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Important meeting

We tip our hat to the Fishing Highway Tourist Association (FHTA) for hosting tonight's (May 11) public meeting with Tolko Industries Ltd. to discuss the company's five-year forestry plan, including its pest management program.

We don't know how FHTA members found out about Tolko's five-year pest management plan (PMP).

Perhaps it was through the grapevine, or a member is also a registered range permit holder and received notification of the plan directly from Tolko.

They may have even learned about it in the classified section of Free Press, where we read about it and started working on the story.

Regardless, FHTA members started discussing Tolko's PMP amongst themselves and their friends and neighbours.

They started researching the makeup of the ingredients that are going to be used in chemical treatment and they have concerns.

The FHTA membership wants answers and so do some area ranchers and others who are interested about what's going on in the forests around them.

So, rather than get bent out of shape over rumour and innuendo, they decided to invite Tolko to tonight's public meeting to hear it right from the horse's mouth.

To its credit, Tolko obliged and agreed to attend and discuss the company's plans with area residents.

Not all companies are willing to put their plans to the test, especially if they don't want to "alarm" the public.

Hopefully, Tolko will go to the meeting to listen to the public concerns and they will be prepared to answer questions in a forthright manner.

Perhaps the outcome of the meeting will result in changes in the PMP and/or public concerns are answered satisfactorily.

Perhaps not, but at least the there will be discussion between the public and the forest company about the treatment of the all

British Columbians' Crown land.

The forests have changed since the pine beetle devastation and everyone is more aware of what's happening on Crown land, and they want to have a say in what's going on out there.

So, yes, if a tree falls in the forest, we will hear it.