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Photo attached (media are free to reprint): From left to right - AFA Executive Director Ken Wu; Campaigner and Photographer TJ Watt; Admin Director Joan Varley; Researcher and Writer Hannah Carpendale. Taken at hollow old-growth cedar at Goldstream.

Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) Celebrates its Three Year Anniversary

Mar 3 2013/in Media Release

February 28, 2013

Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) Celebrates its Three Year Anniversary

Conservation organization aims to spotlight old-growth forests and raw log exports as central BC election issues, urges BC Liberals and NDP to break from the unsustainable status quo.

The Ancient Forest Alliance (www.AncientForestAlliance.org) , a BC environmental organization founded in early 2010, is celebrating its three year anniversary this week as a registered not-for-profit society. Yesterday, February 27, was the organization’s anniversary.

To celebrate, this coming Sunday, March 3, the organization will hold an “Ancient Forest Biodiversity Hike” for the public to see a magnificent old-growth Douglas fir grove in Goldstream Provincial Park, on the campground side of the park (Meet at 1:00 pm at the top parking lot by Sooke Lake Rd. and Humpback Rd. near the pub, hike finishes by 3:00 pm – easy to moderate difficulty) with Ken Wu ,TJ Watt, and Joan Varley from the AFA and naturalists Darren and Claudia Copley of the Victoria Natural History Society. The organization will also have a “Meet and Greet” afterwards with snacks, drinks, and a fun slideshow with staff from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Sunday at its office at 827 Broughton St. in Victoria.

“We’re grateful for the huge support we’ve received from thousands British Columbians to build a major environmental organization from scratch,” stated Ken Wu, AFA co-founder and executive director. “Our size and strength has grown tremendously over three years, and we’ve had some specific successes. However, our main task – of getting the BC Liberal government and the NDP opposition to commit to a plan to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, value-added second-growth forest industry – is now more urgent than ever. During these last 3 months before a BC election we’ll be going all-out to push both the BC Lib’s and NDP for a seismic shift from the unsustainable status quo of massive overcutting, old-growth logging and raw log exports.”

So far the BC Liberal government has been defending major old-growth logging and raw log exports, while often citing highly misleading statistics to convey the false message that old-growth forests are not endangered. They’ve also introduced a bill that would empower the Minister of Forests to expand Tree Farm Licences (ie. to give exclusive logging rights to huge areas of Crown forest lands to major timber companies) through policy fiat instead of through a democratic legislative vote, which is bound to become a major election issue. See: www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=564

The NDP opposition has so far stayed silent on a previous commitment by leader Adrian Dix in 2011 during his leadership bid that he would, “Develop a long term strategy for old growth forests in the Province, including protection of specific areas that are facing immediate logging plans” if elected. See: conservationvoters.ca/past-endorsements/leadership-race-2011/ndp-candidates/adrian-dix [Original article no longer available]

The Ancient Forest Alliance has been noted for its approach towards building broad-based movements involving local tourism and small businesses (including the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce who helped to protect the Avatar Grove), forestry workers, First Nations, and other diverse people. The organization is planning a major “Pre-Election Rally for Ancient Forests and BC Forestry Jobs” on Saturday, March 16 at 12 noon at the Legislative Buildings. Already over 500 people have pre-confirmed their attendance for the rally on the website and 200 more via Facebook. See www.BCForestMovement.com

A major strength of the organization has been the photography of its campaigner and co-founder TJ Watt, whose stunning, award-winning photos of old-growth trees and giant stumps on Vancouver Island have circulated around the world through the news and social media. See the Ancient Forest Alliance’s photogallery of Watt’s photos at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/

“While we’ve taken thousands of people on public hikes to see ancient forests, we also know it’s impossible to bring millions of people out, and that the clearcutting of our endangered old-growth forests also goes unseen by most. So through professional photography we’ve been able to bring the beauty and destruction of our ancient forests into the homes of millions of people to raise public awareness,” stated Watt.

The AFA is best known for its successful campaign that culminated last year to protect the “Avatar Grove”, a stand of centuries old giant redcedars near Port Renfrew, some with fantastic shapes. See: www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=378 and a spectacular photogallery at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=6

The organization’s other successes include:

– Getting NDP leader Adrian Dix to commit to, “Develop a long term strategy for old growth forests in the Province, including protection of specific areas that are facing immediate logging plans” during his NDP leadership bid (a promise which he has not mentioned since, however). See: [Original article no longer available]

– Ensuring a reprieve from logging for the “Castle Grove” last November, Canada’s finest ancient cedar grove in the Upper Walbran Valley. See: www.timescolonist.com/news/local/province-has-no-plans-to-cut-old-growth-stand-in-walbran-near-port-alberni-1.17753

– Convincing the BC government to develop a legal designation, still in the works, to protect the province’s biggest trees and potentially monumental groves. See above link.

– In general, raising the level of public awareness on the need to protect the province’s endangered ancient forests through countless public hikes, slideshows, rallies, petition drives (see ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/), and through garnering local, provincial, national, and international media coverage on its campaigns.

The organization has grown from 400 to 900 to 2000 donors by the end of its first, second, and third years of existence, respectively, and raised $59,000, $80,000, and $137,000 in revenues each successive year. The organization also has 23,000 people on its supporters lists (email and Facebook), mainly within British Columbia.

