TrainDan3Car

This legacy site still works and is useful for detailed information that has not been transferred to the new website.

For the latest information, try the new site: qathet.prfhs.org/railroads/pvr

Icon GoTo qathet prfhs

Powell River BC's 7.5" gauge, 1,600' track with a miniature ridable train

at Paradise Exhibition Park, 
Map Location: 4365 McLeod Road, Map4365McLeod
beside the Open Air Farmers' Market 

 

pax-on-railroadOpen Sundays    

End April  to  End September    12:30 - 2:30 pm    

plus  Fall Fair Sep ; Ghost Train late October; Santa Train early December

Train or hand car rides cost $2.  
Needed caregivers and their rider travel on one fare.


side-by-sidesplitFacebookBanner
We are co-located with the

Open Air Farmers Market  

(Farmers-Artisans-Food Vendors Sat-Sun)

 

Railroad provided and operated by the   
PR Forestry Heritage Society              PVR history document - 2011-2015
 

 Phase2Annotated1
 video at the 2013 fall fair; thanks to Kent Cavaghan Burnaby BCSME Vice President

 

 


P6226404

This legacy site still works and is useful for detailed information that has not been transferred to the new website.

For the latest information, try the new site: qathet.prfhs.org/trail

Icon GoTo qathet prfhs

The start of the historic Willingdon Beach Trail is located a five minute walk north of the Forestry Museum.

Just follow the beach until you come to this sign and a yellow gate by the creek.

The trail is approx. 1.2 km in length and takes about 20 minutes to walk each way through a forest of towering trees and along a beautiful oceanfront.

25001 The trail originated as a logging railway. Up to 1910, the Michigan-Puget Sound Logging Company railway dumped its logs at the site of the pulp and paper mill in the Townsite. When construction of the mill started in 1910, the railway grade was extended to a new dumpsite known as Michigan’s Landing.

On July 1, 1928, Michigan’s Landing was officially renamed Willingdon Beach after Lord Willingdon, the Governor General of Canada. The railway grade became known as the Willingdon Beach Trail.

When logging ended in 1918, the rails remained for about eight years, then Bill Fishleigh persuaded the Powell River Company to remove the ties so that the trail could be made into a cycle path. For 15 years, he kept the trail in shape without any remuneration because he liked to do it!

For many years before a road was built, this trail was the main access route to and from the mill for workers living in Westview. It is still used for this purpose today.

 P6226425As you walk along the trail, you are surrounded by a forest of majestic beauty, containing many different tree species, such as Broadleaf Maple, Red Alder, Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, and Western Red Cedar.

Some old growth trees survived the early logging and forest fires, and are a reminder of the great trees of our original forests.

Several of the trees and other vegetation have interpretation signs to help you identify them.

Several series of photos or the trail can be found here in the photo album

 P6226434You will also see a number of logging artifacts displayed along the trail. They have been placed there by the Powell River Heritage Society which also maintains the trail for the enjoyment of the public.

Enjoy your walk.

Along the trail you can also find historical evidence of the Sliammon Nation's life on the coast: shell middens, culturally modified trees, and remains of an intertidal fish trap.

Work Parties   

The trail requires regular maintenance. Volunteers from the Forestry Heritage Society clean up felled danger trees, keep the ditches clear, chip the windfall branches, empty the trash bins, add artifacts and signs; and rake the leaves.  More photos:

 

 

 

 

 

This legacy site still works and is useful for detailed information that has not been transferred to the new website.

For the latest information, try the new site: qathet.prfhs.org

 

Icon GoTo qathet prfhs

HaslamLUMany watersheds are in the Haslam Landscape Unit (LU); divided here into:

 

Haslam-watershed-tenures-1999The HaslamLake-Duck Lake-Lang Creek watershed (click)  and

 

 

 

 

Other coastal watersheds (click) between Powell Lake and Whittall Creek



 Haslam Lake-Duck Lake-Lang Creek watershed

haslam-tenure-map-south-centreThis forest is Powell River's most accessible forest. It is managed in partnership with the province by a wide variety of tenure holders:

  • Powell River Community Forest  (light grey) & Tla'amin Community Forest (grey)
  • TFL 39, WFP - a small patch along Powell Lake north of Inand lake (other Haslam areas removed as part of the 20% Takeback)
  • Tla'amin Treaty land (brown)
  • Timber Supply areas managed by the Ministry of Forests; with stewardship by BC Timber Sales (light green)
  • several woodlots; the largest being Westlake Woodlands (yellow), and
  • several private Managed Forests; including land owned by Island Timberlands
  • private lands, including the City (white)

Heritage highlights

Recreation 

  • Duck Lake protected area and trails
  • Inland Lake Provincial Park;
  • City Parks
  • Paradise Exhibition Park (miniature Railway, Horse Riding)

Salmon enhancement

Access


Haslam-watershed-tenures-1999Quote from the " 1999 Haslam Lake and Lang Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan"

2.4 (page 22)The Haslam Lake/Lang Creek watershed is located within the Powell Provincial Forest of the Sunshine Coast Forest District. Historic forestry activities have been ongoing since the early 1890’s.

