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GOLDEN – A dozen forest workers will be improving silviculture practices and forest health near Golden through $289,230 from the Community Development Trust for two Job Opportunities Program projects, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger and Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced.
“The Community Development Trust is one of our key tools to assist forest workers, their families and communities through this difficult economic time. I am pleased to see these projects get underway in Golden,” said Krueger. “This funding will help keep 12 workers employed while improving forest health and assisting the region to deal with the impact of the mountain pine beetle.”
One six-worker project involves identifying and removing trees infested
with mountain pine beetle larvae from about 800 hectares of land before the
emergence and flight of the adult beetles later this year. The second project
will also involve a six-worker crew, removing younger and smaller trees
from 162 hectares of Crown land. The project will improve growing conditions,
and the overall amount and quality of wood available for future harvest. Both projects are near the community of
Parson, about 35 kilometres south of Golden.
“The silviculture work the Job Opportunities Program is funding creates lasting benefits for our forests and industry,” said Bell. “Activities like spacing and thinning of young stands lead to higher quality timber, and are really one part of the value-added process that will continue to employ Golden area residents in the future.”
“We would like to thank Minister Krueger and Minister Bell for making this investment in the Golden Timber Supply Area. The employment of two six-person crews to battle pine beetle, and cultivate our forests for the future is great news for the Golden area,” said Acting Mayor of Golden Magnus Magnusson. “The investment of the $289,230 in 962 hectares of forestland is a benefit that will provide for the future of the forest industry in our area.”
The $26.25-million Job Opportunities Program is reducing the impact of current layoffs on workers employed in the forest industry, retaining skilled forest workers for the anticipated future upturn, and preserving the characteristics of the labour force in forest-dependent communities.
Forest-dependent communities or organizations, licensees and contractors working in cooperation with a forest-dependent community are eligible to submit a project proposal to the Job Opportunities Program. To date, the program has approved over $16 million to support 93 projects which will employ more than 750 forest workers in communities across the province.
The Job Opportunities Program is one component of the Community Development Trust, which was announced last spring. B.C.’s share of the federal trust is $129 million over three years, with funds also directed to a Tuition Assistance Program and Transition Assistance for Older Workers Program.
In the 2009/2010 budget, the Province committed an additional $30 million for further programs similar to those offered under the Community Development Trust.
For more information about the Community Development Trust and Job Opportunities Program, go to: www.cd.gov.bc.ca/cdt/
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Media Contacts: |
Jennifer McLarty Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592
Magnus Magnusson Acting Mayor of Golden 250 344-2271 |
Leanne Ritchie Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089 . |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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