Mount MacPherson Demonstration Forest
The public is increasingly being asked to participate in local resource
planning and forest policy development. It is important to have informed and
objective input. Demonstration forests are being developed throughout the
province to provide first hand forest education opportunities.
See the Mount MacPherson Cross Country Ski Trails
and the
First Nations People
Native groups used the forests of the Revelstoke area even though deep
snowfall prevented year round settlement. From spring to fall, First Nations
people came to harvest berries, foods and medicines, hunt fish, trade with other
native groups and travel to surrounding areas. Little impact was made on the
forest.
New Settlers
Early settlers saw the forest as an obstacle and an opportunity for wealth.
Logging has been important to the growth and economy of Revelstoke since the
1860's. Huge trees were felled to supply the early miners of the Big Bend Gold
Rush and to complete the railway.
In 1890 a shingle and sawmill called the Revelstoke Lumber Company was
established. Working at capacity, it supplied lumber for the railway and for
builders both locally and on the prairies. Demand for wood was so great that by
1907 the 13 mills around Revelstoke were some of the largest in British Empire.
Throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan the "Revelstoke Sawmills" lumber
yards flourished until 1988.
Some of the large cedars from Mt. MacPherson supplied wood for a shingle mill
in the 1920's. The Joe Kozek Mill was established (and is still operating) by
the middle of the century supplying wood for post war building boom in B.C. This
small, privately owned operation worked in the Beaver Lake area for many
years.
Today's Multiple Use
Today, it seems like everyone wants a part of the forest. Modern technology,
varied activities and a knowledgeable society have created numerous demands on
the forest.
In fact, forests are British Columbia's most valuable asset. They provide
year round recreation, timber supply, wildlife habitat, water course, grazing
mining, energy production, heritage conservation and wilderness preservation.
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