A railhead was established at Haslam Lake by 1918 which allowed for the removal of significant volumes of timber from the watershed. The shores of Haslam Lake were hand logged and logs skidded directly into the lake. Large volumes of debris were left behind in the operations as only the highest value Douglas fir were removed.

In 1922 the most disastrous fire in Powell River history swept through the watershed. By 1926 the first pass of logging within the watershed was completed, and in the following decades only minor logging and industrial activity continued.

From the 1960’s to 1980’s some limited harvesting occurred in the Mount Mahoney/Sonja Lakes and Granite Lake area. In 1985, Canadian Pacific Forest Products (later Doman-Western Lumber Ltd.) was granted a chart area in the watershed and active logging began again shortly thereafter. In 1989, the MOF Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) charted a portion of the west side of Haslam Lake. In 1996, Coast Mountain Hardwoods was granted a 15 year non-renewable deciduous forest licence over DomanWestern’s and MOF-SBFEP coniferous license chart areas.

(1999) forest licenses in the watershed included Doman-Western Lumber Ltd.(later Western Forest Products), MacMillan Bloedel (later Weyerhauser, Cascadia and then WFP), MOF-Small Business FEP and Coast Mountain Hardwoods (CMH) (Figure 2).

  • There is no Haslam LU plan in the ministry series ofLU documents, perhaps because most of the land is managed as forest tunures, and the tenure holder prepares stewardship plans.
  • 2015 Haslam Lake study CWAP update 2015

 up to top


Other Coastal Watersheds

 The BC MoF "Haslam" Landscape Unit (LU) contains coastal plain watersheds as well as the large Haslam Lake watershed.

A drive down Highway 101 from Powell River Townsite creeks past Lang Creek takes one through the coastal watersheds of Haslam LU.

  • MillenniumParkTrailsMillenium Park - Cranberry Lake (trails map thanks to PR Cycling Association)
    • Cutthroat creek west of Millenium Park; 
    • Wys Creek (under theTrestle of the Willingdon Beach trail)
    • McFall Creek (from Cranberry Lake through Millennium Park and the Campbground to the start of the Willingdon Beach Trail)
    • McPhail Creek (from Marine Ave. past the complex; "Willingdon Creek Trail")
  • Myrtle Creek - Hammil Lake - through Paradise Valley to Mytrtle Rocks, with its rich logging history by Bloedel, Stewart and Welch 
  • Deighton Creek - through the Golf Course
  • Kelly Creek - from East Lake into Brew Bay
  • Haslam watershed
  • Whittall Creek - into the south end of Lang Bay

 

 up to top

 

The Powell River Forestry Heritage Society (PRFHS) was renamed in 2014 from the PR Forestry Museum Society, formed in1986.  

It is a non-profit society dedicated to the education, preservation and public awareness of the colourful forestry heritage of the Powell River area.

Terminology we use: 

  • Forestry is “ the science and practice of managing and caring for forests:  balancing industry, cultural, and recreational uses;
  • History: “information about the past”
  • Heritage: “Those things including information from the past which are valued enough today to save for future generations”

 

DSCF0013The Society maintains the historic Willingdon Beach Trail and logging machinery displays along the trail for the enjoyment of the public.

This wheelchair-accessible 1.2km flat trail was a railway grade from 1910-1918. Interpretation signs point out the flora, fauna and other items of interest.

Trailhead: park near the Forestry Museum (4815 Marine Avenue); walk to the beach and go north through the campground.

ParadiseParkForestryRailroad-275The PRFMS also operates the miniature, ridable Paradise Valley Railroad at Paradise Exhibition Park.

The 800' of 7.5" guage track supports rolling stock at about 1/5 scale including a gas locomotive, tender, 3 ride-a-stride cars, a wheelchair car, and a caboose. About 100 people ride the train each Sunday from May to September; plus special shows with steam trains on July 1, BC Day (first Monday August), and Fall Fair (third weekend September).

museum front

 We continue to support, but no longer own the Forestry Museum which is located at Willingdon Beach, 4815 Marine Ave, Powell River.

