Whistler Medals Plaza – Team Victory Ceremonies
The Sitka Spruce Podium
Bella Coola Valley
Bella Coola Community Forest
The Podiums of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
18 wood types. 23 podiums. Hundreds of stories.
Bella Coola Valley – Come Experience the Adventure.
Wood for the podium came from the Bella Coola Valley. The valley’s character is defined by glaciers overlooking lush rainforests, dramatic wilderness and 10,000 years of Nuxalk heritage. Bella Coola’s 1,900 residents enjoy a close connection to both land and sea, with forestry a key driver of the valley’s economy. Local mills custom cut timber beams, siding, structural lumber, and supply Nuxalk artisans, famous for their spectacular works of art.
Bella Coola Community Forest
The Sitka Spruce was donated by the Bella Coola Community Forest, which covers 128,700 hectares and is managed by the people of the Bella Coola Valley to create employment and maintain recreation, wildlife, water quality and scenic viewscapes. Bella Coola received its community forest licence in May 2007 and the wood for the podium is from their very first logging project.
“We see ourselves as stewards of the land and our management principles are rooted in environmental sustainability as a means to provide economic stability.”
Hans Granander, Registered Professional Forester, Bella Coola Community Forest Ltd., Hans is the author of the coffee table book, Bella Coola – Life in the Heart of the Coast Mountains and former professional soccer player for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Sitka Spruce
Sitka Spruce grows along the coast and is extremely valued for being light and soft, but also strong and flexible. In addition to its use in general construction, ship building and plywood, the wood has excellent acoustic properties and is used in pianos, violins and guitars. It was also used for aircraft construction in the first half of the 20th century. First Nations artisans use Sitka Spruce to create traditional water-tight hats, baskets, ropes and twine to sew boxes and baskets.
Podium Production
British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests and Range sourced the wood and co-ordinated podium production. The rough lumber was converted to panels at Metro Vancouver’s Bayview Millworks, a high-end wood product manufacturer and distributor, and cut into complex shapes using sophisticated computer controlled machinery at the University
of British Columbia’s state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Wood Processing. They were assembled at Canadian hardware retail leader RONA’s Vancouver 2010 Fabrication Shop, a community-based training centre that teaches carpentry skills to new Canadians and at-risk youth.
“The wood that we milled for the podium is some of the best Sitka Spruce I have seen.”
Oran Hoppe, owner, Bettor Enterprises Ltd; contract logger and sawmill operator. The podium wood was cut on Oran’s mill in the typical volunteer effort that Oran is known for.
British Columbia’s Forest Sector
The wood podiums highlight the importance of forestry in British Columbia. The province is a global leader in sustainable forest management and the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber, paper and bio-energy products that help mitigate climate change and provide innovative solutions to green building and energy needs.
“I usually work around the province, so the opportunity to
work at home is great. The community forest is providing that
opportunity. Go, Canada Go!”
Wayne Bittner, owner, Redline Falling Ltd; contract faller and logging truck driver, born and raised in Bella Coola and a keen salmon fisherman.
Contacts
Hans Granander
Bella Coola Community Forest
250 982-2515
hcgranander@gmail.com
Ministry of Forests and Range
Province of British Columbia
250 387-8482
PABFOR.MediaRequests@gov.bc.ca
www.gov.bc.ca/for and www.naturallywood.com.
