The Youth Climate Corps (YCC) East and West Kootenay crews launched their season by joining forces on a wildfire risk reduction project that combined on-the-ground training with climate resilience work.
The project took place on 3.1 hectares of Goat Mountain near Creston, a mountainside that holds not only forest but homes, trails and powerlines, making it a high-priority site for wildfire mitigation, explains Angela French, planning and development supervisor for the Creston Community Forest (CCF).
The Creston Community Forest manages more than 21,000 hectares of forest in the area, including a portion of Goat Mountain, whose history and location made it a prime location for the YCC project.
After selective logging of this block in the early 2000s, explains Angela, many of the retained Douglas firs became infested with Douglas fir bark beetles. This endemic pest can help to create more open and diverse forests, but in this case the dead and dying trees that the beetles left in their wake posed a heightened wildfire risk too close to Creston for comfort.
Sweat, sticks, and satisfying work
The YCC project aimed to minimize the risk of wildfire by cleaning up the landscape. The crew spent hours cutting, piling, chipping and burning woody debris. The days were hot, hard and sweaty. But crew members agree it was worth every second of hard work.
“I really enjoyed the exercise, finding interesting plants, and spending time with my amazing coworkers,” says crew member Alina.
“The days were long and often had hard moments, but everyone kept a positive attitude and helped each other out. I really appreciate getting to work with people who have the same values as I do, and they change my outlook on life in little ways every day.”
The project not only offered experience with on-the-ground wildfire mitigation but also opened doors for young people to explore careers in forestry, fire management and even agriculture.
“It made me think about firefighting as a future summer job, and confirmed my interest in wildfire mitigation,” says crew member Maya.
Passersby likely won’t notice much of a change in the landscape now that the work on Goat Mountain is done. But, Angela says, that’s kind of the point.
“There isn’t sometimes a huge change in how we make the ecosystem look. Ecosystems tend to be a little messy; it’s not raked ground or rows of trees. We want to keep them that way; just more resilient.”
Circular economy
Where terrain allowed, the crew chipped wood to deliver to local farms, helping support a circular economy that connects forestry waste to soil-building practices in this agriculture-rich community. In early June, the YCC team spent a week helping out on farms that received wood chips, giving them the opportunity to both learn and support sustainable agriculture and rural land stewardship. The wood chips were used for a variety of farm projects including mulching fruit trees, landscaping, and as a mix-in with compost.
A model for rural climate resilience
The Goat Mountain project is part of a broader Wildsight initiative to explore how rural communities can build economic resilience while responding to a changing climate.
The work was funded by the Province of B.C.’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program and RBC Foundation, with the goal of supporting local economies while tackling urgent environmental challenges.
Through this pilot, Wildsight and partners, including CCF, are exploring the feasibility of producing biochar from forestry waste. Biochar, a form of carbon-rich charcoal, can be used to enhance soil health and sequester carbon.
It could be the solution to the ‘waste’ left behind from B.C. forestry operations if the methods are proven both feasible and economical. Not only would it add value to forestry operations, biochar would also support wildfire mitigation and a stronger agriculture sector.
“The question we’re asking is- can this kind of circular economy — where waste from one sector becomes a resource for another — help rural communities thrive?” says Brianna Thompson, West Kootenay YCC Coordinator.
Initial research, including interviews with local farmers and forestry experts, suggests multiple potential uses for biochar that extend beyond agriculture and include on-site forest and tree health benefits and many other applications including energy production, building materials and as a reclamation resource on contaminated sites.
However, biochar quality varies greatly depending on how it is produced and all of those contacted highlighted the importance of regional research using biochar to find the most suitable benefit. For more information check out the feasibility report.
The project demonstrates how combining climate action with economic opportunity has the potential to be a win-win for rural communities and their industries like Creston.
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