A seedling reefer that collapsed this spring under the weight of snow and ice has not been rebuilt, but almost all of the baby trees survived the ordeal.
Canfor's seedling storage warehouse at the J.D. Little Forest Centre succumbed to its snow-load at about 6 a.m. on March 15. It contained about $3 million worth of infant trees all slated for planting this spring across the central interior.
"About 13.8 million seedlings were saved - 91 per cent of the total amount in the facility," said Canfor spokeswoman Christine Kennedy. "It was a hugely significant effort and under the circumstances it was a mostly happy ending for the seedlings."
The threatened trees were exposed to the elements, but a massive outpouring of staff and volunteers relocated the seedlings to foster reefers around the region.
Other than the general understanding that a large amount of snow was on the roof at the time of the collapse, details were not disclosed as to how the structure failed.
What Kennedy did confirm was the company's need to stay abreast of provincial legislation requiring the replanting of harvested forests.
"We are certainly going to go ahead and rebuild that cooler," she said.
The salvaged crop of trees and the reconstruction intention are the start of Canfor's corporate celebration centred in Prince George this week. The forestry giant is holding its annual general meeting here today, followed by an evening reception.
