It was encouraging to learn from the Dec. 27, 2024 Best of Whistler feature that Pique readers were very interested in stories related to the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF), such as the western spruce budworm story. The top three environmental issues also show that as a community, we are concerned about climate change, wildfires and logging old growth... all topics where the CCF plays a very important role.
In the same issue, Pique ran a story on the information session the CCF held in early December where it described how we are developing a climate resiliency plan to make our forests more diverse, more able to adapt to climate change, and less likely to have an out-of-control wildfire. That means managing second-growth forests to increase species and age diversity, reducing the risks and impacts of pests like spruce budworm that may cause significant tree mortality, and reducing the risk from wildfires. Protecting old-growth forests is also key and the CCF has a moratorium on logging old growth that’s been in place since June 2021.
Want to learn more about how the CCF is managing the forests around Whistler? Go to cheakamuscommunityforest.com and sign up for our newsletter, then read the news posts and website content. And you can always contact me at [email protected] to go for a cup of coffee and chat. That’s the strength of a community forest—it’s managed by the community for the community.
Heather Beresford // Executive director, Cheakamus Community Forest
