Is there a connection between Boundary flooding and current forestry practices? At least one Grand Forks resident thinks so, and wants to bring control of forests back into the community. Jennifer Houghton is making a Grand Forks flood documentary, but is also hosting The Grand Forks Flood, Forests, and Forestry Presentation, Workshop and Strategy Sessions.
She says the idea stemmed from that of the documentary. “Then I realized that one of the topics on everyone’s mind was what caused the flood, and immediately after the flood people were talking a lot about dikes and berms and dike protection measures. I spoke to a friend of mine who’s a civil engineer in Austin Texas, and over the past 5 years Austin has experienced a lot of flooding.”
Houghton explains one change she believes is necessary. “Right now timber is a self-regulated industry, so there’s this methodology that’s written into the acts and the rules and the regulations called ‘professional reliance’. So that means that people in the forestry industry are regulating themselves.”
Another brief example she gives is how clear-cutting land can mean more snow, as less is caught by trees to evaporate. “One of the guest speakers is Fred Marshall, a professional forester and agrologist. Another presenter is Herb Hammond, a forestry ecologist and professional forester with 40 years of experience.”
Houghton says the strategy session is a key component. “We’re also going to have a brief community strategy session at the end, and we’re going to talk about what we can do as a community to build a resource sector in our community that is stronger and protects us.”
Admission is by donation, and the event runs January 22nd from 6PM to 9PM at the USCC Hall on Community Centre Road.
To hear more from Jennifer click here.
To read more about the event click here.