  To gain efficiences, after the 2014 season, the Society turned over ownership and operation of the Forestry Museum to the Powell River Historical Museum and Archives (PRHMA), located across the street.

 We hope that one day Powell River will have a museum that combines the current assets of both museums, plus expansions to include more First Nations material, natural history, and other functions found in modern museums; and we will support PRHMA as they develop that vision.   

 The Forestry Museum is open during the summer on a regular basis. (noon to 4 p.m. daily beginning in May).  

 From September to June they are open by appointment for groups or researchers with special interests. School and bus tours are welcome.

PR Heritage Society:  If you wish, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (updates 2-5 per month)    membership application/donation form

 please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. about membership, becoming a friend or sponsor, activities, or other matters.

Details on the work we do can be read on our document  Approved Goals 2017/18

Proposed ByLaw and Constitution under the new Societies Act

Constitution: (Certificate of Incorporation Number S-0020958 5th day of February, 1986)

 The name of the Society is "Powell River Forestry Heritage Society"

 The purpose of the Society is: 

(a) to preserve and advance the heritage of the forestry industry of Powell River and District, 
(b) to acquire, restore and maintain forestry equipment for the Willingdon Beach Trail, 
(c) to develop and operate a model, ridable railroad at Paradise Exhibition Park
(d) to support the forestry collections of local museums

 The bylaws of the Society are those set out in Schedule B of the Society Act.

The officers of the PRFHS elected at the AGM in March 2017 are:

  • President                  Dave Florence 
  • Vice President Administration (& Secretary/Treasurer)  Geoff Stubbs
  • Vice President (Railroad)      Dan Parsons
  • Vice President (Trail)           Mike Lister
  • Director Special Events    Hans Maurer
  • Directors at large   Nikita Johnson, Stephen James, Bob Johnson, Phil Kemp, Rob Clark 

Operating Days:

P7013468From Apr 24 2016 - Sep 25, 2016 (weekend after Fall Fair) we will operate every Sunday during the market (12:30 - 2:30 pm).

We are closed October to April  except for Santa Train in December

2016     two-train days

  • Tuesday Jul 1 - 10:30 --2:30
  • Monday Aug 1 - 4:00 –7 pm 
  • Saturday-Sunday Sep 17-18 (Fall Fair)

Crew roster

 

2005 0729AL   The Forestry Museum, 4815 Marine Avenue at Willingdon Beach is open during the summer.

(noon to 4 p.m. daily beginning late June).  

From October to June it is open by appointment for groups or researchers with special interests. School and bus tours are welcome.   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 485-2222 

At the end of 2014, the Society turned over ownership and operation of the Forestry Museum, located at Willingdon Beach, 4815 Marine Ave, Powell River, to the Powell River Historical Museum and Archives, located across the street. 

We are delighted to consolidate the local Forestry industry collections under the PRHMA and will continue to support the operation with volunteers and funding.

          gallery photos        Forestry Museum History


 

DSCF0001As you approach the museum from the north, you see a replica of a famous logger photo and a hint about our Steam Donkey on the Willingdon Beach Trail.


In 2003, with Municipal District support, the PRFMS commissioned Janet Blair, Powell River's mural painter, to do the mural . She's done an excellent job.


 

 


DSCF0019On the back wall is a mural that originally appeared in a Sea Fair parade, and later was mounted outdoors for years.

the story of its move in 2005 is here 


 

 

2013-05-25 11-01-35 forestry-museumThe museum entrance features one of nine murals received from the MacKenzie BC museum in 2008.

Photos of the museum can be found here


Forestry Museum History

The Forestry Museum was conceived in the early 1980s by a dedicated group of local people including Charlie and Gerri Parsons, Jack McCuish, Bill Finn, Andy Culos, Bill Tuba and Ken Gordon.

They sought and received permission from the City to take over the the present Forestry Museum building which had been retired as the Willingdon Beach bathhouse in the 1970s and was used by the City for storage. They also worked with MacMillan Bloedel to get permission to use what is now the historic Williingdon Beach Trail as an outdoor display area.

They formed a society and opened the building as the Forestry Museum during Sea Fair 1985. The Foresty Museum and Willingdon Beach Trail were improved and developed over the next 29 years, including signature projects of the Steam Donkey in 2001 and Trestle in 2003 under the leadership of WFP Forester Rudi van Zwaaij.

