Letter: Where’s the community in our Community Forest?
Dear Editor,
I have been very fortunate to have been a part of this community for the past 40
years. A community that always comes together when someone needs support. I have
also been fortunate to be employed by Cedar Valley Holdings Ltd for the past 7 years. A business that has been part of Valemount for more than 20 years. At this moment they employ 14 full-time positions.
Cedar Valley has contributed to many people and organizations in our
community. Every year they donate and deliver split firewood to the seniors. They also donate and deliver firewood to The Valemount Marina Association. They are also amajor sponsor to The Rocky Mountain Racing Association. They provide firewood for the raceway, give full access to their water truck and machinery, donated and built a post and rail fence and offered any help needed. Cedar Valley also sponsors many racers, including new racers to the scene. To have a business contribute so much financially to this community has been a blessing.
Unfortunately, this business is ending, and all 14 employees will be out of work come the end of June 2025. There has been an issue of getting cedar into the mill yard so they can continue production. There has been uncertainty in most of Canada lately due to tariffs, but Cedar Valley has not been affected by this. They have a strong
demand for their products.
Cedar Valley Holdings Ltd is in The Valemount Industrial Yard and relies on our Community Forest for logs. Over the past few years, it has been getting more and more
difficult for Cedar Valley to obtain logs from our Community Forest. I am not political at all and do not understand all the politics of the forestry industry, but I was under the
impression that The Community Forest was there to keep forestry in our community. We have seen many logging trucks of cedar leaving our valley and heading to Prince George to be turned into pulp at the pulp mill. Most of the wood taken for pulp could have been used to make many of the products produced at Cedar Valley including post and rail, grape stakes, shake blocks and shingles. Again, I am no expert on the politics of the Community Forest, but I do believe that trees fell in this valley should remain in
this valley for production.
I know the forestry industry has been unstable for many years, but Cedar Valley Holdings has been successful and continues to grow and find new ways to use as much
of the wood as possible. I believe that the closure of a very successful mill is unacceptable.
This community once again needs to come together and demand answers to why
our Community Forest is not doing more to keep this successful mill open. Let’s put
“Community” back in our Community Forest.
Christine Pelletier,
Valemount, B.C.
