Approximately three weeks ago, machinery on a private, active logging area in Fernie owned by Jemi Fibre was vandalized. This week, the Fernie Trails Alliance (FTA) has issued a $1,000 reward that Jemi Fibre has matched, making for a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the conviction of those responsible.
Woodlands Manager for Jemi Fibre, Andrew McCuaig believes that at least one of the multiple vandalism incidents was done by a person who had specific knowledge about the machinery.
“The one that I know most about is damage to a piece of machinery, a faller buncher. Some rocks were strategically placed underneath the house of the buncher so when it moved it blew some cylinders and significant components,” said McCuaig.
Despite the active logging and private ownership, Jemi Fibre has been actively working with the FTA with the goal of achieving little disruption to the trail system.
“Jemi has been very observant of the amount of trail usage and is conscious of trail user groups,” said a blog post by Julie Kelly, manager of the FTA, on their website.
Jemi Fibre does its best to mitigate trail damage on its land and is currently keeping the active logging area open to trail users.
“We have all the spatial data so we know where all the trails are located. When we plan to harvest an area we do our best to buffer the trails. If we have to cross them we want to try to put them back in a condition where they are rideable again,” said McCuaig.
“With this in mind, it’s upsetting and frustrating for the FTA, Jemi Fibre and other responsible trail users to find out that several criminal incidents have taken place, including vandalism towards Jemi Fibre’s machinery,” said Kelly in the blog post. “Jemi has suffered significant financial loss as well as lost days of work”
If you have any information with regard to the vandalism, please contact Julie Kelly at manager@fernietrailsallliance.com