In 2014 the Powell River Museum Society (PRFHS) members collaborated with the Powell River Historical Museum and Archive Association (PRHMA) to consolidate the indoor assets of the Forestry Museum with the PR Historical Museum foresty collection. The PRHMA now owns and operates the Forestry Museum, and is already making progress with improving the combined collection.

The former PR Forestry Museum Society renamed itself the PR Forestry Heritage Society, with purposes:  

(a) to preserve and advance the heritage of the forestry industry of Powell River and District, 

(b) to acquire, restore and maintain forestry equipment for the Willingdon Beach Trail, 
(c) to develop and operate a model, ridable railroad at Paradise Exhibition Park
(d) to support the forestry collections of local museums

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--- PRFHS Update as of April 25------

Paradise Valley Railroad
- Our first operating day is Sunday April 26; continuing every Sunday 12:30 – 2:30
- Winter projects are completed: two new Handcars, and upgrades to various rolling stock
- We are awaiting completion of Paradise Exhibition Park management decisions before our major projects can begin
- some near-term projects 
- – DC pump for the waterwheel, 
- - solar panel for charging in the shed; 
- - Switch levers/indicators
- details are on the website, see Dan Parsons for questions or suggestions

Willingdon Beach Trail
- we will call one or more work-parties in May to
- - power-wash the boom-boat, and perhaps power-wash one other item for painting;
- - select the item for PR Scouts to paint
- - move the cedar logs downed last year either offsite for lumber or stored for possible anti-slough bank-building
- - review interpretive signs and decide to update or move if needed
- - review the previous safety inspection report and update
- details on the website, see Mike Lister for questions or suggestions

Steam Donkey WIW #1619. We plan to:
- proceed with the sled construction in June
- disconnect the boiler and move both to Spreeuw property when lift equipment is available
- details on the website, see Doug Lott for Sled information and Dan Parsons for frame/boiler questions or suggestions

Anderson Collection (PRHMA project)
- the decision to move the collection to Powell river is affirmative
- Bert Finnamore accompanied by PRFHS member plan to visit to Burnaby to assess the lift/transport details
- see Bert Finnamore for questions or suggestions

P9138594

Membership

The PRFMS welcomes new members.

  • We are open to everyone;
  • membership cost is free;
  • meetings are held about every two months on Tuesdays at 7 pm st the PR Museum Admin Bldg;
  • Work parties are called as needed.
  • Member responsibilites (see below)

We have about 20 active members and another group who follow us on email.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Apply for membership  Our form for hand-written applications could be printed from here and mailed or delivered to us.

Even easier, you could This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Clip the following text into your email program and send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

------highlight to ***; copy and clip to emailer and edit as needed---------

Yes! enrol me as a prospective member of the PRFMS. I understand:
- Voting privileges and member card will be issued at a meeting following attendance at two meetings or work parties. 
- I must apply again if no attendance for a year. 
- There are no annual dues. 
- I will update contact information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Include me on emails or phone list for work parties, updates, meeting notices for these areas: (delete as needed)
 All areas 
 Forestry Museum Collection/Archives
 Willingdon Beach Trail 
 Miniature Railway

Name:

Mailing Address: with postal code

Phone:

Email address:

Areas I’ll help with (delete as needed)): trail/track labour, carpentry, metal work, meeting planning, photography, 
computer/administration, information table staffing/ticket selling, Other__________

***----------------------------clip to here for email-----------------------

 Membership will be confirmed by phone and email

 

 Member Responsibilities

Standing   To remain a member in good standing, members must

  • Support and comply with the Constitution and Bylaws
  • Attend two or more work parties or meetings in one year
  • Follow the procedures and safety standards for work parties
Willingdon Beach Trail Work party procedures

With the WB Trail now a City Park, procedures are now much more controlled than in the past.

Work Party Procedures.  

  • Work Party Notification
    • The Director of Trails or his representative calls all work parties.
    • Members must not initiate their own independant work parties.
    • Significant work parties will be notified to City Parks by email for insurance purposes
  • Safety: we'd like to continue our 30 year accident-free record
    • Caution signage must be present at work parties
    • Hi-Viz vests should be worn to alert trail walkers that maintenance activity is underway.
    • Chain Saw users shall use chainsaw chaps, helmet with viser and ear protection. (PRFHS owns two sets) 

 

 

Developing the PV Railroad has involved

  • Track. Fabricating and installing our 7.5" guage track made with 3/8"x1"x20' flat iron and home-made yellow cedar ties.
  • Rolling Stock. Buying and restoring some items; and building some  from scratch
  • Environment. Making interesting things to see along the route, and moving towards forestry heritage displays
  • Administration . Planning, safety procedures, tickets etc

track-diagram-2013Track  We have about 850' of track that consists of

  • a 220' loop,
  • a straight section with parallel tracks going through a shed ,
  • a third track through the shed for turning trains around and additional locked storage, and
  • a wye turnaround where we load and unload

The Photo gallery show many photos of the track.

