The Creston Community Forest was created as a mechanism to harvest in sensitive areas around Creston - the same as HP and Kaslo CFs. A major part of our operating area is Arrow Creek, the watershed for Creston. Arrow Creek contains
mostly immature timber as the result of a large human-caused fire in 1942. The headwaters was not burned in that fire and represents the bulk of our future mature timber supply. Last year the caribou lines were re-drawn and the headwaters of Arrow Creek was designated Core habitat, with a reserve on any harvesting.
We have been working hard, and with significant financial risk, for the past 5 years to prove to the people of Creston that we can be trusted with our gentle management of Arrow Creek. Specifically, we have demonstrated hundreds of hectares of single tree selection so folks would know that we can operate in Arrow Creek with minimum impact. Our plan for the headwaters is to follow the WLAP publication "Mountain Caribou in Managed Forests" recommendations and use single tree selection 
which removes less than 30% of the volume with a cutting cycle of 80 years. This means no openings to change understory vegetation, limited road construction and the use of long forwarding trails on spring snow and controlled access. We can do it!
We strongly support caribou and caribou habitat management. We see managing for caribou is no different than managing for high quality water. They need that same old growth forest attributes. Gentle MANAGEMENT is the the right approach; not preservation and hoping the forest will remain static. Unfortunately, we are caught in this dilemma of re-drawing the core habitat lines. Without access to the Arrow Creek headwaters we will be out of business in less than 5 years! CVFC is certainly an example of "alternative" forestry. It's not a straight forward decision folks. What is KCFA to do???
Jim Smith, Forest Manager, Creston Valley Forest Corporation
Note of explanation The Kootenay Centre for Forestry Alternatives is a West Kootenay-based organization of natural resource professionals who's goal is to promote alternatives to industrial forestry practices.