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Picturing sustainability: Winners of the 6th annual BC community photo contest

The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) and Canadian Forest Industries are excited to present the winners of the sixth annual forestry photo contest.

This year’s contest called for photos that showcased the deep commitment of British Columbia’s forest sector to sustainability and being part of the climate change solution.

From tree planters in Vanderhoof to foresters in Port McNeill and home builders in Williams Lake, we received photographs from all over B.C., illustrating the pride of workers and community members who are driving innovation in the industry, keeping B.C.’s forests healthy and producing products that are good for the planet. Thank you to all the entrants and congratulations to the prize recipients.

Grand prize winner Talia Klimmer’s photo is featured on the cover of CFI‘s Jan/Feb 2022 magazine. She will receive a $500 gift certificate to Home Depot. Nikki-Karyssa Scott, Mitchell Cheek, and Joshua Skinner will each receive a runner-up prize of a $75 gift certificate.

You’ll find all the winning photos and descriptions below. The complete album of photos submitted for the contest is here.

Susan Yurkovich is president and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries. 

GRAND PRIZE

Talia Klimmer
Burnaby, B.C.
These boots took me many places this summer, so I started including them in the view. Taking a quick five to admire the growth in the young balsam and hemlock stand and river below.

RUNNERS-UP

Nikki-Karyssa Scott
Armstrong, B.C.
A naturally regenerated Interior Douglas fir seedling that survived the drought and heat wave in a recently replanted cut block outside of Vernon, B.C., September 2021.

Mitchell Cheek
Kamloops, B.C.
The Tsawwassen First Nation Youth Centre is a beautiful creation. A 21st-century hybrid involving three different types of construction to make a masterpiece. This photo shows the details inside.

Joshua Skinner
Kamloops, B.C.
A skidder, armed with a water tank, on contract with the BC Wildfire Service moves up a dusty cat guard with a BCWS personnel following on foot. This photo was taken in mid-August of this year, amidst a brutal fire season. This particular shot was taken on the Tremont Creek wildfire, west of Kamloops, BC.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Willow Ellsworth
Terrace, B.C.
No rain, no rainbows. After a stormy morning at the Rupert coastal sort yard, a gorgeous rainbow appeared. Prince Rupert is beautiful when the sun shines.

Kim Lefebvre
Port McNeill, B.C.
This photo represents a few things that I am proud to be a part of. First, it was taken at the Atli Chip Ltd. chipping facility near Port McNeill, B.C., which is an Indigenous-owned business in a partnership between Atli Resources (‘Namgis First Nation), Wahkash Contracting and Paper Excellence. This facility utilizes waste wood from forest cut blocks, which would otherwise be burned in slash piles, thus providing a climate change solution. The women in the photo are professionals who are proud to work in the forest sector and this shows the growing gender diversity in our industry, even in male-dominated roles like log truck driving. From left to right: Kim Lefebvre, RPF, manager of Indigenous fibre partnerships, Paper Excellence; Jill Telosky, truck driver, Wahkash Contracting; Nadine Bernard, Indigenous advisor; Lana Wilhelm, RPF, manager of community and Indigenous relations, Paper Excellence. This photo hits a lot of progressive points in B.C.’s forest industry today which lends to our long-term sustainability, including: climate change solutions, Indigenous partnerships and gender diversity. It also shows that we can have fun and be proud of what we do, because it’s good for the environment, good for women in business, and good for small Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Sara Decock
Nanaimo, B.C.
Early morning sun rise peaking through the trees in Great Central, British Columbia.

Liam Parfitt
Prince George, B.C.
Moving to wheeled harvesters allows lower harvesting carbon emissions as well as the chance to reduce fire hazard in selective logging which creates healthy large diameter trees critical for carbon storage.

Erin Thomsen
Merritt, B.C.
Fire’s Balance. I took this photo looking up the inside of a burnt-out tree south of 100 Mile House in a block getting planted the Elephant Hill fire for the Forest Carbon Initiative. I felt this was a powerful image as it appeared to make a sort of yin and yang symbol that could represent the destructive nature of fire and rebirth of the earth. For me it represents the importance of sustainability, to mitigate climate change, save our forests, and return balance to our ecosystems.

Mithun Shetty
Vancouver
A close up glimpse of wood fibre that is supporting circular economy with renewable and recyclable products and fighting climate change with sustainable forest management practices