Our track is home-made:

  • 20' lengths of 3/8" x 1" flat iron
  • 4" connectors welded on
  • 2"x2"x16" yellow cedar ties slotted at 7.5" guage to hold the flat iron.

 

Rolling Stock

P4123287We currently own and operate

  • a gas-engine locomotive, tender and caboose at about 3"=1' scale
  • three ride-a-stride cars; one of which converts to a log car
  • four hand cars, and
  • a wheelchair car

See stories of how we acquired, restored and built our rolling stock here


PA082778 Snapshot   5

Check out our upcoming plans here

 

 

 P9058484

 

 

 

 

 BC Ministry of forests website

  • Sunshine Coast Timber Supply Area (TSA)website  (Timber supply analysis and AAC Rational)
  • Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District website  (Office in Powell River/Duncan Street; some useful links and maps)

  • BC Timber Sales

 

SC TSA website contains timber supply analysis and AAC rationale):

bunster-landscape-unit-mof-map

another of Powell River's backcountry forest treasures 

  • Malaspina Peninsula, with Lund, Malaspina  Provincial Park, access to Okeover Arm, and Copelands Marine Park
  • :Gifford Peninsula, which is part of Desolation Sound Provincial Marine park 
  • Sliammon Lake watershed, including the Bunster Hills, with significant old growth protected areas as well as logging
  • Theodosia watershed, with significant historic and current logging
  • west side of Powell Lake up to the Olsen Valley

Recreation values for ecotourism and community families

    • hiking - the Western third of the Sunshine Coast Trail on the Malaspina Peninsula from Sarah Point to the townsite. 15 km is through the provincial park and more through the newTla'amin lands (Treaty final 2016)
    • camping, angling, hunting, ATV recreation, ski touring, snowshoeing, backpacking and mountaineering

Forest protection and preservation

    • Wildlife - strategies in place to protect Identified Wildlife: Grizzly bear, mountain goats, marbled murrelet, and the Northern Goshawk
    • Significant Old-Growth forest (green on the map) and Wildlife Tree Patches protected
    • the 2000 Bunster Landscape Unit Plan offsite is outdated

Economic values

    • 2009 Timber Supply Area Block 23 (3600 ha) north of Olsen Lake/Theodosia River (managed by BC Timber Sales) website map
    • Treaty Settlement Private land (6000 ha) of Tla'amin Nation
    • Woodlot and portion of the Tla'amin Community Forest

Historic values

Theodosia, Powell Lake and Eastern Railroad (TPL&E)

Sliammon-Wildwood Railroad (1902-04) 

 Maps (scroll down below)


The Tla'amin Nation as of April 2016 owns much more Bunster land, about 8000 ha in total.

more detailed BC Gov't maps of the treaty land website
TlaAminmap

 

 

 


 

 The Sliammon Lake watershed is over 4000 ha, and contains significant old growth protected areas.


tla-amin-lake-watershed

 

 


 

theodosia-watershed

watershed study fraserbasin website

  •  14000 ha
  • Prepared for: Theodosia Stewardship Roundtable
  • Prepared by: Living Rivers - Georgia Basin/Vancouver Island

  •  Author: Patrick Little

  • related video (below)

2012 Peak report on the study


 
Thichum Forest Products is the tenure holder for the Tla'amin Community Forest.

The Bunster Hills block is about half of the 28,000 m3 tenure; the other half in the Haslam watershed, around the top and west side of Haslam Lake

Tla-amin-community-forest-bunness-block

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Video Theodosia stewardship roundtable

Malaspina-provincial-park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A84892-BCTS-ProbynLogLtd-Theodosia

 

Skid RoadGPashaLake1930The objective of this Forestry Heritage section is to help preserve, educate and advance the public awareness of the colourful heritage of Powell River's forest.   

SunshineCoastLAndscape UnitsAroundPowellRiverWe begin by defining our forest, looking at our landscapes and watersheds; some Forestry management processes and forest recreation opportunities.

