About Us
About Us
Background
As a graduate of the Natural Resource Management Forestry program at Selkirk College in 1994, Wildlands Eco-Forestry’s owner, Brad has worked in natural resource management for 28+ years in various capacities.
From working in the Rocky Mountains of BC in forest engineering and development involving planning and layout in the 1990’s, through to managing a forestry products company in Prince George conducting large scale stump to dump harvesting of infested timber during the Mountain Pine Beetle, (MPB) epidemic of the 2000’s as well as being an independent small scale salvage logger harvesting over 30 000 m3 of MPB infested pine during the epidemic.
The evolution to the current focus of the company has been an organic, rewarding progression influenced by the growing relevance and urgency of protecting ecosystems and habitat and reducing wildfire threat.
We maintain a local, experienced, professional workforce with staff averaging 10-25+ years of skill set, some with greater than 10-15 years of employment with Wildlands and working alongside and mentoring new forestry workers. The past ~20 years we’ve focused our attention and business ethos to forest fuel management, ecosystem restoration & habitat enhancement related projects in south-eastern British Columbia and south-western Alberta.
Wildlands Eco-Forestry focuses on and specializes in minimal disturbance hand and mechanical treatments. Our field crews pride themselves in approaching every treatment thoughtfully and professionally considering all resource values of each treatment uniquely. We utilize specialized site-specific small-scale equipment specifically targeting individual treatment units.
The Company is committed to providing employees with a safe working environment and the necessary tools and resources to complete their assigned tasks safely and efficiently. We maintain a 100% safety record and provide ongoing educational opportunities as well as ‘on the job’ training to all employees of Wildlands Eco-Forestry.
“We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.”
― Aldo Leopold, Round River: From the Journals of Aldo Leopold
WILDLANDS PEOPLE
Timeline of Recent Projects
District of Invermere, BC
Wildlands Eco-Forestry contracted to implement a DOI FireSmart community fuel management project.
Columere Park, BC
Shuswap Band led Wildland/urban interface fuels reduction treatment project under the provincial Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program.
Wilmer, BC
Shuswap Band led Wildland/urban interface fuels reduction treatment project under the provincial Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program.
Wilmer Crown Land FTU CV1-B
Shuswap Band led Wildland/urban interface fuels reduction treatment project under the provincial Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program.
Parks Canada, Banff National Park, Paradise Bungalows
FireSmart Wildfire Risk Reduction project, falling, pile & burn
District of Invermere: Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Forest fuel reduction treatment for the community of Castle Rock Estates, Invermere BC. Mechanical/Hand falling/thinning/pruning and debris disposal through pile&burn/chipping strategies.
Shuswap Band: Community Wildfire Protection Plan
CRI Operational Fuel Treatment. Propose and operationally implement a forest fuel project encompassing ~33 ha of forest fuel reduction utilizing Mechanical/Handfalling/thinning/pruning and debris disposal through pile&burn/chipping strategies.
Parks Canada, Kootenay National Park
Erosion Control-Planting Project. Planting of trees, shrubs, locally sourced willow & dogwood stakes along the Kootenay River as part of erosion control project for Parks Canada.
Parks Canada, YOHO National Park
Landscape design and construction of shrub/tree beds in newly placed picnic area at the AB/BC border crossing – tree & shrub planting of the newly constructed area.
Environment and Climate Change Canada, CNWA – Wilmer Unit
“Wildlife Habitat Improvement and Badger Surveys”. Forest management; thinning, spacing, hand falling, pile burning, habitat value identification/data collection. Phase 1 (2018-2019), Phase 2 (2020), Phase 3 (2021), Phase 4 (2022)
Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, BCWMA – Dry Gulch
Forest Management Project. Planning, development and execution of a ~125 ha treatment within the provincial wildlife management area in the Dry Gulch unit focusing on ecosystem restoration/ forest fuel management. Hand/mechanical treatment enhancing wildlife habitat, forest stands improvement and community safety. Shuswap Band Community Wildfire Protection Plan project.
Shuswap Band: Species at Risk Research and Recovery Program
Oversee SARA technical surveys within Band Lands; crew training, project oversight, data analysis and reporting on various species at Risk focusing on Badger habitat identification and invasive plant identification and treatment. Update and combine data from several past surveys/treatments into current status study and report for Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Parks Canada, YOHO National Park, Wildlife Overpass
Wildlife Overpass design and landscape construction and planting – Tree, shrub planting and snag/rock/debris/etc installation on and surrounding the newly constructed single span wildlife overpass and perimeter rock beds.
