Mayor Linda Brown is eager to explore community forestry and long-term development in her hometown of Merritt after returning from a recent conference.
Brown said she was busy networking at the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) event last week, and exploring Merritt’s potential to adopt a community forest program such as the one in Logan Lake.
“There are a lot of little forestry companies that are struggling this year, and the forestry industry is struggling,” Brown said. “Local forestry companies are saying that if they don’t get fibre, they’re pulling out. Our biggest mill only has one shift on now, and that gets shut down every now and again, so that is a worry.”
Brown said she saw SILGA as an opportunity to discuss forestry struggles in the Nicola Valley with a number of MLAs.
“Being able to talk to them about the problems we are having in Merritt and the lack of fibre [was valuable],” she said. “We’re getting a number of ears going to the minister and the premier regarding Merritt and the issues we are having. So I’m just going to continue to do that.”
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