BC Forest Service Fire Management Team No. 2, under incident commander Darrell Orosz, established an incident command post in the Oliver fire hall. They are preparing for the possibility of the Tripod and Tatoosh fires crossing the Canada-U.S. border.

The team is made up of Orosz, as well as a planning section, finance, operations and logistics (supplies); plus two fire behavior specialists who predict how fires respond to weather and terrain, and a Forest Service Representative from Penticton.

Fire information officer Jeff Moore says the two fires burning in Washington are being observed by American and British Columbia Forest Service personnel, so they can be on top of things if the fires cross the Canadian border.

"This is a planning and preparedness action that BC is taking," Moore says. "Currently, the larger fire closer to the Okanagan Valley is known as the Tripod fire … there certainly is potential for it to come across any of the control lines into Canada if a strong wind pushes it in the wrong direction.

"It’s the westerly Tatoosh fire, which is directly under the Pasayten Valley watershed just south-east of Manning Park and west of Cathedral Park, that, based on forecast weather conditions could move into Canada as early as today due to gusting winds up to 25Km from the south forecast for Saturday."

Moore says they moved into the Oliver fire hall because the Penticton Fire Zone has a strong relationship with the Oliver fire department.

"Recognize again that we are just planning and preparing; we are now just getting equipment operational on the Canadian side, building contingency lines," says Moore. "We are using fire breaks created in previous years - they are being cleaned up and re-established in the Pasayten near the U.S. border.

"There are no BC firefighters on the ground at this time but with the forecasts and growth modeling of the fire we are beginning to push buttons and pull levers to get that into place."

Jim Archambeault, U.S. Forest Service fire information officer, is working closely with Canadian counterparts in the Oliver Fire Hall. He says originally they believed cooler and damper weather would occur and cool things down before the Tatoosh Complex fire had a chance of getting to the border.

"However, the fire has moved quicker than anticipated and the strategy has changed …to that end we are tentatively planning on using Canadian and U.S. air tankers today depending on smoke and weather."

Orosz makes regular flights to observe fire progress. "The Tripod fire is 6 km from the border, and the Tatoosh fire is 3.5 km," he says. Old fire guards established during the ‘Say’ fire in the ‘80s are now being reopened.

"We have trigger points established that determine when we will be burning off fuel in advance of the fire. These burn-offs will occur at the base of the north face of the mountains in front of the fire and in conjunction with the 15-foot security swath cut along the border. (They) will be an effective barrier against the fire," he says.

"We presently have two crawler tractors on the ground working on the breaks and a Bell 407 and a Twin Star helicopter for administration use over the fires." Helicopters are routinely used for water drops, ferrying firefighters, chain-saws and other hand held equipment. One is also reserved for the incident commander, or for medical emergencies.

Other than their presence, Forestry activities aren’t affecting the hall or delivery of service, said fire chief Dave Janzen.

"We work very closely with the Penticton fire zone and our members assisted in getting the management team established," he said. "This will not affect our ability to respond to emergencies."

During a media conference call at 5 p.m. today, Moore says the fire is now into Canada.

"The Tatoosh Complex Fire crossed into BC last night," he says, adding an incident command post – the team that was in Oliver - has now been established in Princeton.

"At this time there are 1,000 ha of forest involved this side of the border. The fire is within 2 km of Manning Park and there is restricted access to the Pasayten River Valley."

Only limited action can be taken on the fire at this time due to heavy smoke, he says, but if winds shift and blow from the north it may be possible to initiate attacks and start a ‘burn-off’ action tomorrow.

"This fire is zero per cent contained at this time." In addition to Forestry operations, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has set up an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at the Princeton Hospital under the direction of Mark Woods, Emergency Program Coordinator.

"We have set up an EOC and emergency social service staff are ready to handle any people who have problems with the smoke," he said. "There are 35 to 40 permanent residents in the community of East gate, should it be necessary, they can be accommodated under a contract with local Princeton motels and hotels."

Closer to Oliver, the Tripod fire is 56 per cent contained, estimated to be 62,255 ha - and still poses a threat. Fire information officer Colette Fauchon says there is now a memorandum of understanding allowing BC Forest Service Firefighters to fly into Washington to attack the fire and fly out.

"The fire is approximately 4 km south of the border and 4 km away from Cathedral Park."

