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Hupacasath no longer receiving Burde Street woodlot addition

The Hupacasath First Nation will not be getting an additional 9.5 hectares added to their woodlot W1902 at the eastern end of Burde Street.

The Hupacasath First Nation will not be getting an additional 9.5 hectares added to their woodlot W1902 at the eastern end of Burde Street after the city raised concerns to the Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations over the dedicated road right-of-ways located in the area.

City engineer Guy Cicon told council during their Feb. 23 meeting that the proposed additional lands included "significant areas of publicly dedicated road right of ways under city ownership."

"In our view the timber values arising from the dedicated roadways should accrue to the city," Cicon's report to council read.

His concerns also included the logging management plan, impacts on the trails in that area and the residential neighbourhoods adjacent to the site, regarding both safety, communication and land drainage, the proposed logging setback from the ravine lands at the southern boundary and truck routing from the site and impacts on city streets.

According to Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations representative Sharon Dean, "the Ministry is no longer pursuing this proposal and are looking at other options for adding area to the Woodlot Licence held by the Hupacasath First Nation" because "he ministry was not aware of the City’s dedicated road right-of-ways on the land parcel proposed to be added to the woodlot"."

According to Dean, M staff will be "reviewing unencumbered Crown land in the Alberni Valley."

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