Issues

Arrow Creek

Arrow Creek, the major part of our operating area, is an 8,500 hectare watershed that supplies water to the communities of Erickson and Creston. The watershed is not only a source of domestic water but is essential to prime sectors of the economy including the fruit orchard industry and the Columbia Brewing Company, makers of Kokanee beer. The end product value of this water source, including taxes, is approximately $200 million annually. Careful management of this resource is critical to the community.

For years the community successfully resisted industrial logging in Arrow Creek. However, in the mid 1990's when it became clear that some form of logging was to take place in the watershed, the community forest was created to provide local control over its management.

Our approach to managing this area is to genuinely identify water as the prime value. All other decisions derive from the need to maintain adequate, high quality water. We believe that careful forest management, which creates and maintains a resilient forest of multiple species and age classes is the best way to ensure this goal is met. As well, low impact access is necessary as a tool to manage and protect the forest. We call this "intentional management".

Our operations to date have focused on gaining experience with and demonstrating this type of forest management in areas outside of the watershed. We are using an ecosystem-based approach that uses a variety of silvicultural systems to ensure stand structures are compatible with water protection and enhancement. Single tree selection and group selection silvicultural systems are used primarily. We also believe that roads contribute significantly to water siltation problems and we are using harvesting methods that require less road (long skidding and cable techniques). Our operational road construction uses narrow right-of-ways and road surfaces and concentrates on keeping water in natural courses. Deactivation or rehabilitation of roads and trails following their use is essential to ensure maintenance of water quality.

Good planning is an extremely important part of intentional management. We are presently working with Silva Forest Foundation to create an ecosystem-based plan for our whole operating area. As well, we have employed Dr. Martin Carver, as our hydrologist to map riparian areas, begin headwaters water monitoring and providing direction to our management. We believe this team of forest management experts will greatly assist us in managing this critical resource.