Dungate Community Forests plans to quadruple their harvest for the next five years, harvesting dead and dying pine of the pine beetle epidemic.
Jerry Veillette, a director of Dungate Community Forest gave a report to the District of Houston on the Nov. 22 town council meeting.
The report said that harvesting in the Heading Creek area is close to completion, delayed by a high fire hazard over the summer, and that a block of 5,000 - 7,000 cubic metres, area to be determined, will be harvested Jan. or Feb. to complete the five year cut control.
The report gave results of a fibre analysis, showing 85 per cent of pine was dead, but there’s approximately 10,000 hectares of harvestable land base and 2,000,000 cubic metres of merchantable timber.
To manage the dead pine, Community Forests has applied to increase cut to 100,000 cubic metres for the next five years, followed by five years with a 30,000 cubic metre harvest.
The first five years, cuts would be done in strands with more than 50 per cent pine, followed by five years with clean-up in main pine stands.
At Houston council meeting, Veillette confirmed to Mayor Bill Holmberg that bids will remain open to small contractors.
The report notes two $500 scholarships given to Houston Christian School students Andrea Hansma and Lauren Vandenberg. The report notes Community Forests still accepts applications for support for non-profit organizations in the community.