The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Tolko Manitoba released their proposed 2004 Snow Lake area cutting plan to a sparsely attended meeting in the community's Elks Hall on the evening of January 22. It was a meeting that was without the disagreements that have challenged past gatherings, and this had as much to do with the use of facilitator Sheldon McLeod, as it did with the community's realization and acceptance that they would be better served working with the Forestry Company than by butting heads with them. The evening began with McLeod introducing Tolko staff in attendance, before asking Snow Lake Mayor Garry Zamzow, who sits on the community and area FRAC (Forest Resources Advisory Committees), to summarize, from a community perspective, the town and company's recent history. Mayor Zamzow stated, and fellow FRAC member and Trapper, Gordon Cann, concurred, that the company had been open, accommodating, and accountable throughout their dealings over the past year. Both men agreed that Tolko has consulted and attempted to accommodate many of the resource users within the area of the cuts they propose in the immediate future. Once the town's perspective on the relationship was presented, Tolko's Divisional Forester, Doug Hunt, recapitulated from the forester's viewpoint. He also endorsed the easy association the two groups had enjoyed over the past year. Once these formalities were out of the way, the facilitator introduced Tolko's Highrock Area Planner, Andrew Forward, who spoke on the 2004 cut. Forward explained that beginning in February of this year, Tolko proposes to harvest several blocks of trees in the Osborne Lake area. Through consultations, they are aware of the other resource users in proximity and admit that the cuts will affect these users. However, Forward stated that the company would endeavor to accommodate concerns by adjusting the size of buffers (areas of trees left standing). He said that these buffers are flexible and the company could leave anywhere from 15 to 100 meters of standing timber around critical areas outlined by trappers, tourism operators, and wild ricers. See 'Harvesting' P.# Con't from P.# In regard to harvesting beyond 2004, Forward said that there are yearly specific blocks of timber laid out in a large area to the north of Snow Lake, but confessed that the company's plan was dynamic and as a result cutting could shift from year to year. Following Mr. Forward's overview, Paul Chapman, the company's Silviculture Forester addressed the issue of reforestation. He stated that there was only one location in the vicinity of Snow Lake where there would be any planting done in 2004. This was identified as several blocks of land around Mitishto Creek. Should it be cut in February, planting in the Osborne Lake area will take place in spring 2005. Chapman also informed the group that there would be a late summer/early fall application of herbicide within prior cuts around Herblet Lake, Herb Bay, and Osborne Lake. This will be done in order to kill off Aspen, which competes with the softwoods that Tolko harvests. At this point, the information portion of the meeting was wrapped up and a question and answer session began. Concerns were voiced in relation to buffers around spawning creeks, soil erosion in cutovers done in the past and road networks once harvesting begins. However, the question that received the most interesting answer of the evening was one querying the economic prospects that the community could expect from Tolko's ventures into the bush around the townsite. Tolko's Woodlands Manager, Dave Neufeld, stated that Tolko had a vision for Snow Lake. "Our goal is to see a year round (10 months) operation based out of here," said Neufeld. "It could employ local people or bring contractors into the community and involve trucking, road work, and work in the bush." Moreover, Neufeld maintained that Tolko would work with the community in order to train workers if that was what was needed. He disclosed the fact that he had recently met with KCC in respect to creating a course that would address that very idea. Neufeld added that he'd also discussed the concept at a meeting with contractors. As a group, they felt that a course based on work performed in the forest would be met with enthusiasm by most in the business. "Osborne Lake is the short term, but in the long term this is what we'd like to see," Neufeld said.
