MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Council has instructed administration to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) for logging a parcel of county-owned land in the Water Valley area near the county’s southwest boundary.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held in person and online.
During a council workshop in 2023 related to county-held lands, council requested administration review the opportunity to log the property at 1/2-27-29-5-W5.
“At the workshop, it was requested that the opportunity be reviewed with a local consultant to identify marketability of timber located on the parcel and then be circulated to the Water Valley area structure plan committee for feedback on the appropriateness of the initiative,” said Jeff Holmes, chief administrative officer.
“This has now been completed following the open house held related to the area structure plan at the end of March.”
The committee accepted information about the matter and carried a motion supporting selective logging at the site.
At the June 12 council meeting, which was held in the county office with all councillors in attendance, administration proposed four options (scopes) for council’s consideration.
Scope 1 calls for the removal of all merchantable timber, do not remove any/minimal non-merchantable timber and/or downed timber.
Scope 2 calls for the removal of all merchantable timber, do not remove any/minimal non-merchantable standing timber, remove all downed timber.
Scope 3 calls for the removal of 50 per cent of all merchantable timber, do not remove any non-merchantable standing timber.
Scope 4 calls for the removal of all merchantable and non-merchantable standing timber and all downed timber.
Council carried a motion that calls on administration to “prepare a request for proposals for logging (the parcel) for scope 2 and 3, and that a communications piece informing the public go out at the same time as the RFP results are returned to council for consideration.”