During a media call at 5 p.m. today, Moore says the Tatoosh fire is now 2,100 ha, or 21 square km within BC, with a spot fire that was detected 1.5 km north of the main fire.

"We experienced smoky conditions until mid afternoon which prevented early firefighting activities," Moore says. A general upper air movement allowed crews to get operations underway with heavy equipment and limited crews on the ground.

"We put the safety of our firefighters as a priority and had we placed crews in earlier in the day they could have been between the main fire and the 250 ha spot fire that was discovered … during infra-red scanning."

He says winds had carried embers and started spot fires to the north of the main fire overnight. As of 5 p.m., two heavy lift helicopters are bucketing the fire with several thousand gallons of water but drought conditions have created record low water levels in the area. There are presently 70 firefighters on the ground.

The Tripod fire is now 1.5 km from the border, and slightly closer to Osoyoos.

"We are sending in a 10-person unit crew across the border to establish control lines and the U.S. forest Service may conduct a burn-off at the front of the fire subject to conditions," says Fauchon.

BCFGA industry strategic plan in works

"It’s no mystery to any of you (fruit growers) here that the industry has been in a crisis," BC Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) president Joe Sardinha of Summerland said as he recently addressed a handful of concerned fruit growers and government representatives.

Sardinha presented a session at the Southwind Inn on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 24, to present the beginnings of a strategy that might offer some relief.

There are serious financial problems in the fruit and agricultural industries, Sardinha said. For fruit growers, for the last two years, the weakest point has largely been the apple market.

"This year, we are hearing rumblings that the cherry business has also taken a significant hit, as a result of too much product coming into the Canadian market … there is a need for an overall industry approach," said Sardinha. "And an Industry Strategic Program has been initiated at the request of Agriculture and Lands Minister, Pat Bell."

Ference Weicker and Company Management Consultants has been hired to create a strategic plan for the BCFGA. At the Southwinds meeting, consultant Bryan Kingsfield offered a brief review of objectives and work completed to date on the three-phase-project.

After meeting with the BCFGA project steering committee, the consultants collected and reviewed data and developed an industry profile. They conducted interviews with industry stakeholders, from growers through to retailers and institutional buyers, associations, researchers and government officials. They’ve identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face the industry.

They isolated four key issues up for immediate attention, and fourteen slated for future review.

Development and commercialization of new varieties is one of the key issues.

"Retailers like new varieties but the market is getting saturated," comments Sardinha. "And there is an element of risk involved, (with) the new variety – will it be a winner?" He said the growers are wondering what to grow next. Even though new varieties, such as Ambrosia, generate significantly higher prices, Sardinha thinks there needs to be more homework prior to the release of new varieties. That includes consideration of its attributes, how well it will store, and potential agricultural difficulties. With less risk involved, growers would be encouraged to plant larger crops and provide more volume.

But Sardinha emphasized quality should not be compromised for quantity. The importance of quality assurance, product traceability and food safety programs (such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)) is steadily increasing, according to Kingsfield’s report.

Another key issue is involvement with the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program, which would provide income protection for BC producers against risk from weather, disease or low market prices.

"If prices can’t go below a certain level," commented Al Patton, grower and Area C Director, who was also at the meeting, "it would give the growers some confidence."

Grape growers have a set floor price. The Liquor Control Board is the purchasing agent, buys all the wine that supplies liquor stores, and they control the price. Their legislation prevents wine products from falling below a set dollar amount, said Patton.

"The government is thrilled to support wine grapes, they make money on liquor taxes. Without supply management, Canada is losing its food security; we are depending more and more on other countries for our basic survival foods," said Patton.

Milk producers are also guaranteed cost and revenue certainty. They are paid enough (for their product) to cover costs plus make a profit, said Sardinha. Regulated products are allowed five per cent of imports tariff-free, but after that there is a 163 per cent tariff, as an anti-dumping influence.

"Thinking of creating a specific supply management commodity for the fruit industry… good luck," said Sardinha "The system is flawed, SM5 is under constant scrutiny and it’s been a long time since the government granted a specific supply management commodity."

Glen Lucas, BCFGA general manager agrees.

"Fifteen years ago Ontario voted against supply management in the fruit industry," he said.

Robert Dawson, an Okanagan Similkameen Co-operative member, said five years ago the Americans placed a 46 per cent duty on imports, which resulted in more produce coming into the market from other areas of the world.

