At the West Boundary Community Forest (WBCF), we work together to ensure the decisions we make in our forest have the best interest of the community in mind. We view our community forest as a shared space, inviting diverse points of view for every decision. To us, people play a key role in the prosperity of the community forest and help build healthy communities.
This feature is our opportunity to amplify the voices of friends of the West Boundary Community Forest, those who help us ensure every project follows community values, goals, and objectives. Today, we introduce John Lindquist, a self-employed logger who carries out selective small-scale logging at the WBCF and nearby areas like Rock Creek, Midway, and Greenwood.
John Lindquist has had a logging career for the past 30 years. His early memories are of helping his dad during the summers within the Boundary area in the early 90s. John’s partnership with the WBCF started five years ago, removing forest fuels through selective cuts and thinning.
“I enjoy doing fuel mitigation work. We only cut enough volume to make our operations profitable, and as a community member, I feel we are doing our part to help improve the area," noted John.
His involvement with the Community Forest goes far beyond simply cutting timber. John's work helps to avoid beetle outbreaks and diseases, ensuring continued forest health.
“There are always a few people who disagree with logging, but it helps to clean up the area. Great efforts have been invested to make the WBCF a healthy forest.”
According to John, the Community Forest holds a positive role in the community by providing local jobs that contribute to a more sustainable economy.
“In the past, there was minimal activity happening at the Community Forest, so the benefits to the community were scarce. But now, it provides work for the local contractors, helping our community grow,” said John, adding, “The WBCF provides roughly 60 to 80 jobs all year round; for activities like replanting, logging, disease control, repair shops for all the trucks, foresters… it could be even more! We have to take care of the Community Forest just as much as private woodlots, as they equally contribute to the economic well-being of the area."
John believes that small-scale logging is the future of forestry; and looks forward to continuing his partnership with the forest management team at the WBCF and contributing to the local economy.
"Over the past 50 to 60 years, many areas have been logged, leaving a high degree of forest fuels. Our thinning work helps better protect communities and important infrastructure from wildfire risk."
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