Next are sections describing various eras in our history, from the pre-contact era through early logging, the Steam Donkey era, the railroad logging era, early truck logging through to the modern day logging.

We follow with an annotated listing of the local forest industry organizations, both current and historic 

Next is a short introduction to the Powell River Forestry  Museum, and finally  listing of References.

The style and methodology:

  • A wikipedia-style approach
  • Record facts and stories about current and historic forest industry companies by
    • researching existing web-based material, summarising selected material and provide links to the original sources, provided by PRFHS volunteers
    • encouraging contributions from serving and retired members of the local forest-related firms
  •  Website management: The PRFHS uses the Joomla! content management system. Volunteers wishing to particiate at the techncal level are welcome
  • Linked material: this website relies heavily on links found using google, and can in some ways be thought of as an annotated search engine for Powell River-related forestry topics. We assume if an organization makes its material findable with Google; it is satisfied to have that material in the public space. We attribute sources by external-linking to the source in a new window and in most cases mentioning the source in the text. If this practice is contrary to the policies of the linked source, please advise the PRFHS webmaster and we will deal with it.
  • Funding: the effort will be volunteer-driven, but if funding is provided, some research work will contracted, with preference of contracts to forestry or history students interested in local forestry heritage.

 

SteamD-5WebThe Steam Donkey Project retrieved a rusty donkey located on a ridge north of Haywire Bay, Powell Lake, preserved it, and relocated the donkey to the Willingdon Beach Trail in Powell River in 2001 and 2002.

Here the general public can see this remarkable equipment and imagine how it might operate.

more photos here


 


The exhibit begins with a description of plans and fieldtrips. Then you may view photos of the steam donkey as it lay on the ridge. Then we show the helicopter liftout, making the skid, moving the skid to 2nd beach, assembly, and opening ceremonies. Finally, we have many people to thank making this project happen.


donkey7Rudi van Zwaaij hiked into the area and found the donkey in July 1999. It was still strong enough to airlift but, if it were left to rust away in this hard-to-reach bush area, only a few hikers would see it before it finally collapsed. Members of the Museum Society readily agreed to proceed with the Donkey Project this year to ensure that many Powell River citizens and visitors could enjoy this important artifact. A few other abandoned donkeys remain in the woods for hikers to enjoy in their original setting.


 

donkey1Steam Donkey Fieldtrip February 26, 2000
Members of a fieldtrip in Feb 2000 developed a more detailed plan and then organized resources to retrieve and restore the donkey.
Norm Evans, Les Shelton, Greg Voysey, Tom Oldale, Suzanne and Mike Clarke, Kraig Urbanoski, Richard Parker, Rudi van Zwaaij, Howie McKamey, Brian Crilly


 

  • Years: 2004  - present.  
  • Activity: Tenure holder  
    • Owns the 2,800 hectares of Private Managed Forest from the Weyerhaueser holdings
    • (in 2004 Weyerhaueser sold it's crown tenure (TFL 39) to Cascadia and its private lands to Island Timberlands)
    • logging , road building etc is done by local contractors
    • holdings include Lot 450, horseshoe lake area, stillwater bluffs etc 
    • owned by Brookfield Asset Management 
  • People: Managed from Nanaimo
  • Links: Website    Community Advisory Group  Peak article after 2006 blow-down
  • wikipedia


back-to-index

Below: Kevin McKamey during a WFP tour in 1979

 
back-to-index

Management of the local forest has evolved significantly  over the years from 1880 to today.

The BC Government, on behalf of the people, has been responsible for forest stewardship since the 1880s, but this century  BC has delegated stewardship to certified tenure holders, and holds them accountable through audit rather than making all decisions with ministry staffs.

A major turnpoint came in 1999 with Weyerhausere's "One Plan" proposal for Stillwater Timberlands which called for

  • results based planning
  • a move from clearcutting to variable retention wikipedia 
  • adoption of CSA Z809-08 CSA .pdf "Sustainable Forest Management" 

In 2003, the government introduced the Forestry Revitalization Plan.  A significant portion of the timber harvesting rights under long-term licences was reallocated to BC Timber Sales, woodlot licences, community forest agreements, and First Nations tenures

----------------------------------------------

2012 from the PR Peak:  "BC introduced a single cutting permit procedure for community forests throughout the province. The pilot for the streamlined permit process occurred in the Powell River Community Forest Ltd. tenure."  from PR Peak story

Notes to be re-written for this website:

from https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib95806.pdf 

There are three main pieces of legislation that govern forest harvesting in British Columbia. Several other acts and regulations affect harvesting to some degree.