The 100-page report points out trade liberalization and technical advances allow more produce to be delivered quickly to any world market, which has heightened the competition.

Recently, BC experienced strong prices for late cherries due in part to improved storage technology – and there’s room for more of that kind of improvement.

Another key issue under immediate review is the potential to develop an Agricultural Development Fund for new technology such as automatic cherry pickers, insect control, labels, grading and packaging. For example, there are scanners being tested in Australia that determine the inner quality of produce.

"What else can we do?" asked Sardinha. "Well, there are opportunities for contracts with ActNowBC, which promotes healthy eating and lifestyles in all BC schools; promote BC apples for BC schools. And in other government institutions such as hospitals, prisons, government buildings and BC ferries could show support by using BC fruit products at fair market value."

Denise MacDonald, BCFGA executive member from Summerland added she would like to see more promotion of "Buy local, buy BC."

"Marketing is geared to retail buyers, maybe we should be marketing to the end buyer," suggested MacDonald.

Sardinha said the Sterile Insect Release program (SIR) hasn’t yet been used as a marketing tool, and there is a huge tourism draw to the area.

"Our yields are lower than other yields. What can we do to increase productivity?" asked Lucas.

"Grape vine yields are higher and quite variable according to a replanted acreage grower’s survey," responded Jim Campbell with BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands based here in Oliver.

According to Kingsfield, in 2005, 68 million dollars was generated from 1,300 acres. Apples provide a large portion at 69 per cent, cherries 15 per cent and peaches seven per cent.

"Even though produce acreage has dropped, yields continue to go up."

There are approximately 1,800 growers; 400 to 500 of those are large commercial growers. The industry employs 5,000 farm workers, 1,000 in the packing industry and 1,000 in support industries according to the phase one report. Between 40 and 50 BC businesses are involved in the processing of tree fruits employing an average of 2,500 workers.

"The size of the industry (world wide) is growing, but BC’s is shrinking and turnover has been relatively high. An estimated 55 per cent of people in the industry are planning to leave over the next decade," Kingsfield said.

"BC can only supply 70 per cent of Canadian apples, the other 30 per cent has to come from somewhere," said Sardinha. "BC accounts for only three per cent of combined Canadian and US apple produce. BC is at a disadvantage. Growers are not located near a large urban centre - Vancouver is four hours away. Montreal growers have the advantage by being closer to huge urban areas."

Dawson said climate is a big factor.

"Apples are not something we produce all year round. Consumers don’t want ten-month-old product; they want fresh products from Down Under," he said. Kingsfield said there are key trends to consider.

"Over the past 15 years world-wide production has increased 60 per cent. China has become the largest apple producer and accounts for over 40 per cent of world production. Crop management is intensifying with a higher planting density and improved practices. The International Trade Balance indicates that imports have risen while Canadian exports has remained relatively flat and US apple consumption has dropped over the last 15 years."

The next step in developing the industry’s strategic plan is the industry leaders’ workshops, which will be held late October or early November, depending on final harvests.

During a brief presentation at the BCFGA Horticultural Forum at the Penticton Trade Centre on Nov. 15, 2006, a small panel will discuss the strategy again. November 30, 2006 is the deadline for public input. The final strategic plan will be released at the annual BCFGA Convention on Jan. 27, 2007 in Penticton.

For more information or to provide industry input you can visit website www.treefruits.ca.

Grape acreage report shows trends, industry direction

Fruit futures

Longtime readers of the Chronicle might have a sense of deja vu when reading our front page account of a recent fruit growers’ meeting. The issues raised have been around for many, many years. How do we create better control of our local market? How do we decide on what variety to plant? Are there niche markets that we can cultivate? How do we survive as a tiny player in a huge global market for fruit?

All good questions but with a shortage of easy answers. The prospect of creating a controlled marketing system in today’s political climate is probably nil. If we could predict what varieties we should plant, the sheer volume of new plantings would destroy whatever premium the market will temporarily give to a new variety. And as for niche markets, they are, by definition, small. They will have room for a small number of producers but if everyone tries to pile on, the price will quickly collapse.

So what to do? Do as we have always done which is to stay diversified. Some growers ship through the cooperative. Others focus on fruit stand and farm gate sales. Some will specialize in certified organic production and others will find profit in small ethnic or quality markets.

Our growers will survive, adapt and carry on and a few years from now there will be another meeting that asks similar questions.