Environmental
program
Continued from page one

talk about it. They think we are look-
ing for extra jobs and that we have a
hidden agenda... they think we’re not
interested in protecting the environ-
ment...”

Dansereau says that Interfor has
guaranteed the IWA that its members
will be involved in the actual planning
of logging operations and will have
input into the type of harvesting sys-
tems used and where and how roads
are built.

With this full method of involve-
ment, the union will be able to pub-
licly defend its right to work in the
forest, says Dansereau: “If we’re not
careful about the environment and
we're not careful about the message
we're sending out the public will shut
us down.”

Interfor’s Vice President of Forestry
and Land-use, Fred Lowenberger says
the changes will be major ones for the
company. He says that, four years
ago, he and other Interfor executives
flew around to camps to give a series
of pep talks. The results were as
expected - it was business as usual,
the next day nothing changed.

At a regional workshop in Port
Hardy on October Ist, Lowenberger
told IWA members that Interfor didn’t
have an effective environmental pro-
gram and wants to change that.

That is a major statement from a
company that is responsible for 45
logging divisions in the province and
who employs over 1,500 workers in
them. Interfor and its contractors har-
vest over 3.3 million cubic meters
annually.

“We're going to emphasize doing
good work,” said Lowenberger. “This

e At join regional conference held in Port Hardy, union members discuss environmental issues. Clockwise from left are
Dave Mullet, Andrew Rivett, Rick Tisdale, Troy Ogden, Brian Edgington, Bob Freer, and Garth Davis.

is not a P.R. job... we’re going to
employ our own resources, we're not
going to hire a high profile guy to tell
us what to do.”

The Joint Environmental Program
will consist of four major compo-
nents. They are: 1) Joint Envir-
onmental Committees; 2) Education
Program; 3) Training Programs; 4)
Auditing Systems.

At the regional workshops held in
Bella Coola, Port Hardy, Chilliwack,
Campbell River and Sechelt, workers
and management had discussions in
order to refine the principles of the
joint environmental initiative. They

also discussed the environmental
issues that affect their work and dis-
cussed what environmentally respon-
sible work is and what the possibili-
ties and problems of doing the work
are. Workers also discussed what edu-
cation programs and requirements are
needed.

Interfor has taken some early
actions to clean its act up. It has
moved fuel tanks from sensitive areas,
has cleaned up its “bone yards” and
has installed burners in various
garbage dump sites.

According to Bob Fechtner,
Interfor‘s vice-president of logging,

who addressed the Port Hardy work-
shop delegates, there needs to be a
special focus on preventing landslides
after logging. He said that if slides can
be prevented, “then we'll have 50-75%.
of our problems licked.” To help out
in this area, Interfor has been back-
hauling rock blast in sensitive areas
and grass seeding steep bank areas.

With regards to protection of fish
stream habitat, Interfor has taken an
initiative on its own to review all
areas that have been logged since
1988 and rehabilitate areas that
threaten fish streams. (See article
below.)

Company says fish
stream rehab underway

¢ At Interfor’s Cleagh Creek division, assistant engineer Andrew Meyer stands
by a stream that has been rehabilitated by loggers. Natural heavy debris

remains near stream.

Along with four other major forest
companies on the B.C. Coast,
International Forest Products was
stung by an environmental audit
report in late July which gave it a fail-
ing grade at protecting fish habitat. In
3 cut blocks audited by a consulting
firm, Interfor was given the thumbs
down.

At that time, then Forests Minister
Dan Miller hauled the Chief Executive
Officers of the companies on the car-
pet, to demonstrate the government’s
determination to put an end to envi-
ronmental degradation.

The Minister directed the Forest
Service to work with the Ministry of
Environment, Lands and Parks and
the Attorney General to ensure that
the clean up is being done properly.

Interfor has decided to take the
results of the audit on the chin and is
working diligently to clean up the
areas in the Chamiss Bay, Easy Creek
area on the northwest coast of
Vancouver Island. In addition to com-
plying with clean-up orders from the
B.C. Ministry of Forests, the company
has launched a full review of cut
blocks harvested since 1988, when the
B.C. Coastal Fisheries Forest guide-
lines were put into place.

Interfor’s Vice President of Forestry
and Land-use, Fred Lowenberger has
instructed all divisional managers and
operation managers to check every
single cut block and deliver a réport
to head office by the end of this year.

Mr. Lowenberger says he was sur-
prised that the 3 cut blocks in the
Chamiss Bay area showed up in the
report, since the company had them
signed off by the Ministry of Forests.
However, since that signing off, heavy
rains on the west coast of Vancouver
Island caused debris in various gullies
to slough out into fish bearing creeks.

The company says it is determined
not to let this happen again.
Lowenberger says that Interfor is
going to live up to guidelines and keep
debris away from fish streams. “

At Interfor’s Cleagh Creek Logging
operation near Port Hardy the compa-

ny has begun the clean up program.
According to Andrew Meyer, assistant
engineer, the company wants to clean
up over and above the regulations.

“We feel that Cleagh Creek is in
good shape, any rehabilitation that
has been done has been started,” says
Meyer.

The company has developed a spe-
cial grapple which should aid in clear-
ing gullies of debris that could wash
towards fish streams. To prevent
debris from going into streams when
heavy rains occur the company is tak-
ing special action. .

“Any creeks that we plan to hand
clean or machine clean will have the
debris moved high above the water
mark,” says Meyer.

In natural creek areas the workers
will leave large, natural debris, which
is necessary for gravel retention.

To prevent large trees from falling
into fish streams the company is
designing leave strips which will mini-
mize the chance of blowdown. The
word to the workers near the fish
streams is “fall away, yard away.”

Workers are looking out for debris
left by breakage which could wash
into streams. It’s a costly and time
taking procedure which is necessary.

“The payoff is not losing our cut
and having the public agree with what
the company is doing.” says Meyer.

Local 1-71 Business Agent Ron
Uridge says it’s encouraging that
workers are involved in environmen-
tal issues and are showing a lot of
early enthusiasm in getting involved
in the joint program. He says that
enthusiasm has to be maintained.

He also says that as the [WA -
Interfor joint environmental program
progresses, workers will require train-
ing in the fish/forestry guidelines in
order to do the job more effectively.

Along various banks near streams,
the company has done grass seeding
to provide a matt for other vegetation.
It has planted alder in various areas
where road has been built to recondi-
tion the soil and lessen erosion.

2/LUMBERWORKER/OCTOBER, 1992