1. The Forest Act (FA) and regulations deal primarily with the amount of timber that can be harvested, who can do that harvesting, and the value of the harvested timber.

2. The Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and regulations deal primarily with the actual harvesting activities, including the necessary planning for roads and cutblocks, silvicultural requirements, and environmental standards that must be met. This Act also sets out penalties for failure to perform according to its standards.

3. The Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act (FPC) and regulations. Although FRPA has largely replaced the FPC, some aspects of the FPC, continue to apply (i.e., those concerning strategic planning and fire control.

The Forest Stewardship Plan The Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) is the primary harvesting management plan. The FSP has a term of 5 years.

The plan must have maps that show the boundaries of forest development units (FDUs) and must specify results or propose strategies in relation to objectives set by government.

An FDU is an area where development may take place during the term of the plan. Cutblocks and roads are located inside the FDU.

There are 11 objectives set by government, which include:

  • soils,
  • visualquality, 
  • timber, 
  • forage and associated plant communities, 
  • water, 
  • fish, 
  • wildlife, 
  • biodiversity, 
  • recreation resources, 
  • cultural heritage resources, and, 
  • resource features.

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overview http://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/39thparl/session-4/timber/documents/MoFLNRO_Overview_of_BC_Forest_Tenures_2012Jun4.pdf

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Audit - forest practices board

examples 2011 Community Foresty audit (PR, Tla'Amin, Klahoose)t

Standards

from https://www.bcfpb.ca/sites/default/files/reports/ARC108%20-%20BCTS%20Powell%20River%20-%20WEB.pdf

1 Most of the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act (the Code) was repealed on January 31, 2004, and replaced with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). The transitional provisions of FRPA state that the Code continues to apply to forest practices carried out under a forest development plan. This continues until there is an approved forest stewardship plan, at which point, the requirements of FRPA apply. Therefore, although FRPA came into effect prior to the audit period, the legislated forest practices requirements that applied to the auditee were the requirements of the Code

. 2 A forest stewardship plan (FSP) is a key planning element in the FRPA framework and the only plan subject to public review and comment and government approval.  In FSPs licensees are required to identify results and/or strategies consistent with government objectives for values such as water, wildlife and soils.  These results and strategies must be measurable and once approved are subject to government enforcement.  FSPs identify areas within which road construction and harvesting will occur but are not required to show the specific locations of future roads and cutblocks.  FSPs can have a term of up to 5 years

 2003 In 2003, a significant portion of the timber harvesting rights under long-term licences was reallocated to BC Timber Sales, woodlot licences, community forest agreements, and First Nations tenures

 

2003The BC Forestry Revitalization Trust (BCFRT) was established by the Province of British Columbia effective March 31, 2003. Its purpose is to provide mitigation to workers and contractors that might be negatively affected by the take back of tenure from major licensees pursuant to the BC Forestry Revitalization Act.

wikipedia article

TFL 39 uses 

Forest Service started 1912 http://www.bcfs100.ca/ from timeline http://www.bcfs100.ca/bscripts/timeline.asp

1884 Timber Act required licences to harvest timber and imposed a fee based on volume cut.

1887 Land Act amended such that public lands chiefly valuable for timber are not to be disposed of by public or private sale, declaration required that the land is not chiefly valuable for its timber. Timber cutting rights (except for domestic purposes and improvements) prohibited on future Crown grants unless a licence is first obtained requiring payments of 25 cents per M board feet. Lands containing the timber reservation were later referred to as patented lands.

1890 Donkey engines in general use. Orchard, C.D. UBC Special Collections Division papers, folder 2-18 Hand loggers, Tree Farm Licences, major integrated companies https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/tsr1/ration/tfl/t39/httoc.htm

 

Index    

Periodicals   Books   Online

  1. Periodicals

    1. Powell River Peak  has a good search capability for forest-related stories
    2. PR Living
      1. Ferns and Fallers 2014 wonderful annual supplement to PR Living in June
      2. Ferns and Fallers 2015 "
    3. Forest History Association Newsletter
    4. Truck Loggers Association "BC Logger"
    5. Forestnet several forest magazines including Logging and sawmill journal, Timberwest, the Edge (research). Archives back to 1996
      1. history of coastal industry consolidation page 44
    6. Canadian Woodbusiness, Cdn Forest industries
    7. Harbourspeil did a nice story on Sladey Timber pg 14 - logging in Jervis Inlet
    8. Forestry News - the Working Forest Newspaper Search "powell river"

