We often hear about losing people in avalanches and sometimes it's someone we know. And sometimes we're called on to help search for people lost in avalanches. Most often we find ourselves heading out to the slopes of British Columbia with our families and friends looking for the perfect snow. And we never think it'll be us. This issue brings a reminder of how close to us it can be.....

To find out more about avalanches:

www.avalanche.ca
nsidc.org/nsidc/education/avalanche/
www.avalanche.org

Ministry Training Catalogue On line
By Sylvia Bailey

If you’re interested in knowing what ministry training courses are available or have a particular course, location, or topic in mind, the answers are now online.

The new training catalogue Web site at wwwinternal.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/mtc/   —developed by the Forestry Division Services branch allows staff quick and easy access to outlines, locations and dates of all MOF training courses. Non-ministry staff can see forestry-related courses on the external site, www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/mtc/.

The online catalogue helps course organizers plan delivery dates to minimize scheduling problems. Better course information results in improved course attendance, which increases skills and can lead to more effective business practices.

Trees in the museum

The forest service is joining the Royal British Columbia Museum as a funding partner for the museum’s Living Landscapes project: http://livinglandscapes.bc.ca.

In this new partnership, the forest service will work with the museum as it develops its history of, and information about, forests across the province. As a result, the forest service gains an opportunity to communicate accurate information about B.C.’s forests and the work the forest service does in managing them.

The Victoria-based museum is creating a new major exhibit and the research done in the Living Landscapes program will be a source of future displays. Additionally, the program is a regional process, taking the museum and its work across the province.

The new partnership also allows the forest service to tie in with the museum’s highly effective education program.

Following is a letter Rod DeBoice sent to the Merritt Herald and published on 04/11/2001

District battles with Victoria forestry HQ
By Rod DeBoice

Some of our colleagues in the British Columbia Forest Service in our Victoria headquarters are pretty happy about the two "NARROW" margin victories the Salsa had over the Cents in games one and two.

So at coffee break we took our Cents signs out of our windows and donned some game jerseys to take a digital photo to send to Victoria to let them know that when the Salsa get to our barn for games three and four that the Loud and Proud "seventh player" for the Cents will be there in full force. So Victoria ... don’t count your chickens before they hatch!

GO CENTS GO ... from all the staff at the Merritt Forest District.

Rod DeBoice, District Manager
Merritt Forest District
Merritt, B.C.

Ed. note: We want to know if the district office made any bets with Victoria? Such as if the Cents win, Merritt gets another AAC uplift?

Victoria eventually won the Fred Page Cup, but as columnist Vern Faulkner wrote for BC Hockey Now, the Cents also deserved a prize.

Quick Stats
By Peter Dalton ;-)

Total forest area in BC: 60.2 million hectares

Total FTEs in the Forest Service: 4,465

Amount of land per FTE: 13,482.6 hectares

Selection begins next week.

Prince Rupert Forest Region Stanfield’s Cup 2001 Championship Team—the Mighty Kispiox Krushers—were victorious over teams from the PR Forest Region, Morice District, Lakes District, Kalum District and Protection in the annual Regional Hockey Tournament.

Discussion Forum Update

Just a reminder of the current topic: What do you think of the idea of the ministry working cooperatively with licensees to develop the kind of sustainable forest management plans that are required by voluntary certification systems?

You can find more details and post your comments at: wwwinternal.for.gov.bc.ca/iscripts/pab/ForDisc/view_discussion.asp

National Forest Week Photo Contest

Remember to send FS News your favourite photos of your National Forest Week activities by May 31st.

Please share your news

Please share your news, events, triumphs, adventures, challenges, ideas, photos, cartoons, helpful hints, trivia—anything you think might interest the rest of us in the B.C. Forest Service.

This is your forest service community newsletter

We publish the FS News four times a year, in mid-January, April, July and October.

The deadline for written copy and photos is the first day of the preceding month.

What would you like to see in the FS News? Please tell us!

If you have a story idea, please check with us first before you write. Someone else might be already working on it.

If you have a story to tell but don’t want to write it, we’ll do it, from your information.

Email: Lindsey.Olivier@gems6.gov.bc.ca
Phone: (250) 356-6181

Or

Email: Pat.Lush@gems1.gov.bc.ca
Phone: (250) 356-7503

Snail mail: FS News, MOF Communications Branch,
595 Pandora St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 9C3