostly fire suppression over the years, have allowed these forests to get too thick, so we were basically trying to return those forests to a more natural state."
Todd Schmidt, West Fraser's silviculture superintendent for South Cariboo woodlands, said his company was happy to supply some trees and planters to replant these areas. He noted that many of Wester Fraser's employees, including himself, live out in the 108 Mile Ranch and they always look for opportunities to be involved in the community.
"We plant millions of trees, so any little bit we can help is fine," Schmidt said. "We planted roughly around 800 trees per hectare, normally we're about 1,200 to 1,400, but ultimately we want between 400 to 600 as they age out there, because we don't want a dense stand."
Schmidt said they always plant a little bit more than they need to accommodate for losses, noting that drought and wildlife will kill off some of the saplings naturally. He noted that while they don't want the trees to be too densely packed, they don't want them to be sparse either, to avoid the growth of excessive grass and undergrowth, which can also contribute to the rapid spread of wildfires.
Tara Dzenis, West Fraser's silviculture coordinator for South Cariboo Woodlands, was the one who led the two treeplanters assigned to the project. A longtime treeplanter herself, Dzenis said she enjoyed the chance to get out of the office and work on the land.
"I really enjoy managing young stands and making sure they're healthy and getting to see lots of different types of ecosystems. I've always loved tree planting, I tree planted for many years before I went back to school for forestry," Dzenis said. "It's always had a special place in my heart and that's why I was one of the planters on tree planting day."
Throughout the day, Dzenis said she and the other planters planted 430 trembling aspen, 600 Douglas fir and 170 western larch saplings, all about a year old. She noted that West Fraser grows these trees in nurseries before cold-storing them over the winter. The three trees were chosen to create a more diverse and fire-resistant forest.
"We targeted obstacles just so they have a little bit of protection and spaced them (using) natural spacing patterns," Dzenis said. "For a special project like this, we're taking care of every single tree to make sure it's in a good micro-site and planted to a high quality."
Betuzzi said he and the rest of the commission are incredibly thankful that West Fraser was able to donate so many trees and man-hours to help restore these parts of the Greenbelt. He noted that the commission still has pockets of dense forest to mitigate throughout the Greenbelt, which they will undertake as they are able. Both Betuzzi and Schmidt said they may partner again next summer to do more tree planting in areas of Walker Valley which have not reforested properly since the 2017 fires.
"Next year, West Fraser is considering helping to do more planting in the Walker Valley," Betuzzi said. "(It would) be nice to get a few more trees in there after the wildfire."
Schmidt noted that across all of the treeplanting initiatives he's responsible for, West Fraser is on track to plant 11 million trees in the South Cariboo this year. In 2024, he said they planted an all-time high of 16-million.