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    >
  1. Books

    1. Reference books by Bill Thompson are published by the PR Heritage Research Association. (Available at the P.R.. Historical Museum for about $25. each)
      1. Powell River Mill Story, 
      2. Boats, Bucksaws and Blisters, 1990;
      3. Texada, 1997;
      4. Once upon a Stump, 1998. (copies in the P.R.. Library)
    2. By Karen Southern
      1. Townsite House Histories and Heritage (3 volumes)
      2. Powell River's Railway Era - Ken Bradley and Karen Southern
      3. earlier: Historic Railways of the Powell River Area by R. Ken Bradley; BC Railway Heritage Association, 1982. (two copies in the P.R.. Library, 385.09711)
      4. Pulp Paper and People, 75 years of Powell River, Karen Southern, Peggy Bird, PR Heritage Research Association., 1988. PR Library 971.113 Sou (Also a 50 years version; both are reference books in the P.R.. library)
      5. The Nelson Island Story 1987
    3. by Barbara Ann Lambert 
      1. War Brides and Roses: Stillwater and Powell River 
      2. Rusty nails and ration books (2002)
      3. Powell River 100 
      4. Old Time Stories
    4. by Emma Levez
      1. People of the White City: Stories from the Powell River Mill
      2. Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Powell River and the Upper Sunshine Coast (2005)
      3. A Dream of Giants: The Story of the Sunshine Coast Trail 2011
    5.  Mysterious Powell Lake, a collection of historical tales, Carla Mobley, Hancock House, 1984, PR Library 971.133 Mob
    6. Pitlamping Through Conscription, 1916-1923, Golden Stanley, 1985 (973.113 Sta in PR Library).
    7. The Sunshine Coast Trail by Eagle Walz, available at the tourist bureau.a step-by-step description of the trails
    8. That Went By Fast: My First Hundred Years  By Frank White
    9. Working in the Woods by Ken Druska (PR library 634.98Dru) Harbour Publishing 1992. Excellent photos and writing.
    10. Logging by Rail, the British Columbia Story, by Robert D. Turner; Sono Nis Press, 1990. (in the P.R.. Library, 385.54 Tur)
    11. Woodsmen of the West, by M.A. Grainger. Original in 1908; reprinted several times, including 1994 with afterword by Peter Murray, Horstal and Schubart Publishers Ltd, Victoria. Classic novel and photos about logging by hand and steam in the 1905 era in Knight Inlet based on personal experience. Grainger went on to draft B.C.'s Forest Act.
    12. Now You're Logging, by Bud Griffiths
    13. The book by Richard A Rajala Clearcutting the Pacific Rain Forest: production, science and regulation (UBC Press, 1998) won the Charles A Weyerhaeuser Award and is very accurate book, good for research. (in P.R. Library; donated by Forestry Museum)
    14. TIMBER, History of the forest industry in B.C., by G.W. Taylor, JJ Douglas Ltd., 1975
    15. Spillsbury's Coast, Howard White, Jim Spillsbury, Harbour Publishing, 1987. Available at the PR Library 971.113. Includes stories about logging on Savary Island and Homfray Channel 1905 - 1920
    16. IN SEARCH OF STEAM DONKEYS by Merv Johnson is dedicated to the history of these machines and logging in the days of steam, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Third printing, hard-bound is $54.95US plus $3.50 postage. Contact TIMBER TIMES at: 1-800-821-8652. See more details at Camp2

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Online

 

A well known series of logging-railway photos can be seen here in our galleryexternal-link

from Lehnams Brothers Collection "Dwight Brooks and Michael J. Scanlon formed the Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company in Minnesota. Brooks-Scanlon invested heavily in British Columbia, in Canada, buying tracts of forest. The company moved to British Columbia in the early 1900s, where logging had been under way for several decades. In 1908 Brooks-Scanlon abandoned plans to build two new sawmills and instead used the capital to merge John O'Brien's company, becoming Brooks, Scanlon & O'Brien. The company entered the newsprint business in 1909 after acquiring land and water rights on the Powell River. The mill was incorporated as the Powell River Paper Company Limited. Complications with mill construction led to the reorganization of the subsidiary in 1911 as the Powell River Company Ltd. Its first newsprint was produced the following year."

Brooks, Scanlon & O'Brien continued logging using the Eagle River and Northern until 1928, when they sold their interests to the Powell River Company.

 

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