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The next Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb.20.

Society chair Chris Webster said the society has been refocusing on fire mitigation efforts, community protection and the significant costs associated with fighting fires.

Webster also touched on the broader implications of climate change and the need for pragmatic measures to protect tree health.

“Cedar has been a big part of our forest, and we've got a ton of hemlock, and nobody wants hemlock,” said Webster, adding that other species have been affected and deemed undesirable in part due to diseases.

“(Hemlock is) having a real hard time, especially with the heat and the drought.”

Webster also reflected on the changes to community engagement and the financial facets that have impacted the society’s operations.

“We used to have meetings with a couple hundred people there, but that was when there was more money involved,” he said.

He explained that logging is expensive, which has, in part, led them to reduce disbursements to the community.

“We probably won't be doing any more for a while," he said.

According to Webster, sustainable harvesting levels have also fallen short in recent years.

"We're supposed to take 25,000 cubic meters a year, and we've been below that over the years,” he said. “ I was talking to our forester… He estimates that it will take 20 to 30 years for the forests to catch up."

The upcoming board meeting is expected to address some of these challenges along with ongoing fire mitigation efforts and the long-term sustainability of the community's forests.