CLOSING LETTER: Impact of Harvesting on Bowlder Creek and the Pine River

A gravel bar formed in the Pine River at the mouth of Bowlder Creek after a significant rainstorm in 1987. The complainant, a trapper, became concerned that the gravel and other debris could block the Pine River, causing flash flooding of the community of Hasler Flats.

In 1997, Chetwynd Forest Industries (the licensee) proposed four cutblocks totalling 230 hectares (gross area) in the Bowlder Creek watershed. The watershed is approximately 1450 hectares in size. The complainant raised a number of concerns about the cutblocks related to wildlife, the harvest of old growth, and hydrological impacts. In response to the complainant’s concerns, a number of meetings and field trips were arranged. The regional forest hydrologist reviewed the licensee’s plans and concluded that the cutblocks would cause negligible downstream impacts.