Cooling off period for logging operations

A  30 day cooling off period is now in place for logging in the Apex area, after citizens expressed concerns about the operation.

Chief Jonathan Kruger said the Penticton Indian Band, which operates  Sn'pink'tn Forestry, agreed to the period lasting until July 31, after being contacted by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.  

"We will be having talks with the ministry of forests to come up with solutions for logging," said Kruger. "And I hope everyone can reach a solution."

Kruger said the logging has been going on for about three years, and Sn'pink'tn Forestry has been working with Gorman Brothers, Weyerhaeuser and a local contractor that has been doing logging for the PIB.

The logging is scattered around the Apex area, a popular ski and recreational destination near Penticton.

One of the main reasons the PIB got involved in the operation is the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation, said Kruger.

"The pine beetle in the  Okanagan is different than having it in the Prince George area," he said.  "Here the climate is dry and when the trees die and become dry, it could result in a major forest fire."

According to the ministry's Okanagan-Shuswap District Manager Dave Hails, this is indeed the case.

"For the most part this is a pine beetle salvage operation aimed at removing beetle-killed timber," he said. "With an added benefit of removing excess fuel to reduce forest fire risk in the area."

Kruger said they have done due diligence regarding the operation and also invested a lot of money, so he is hopeful solutions can be worked out.

Penny McLeod, a Penticton resident, who owns a condo at Apex, said residents were initially complacent about the logging, but that changed when the operation became more noticeable during the ski season.

"It was sort of a view it has to happen and someone must be in charge," she said. "It wasn't until the first ski season that it became really noticeable on Green Mountain."

Due to concerns, the Apex Property Owners Association created the APOA Forestry Committee to investigate and report on timber harvesting in the area.

The issue was discussed at the association's  annual general meeting in March and at a second meeting in June, where residents were encouraged to write letters to the ministry.

"We felt there was a significant change in the threat from the Mountain Pine Beetle, in that the explosive growth of the beetle was no longer happening," said Jeff Brown, who is on the APOA board and chair of the forestry committee. "So we saw it as an opportunity to go back to normal logging operations.

People were encouraged to write letters to the ministry and the 30 day moratorium happened after the campaign. It is a time to re-look at things and that is what is happening now."

McLeod said she hopes a resolution can be found that is a win win for the logging industry and the recreational users.

"We would like to see logging practices more in tune with the recreational use,with the logging done in a way that complies with the guidelines set out by the ministry that won't have a visual impact," she said. "And so that when you are hiking, you are hiking on trails, not just in a mass of what clear cutting leaves behind."

Kruger said the current goal is to keep everyone involved throughout the whole process. 

"We have done a lot of due diligence with the homeowners and will continue to do so," he said.