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Ecosystem Restoration; Bighorn Sheep Habitat Enhancement. Clearing of understorey and reducing densities of Fd Ingrowth in the Luxor Creek Property.
Shuswap Band Trans Canada Highway Twinning Project
Donald East Clearing & Grubbing Project Contracted as Project Manager as well as supplying crews, Band member employment and emergency transport support for Trans-Canada twinning project.
Shuswap Band
Community Wildfire Protection Plan Operational Fuel Treatment. Propose and operationally implement an On Reserve forest fuel project encompassing 24 ha of forest fuel reduction through manual treatment.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada
Ecosystem Restoration Project. Conducted a manual fall/pile/burn treatment project for Sheep habitat enhancement within Lot 48 on the eastern slopes above Columbia Lake.
Parks Canada, Banff National Park, Baker Creek Chalets
FireSmart Project – Wildlands Eco-Forestry contracted to conduct FireSmart forest fuel reduction mitigation. Six hectares of overmature Pl with dense Pl,Sx understory manually treated.
Parks Canada, Highway 93 South
Brushing Kootenay national Park. Manual brushing project encompassing ~33 kilometers of road right-of-way brushing.
The City of Kimberley
KNP Duck Pond unit, Kimberley, BC – UBCM Interface Fuel Hazard Reduction Project. Forest fuel reduction operational treatment within the Kimberley Nature Park
District of Invermere
Community Wildfire Protection Plan UBCM SWPI Operational Fuel Treatment. Implementation of the Block 10 forest fuel management operational project involving including multi-resource use interests and overlapping active Christmas Tree Permit tenure.
Taynton Bay, Invermere BC
CWPP – Community Development Wildfire Hazard Assessment. Conducted a FireSmart assessment and generate a report of the proposed development as per the District of Invermere’s requirements.
Village of Radium Hot Springs
Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update. Prepare and submit UBCM SWPI Fuel Management Prescription application and Phase I Operational Fuel Treatment application for the Village.
District of Invermere
Community Wildfire Protection Plan, UBCM SWPI Operational Fuel Treatment. Successfully executed the Block 14 Operational project encompassing 96 ha of forest fuel management including multi-resource use interests and prominent public usage.
District of Invermere
Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Assist with preparation and successful submission of the application for the Block 10 Operational Fuel Treatment Phase of the DOI CWPP for successful UBCM approval.
District of Invermere
Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Assist with the completion of the Fuel Management Prescription phase of DOI CWPP and submit the successful Operational Fuel Treatment Phase Plan – Block 14 for UBCM SWPI approval.
Shuswap Band
Community Wildfire Protection Plan – Operational Phases I, II, III. Overall project management of the Operational Fuel Treatment Stages of the Band’s CWPP – FNESS SWPI funded project encompassing approximately 300 ha in partnership with the Shuswap Band and The Kinbasket Development Corp.
BC Hydro
Columbia Valley Transmission Line. Contracted as a Project Manager and contribute crews for the Shuswap Band’s contract with BC Hydro. Power line right of way clearing, approximately 20km of overall hydro line harvest/clearing project.
Shuswap Band
FNESS SWPI Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Develop a CWPP encompassing ~ 460 ha of forest fuel load within the Reserve and adjacent Crown forested lands.
Shuswap Band
Community Adjustment Fund CAF) – Ecosystem Restoration/Wildfire Forest Fuel Management. Create and implement an employment stimulus program in partnership with the Shuswap Band and The Kinbasket Development Corp, encompassing the employment and training of displaced forest workers to conduct ecosystem restoration/forest fuel management activities consisting of ~350 ha of area on the Reserve.
Shuswap Band
Natural Resources Canada – Forest Fuel Management Program. Create forest fuel management plan in partnership with the Shuswap Band and The Kinbasket Development Corp identifying ~35 ha of forest fuel load within the Band’s Reserve boundaries and providing implementation workforce.
District of Invermere
Forest Fuel Management. Mitigation of various forest fuel load treatment units identified by Wildlands Eco-Forestry and later within the District of Invermere’s CWPP.
FireWise Conference, Tampa, Florida
Certified Firewise Home Ignition Zone Assessor. Assessing The Home Ignition Zone (FireWise Certification).