Good work to the ILA

I had the privilege to have a booth at the recent Interior Logging Association Convention and Tradeshow in Kamloops.

Good work to Todd and Nancy and the ILA on producing a quality and valuable event and displaying such an important segment of the forest industry.

It was a pretty unique perspective to stand in a booth and watch the contractors, their families and many of their crewmembers come by. These are not the folks setting forest policy, rules or standards. This is the group that has to be able to roll with those punches and come up with a way to make, and provide, a living in the woods. I came away with the feeling that they can resolve a lot of our problems if we just give them the room to move then get out of the way.

I was struck by how valuable this industry is to the province. There were a few fifth-generation logging family kids in baby carriages roll by. I wondered how many people have made a good living off their parents, grandparents, great grandparents and even a few great-great grandparents over the years. How much tax was paid, food put on tables, homes provided, and how many rural communities thrived for those generations? All this was accomplished with little or no government grants or assistance, just a willingness to take a risk and get things done.

Maybe those kids in baby carriages will be able to do the same with the trees growing on those areas their ancestors logged three and four generations ago.

From a wildfire perspective, we would be lost without this group providing us help. On the prevention side they can reduce fuel loads while generating income for the province instead of the current excessively costly and wasteful methods. On the response side we would be lost without them providing their crews and equipment, at considerable risk, to establish control lines quickly and efficiently.

I am not sure how we would ever replace the benefits this group provides to all the residents of BC.

See you all at next years show.