“With our regular door canvasses now in Victoria and Vancouver, plus the support we get from small and independent businesses, we’re firmly entrenched in the BC conservation community. As such I’m confident that the Ancient Forest Alliance will be here to stay until our endangered old-growth forests are protected and we see a sustainable forest industry in this province,” stated Wu.

Ken Wu is the AFA’s Executive Director, TJ Watt is the Campaigner and Photographer, Joan Varley is the Admin Director, Hannah Carpendale is the Researcher and Writer, Amanda Evans is the Victoria Canvass Director, and Noah Schillo is the Vancouver Canvass Director.

Old-growth forests are vital to sustain endangered species, the climate, tourism, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. On Vancouver Island about 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have been logged, including 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow. About 10% of the original, productive old-growth forests have been protected in parks and in Old-Growth Management Areas on Vancouver Island. Of 2.3 million hectares of original, productive old-growth forests on Vancouver Island, about 1.7 million hectares have now been logged.

Eco-groups regard new forest tenure legislation as ‘land grab’

Mar 1 2013/in News Coverage

The B.C. government is being accused of giving forest companies new, sweeping powers over the land base through legislation it introduced last week to amend the Forest Act.

“This appears to be essentially a giveaway to big companies,” said Jessica Clogg, a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law who specializes in forestry issues. She was referring to a tenure rollover plan given first reading last week that would give forest companies the ability to convert their volume-based forest tenures to area-based tenures called tree farm licences.

West Coast Environmental Law is one of numerous environmental groups opposing the legislation, which they see as generally extending corporate rights at a time when more diverse issues, from First Nations to community interests and biodiversity, are also on the public agenda.

“We have seen a lot of consolidation in the industry and this is setting us up for that last grab by those that are left standing to lock down their rights,” she said Thursday. “I see a clash of the titans over the B.C. land base.”

The legislation was introduced through Bill 8, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, on Feb. 20. Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson called it a “milestone” that will help the B.C. Interior weather the effects of the mountain pine beetle infestation. The government expects forest companies to make more investments on the land if they have more private property-like rights.

The forest industry is supportive of the changes, which it expects will encourage private investment on the land. But the changes will not erode existing environmental protections or other non-timber values, said Doug Routledge, vice-president of the Council of Forest Industries. He said it makes sense to manage diverse values, as well as timber, on an area-based model.

Most Interior forest lands are managed on a volume-based tenure system through forest licences. Licensees have allowable annual cuts that allocate timber within a provincial supply area. The initiative to create area-based tenures — where the area containing the timber supply allocated to the company is licensed — was driven largely by last year’s explosion and fire at the Burns Lake sawmill, which precipitated a regional economic crisis when the mill owner claimed there was not enough timber in the timber supply area available to the company to justify building a new mill.

Routledge said it makes sense to introduce the legislation now, which is enabling legislation only, as it will enable whoever forms the next government to move forward with it.

However, NDP forests critic Norm Macdonald, referred to the changes as an amendment “that is best left to fall off the table.”

“This is coming just before an election from a government that has clearly lost the public trust,” he said.

The province announced it intended to proceed with establishing area-based tenures when it released its Mid-term Timber Supply Action Plan last October. That plan was based on recommendations from a special committee on the timber supply that toured the province last summer. Area-based tenures were raised during the hearings, said Macdonald, who sat on the committee, but what members heard from the public, he said, was to proceed slowly and with caution.

He said the NDP is not opposed to the creation of more tree-farm licences; the model has been in place on the Coast for decades. It’s the way the government is going about it, by introducing legislation that does not spell out the specifics on how it will proceed, that the party opposes.

“This is legislation specifically to create tree-farm licences held by private industry. What we heard in the committee is that it should be part of the conversation. But we should be extremely careful.”

Routledge said he expects the industry to move cautiously. First, he said, the process is controlled by the government. Tree farm licences will be considered at the minister’s invitation only. He said he does not expect a flood of applications when those invitations are extended.

“This is simply a different form of tenure that grants harvesting rights over a certain volume of timber. It is not a giveaway of timber. The timber has already been allocated in tenure. It is not a giveaway of land because the land remains vested in the Crown and the public interest. It is not different than a forest licence except that it is spacially explicit. The same rights and responsibilities apply.”

Documents show government is already breaking proposed forestry law

Mar 1 2013/in News Coverage

Independent MLA Bob Simpson says documents show that the BC Liberals have no intention of following their proposed law to enable the conversion of volume-based forest licenses to area-based tenures.

“The Liberal cabinet is writing yet another ugly chapter in the long and sordid history of forestry legislation in this province,” said Simpson. He points to a leaked cabinet document from April 2012 and a letter written by the Minister of Forests to Hampton Affiliates on September 11, 2012, as proof that they will not follow their proposed law.

“It’s clear from the leaked cabinet document and Minister Thomson’s letter that Hampton Affiliates has already been promised the first Tree Farm License under the Liberals’ proposed legislation,” said the MLA for Cariboo North. “The government doesn’t have the right to make this offer because there is no legal way they can fulfill it unless Bill 8 passes. At the same time, Bill 8 would require that the minister start this process with a public advertisement of the criteria that would be used to judge these proposals from all replaceable licensees in a Timber Supply Area [TSA].”

The history of Tree Farm Licenses (TFLs) in BC has been fraught with controversy. In the 1940s, the first two TFLs issued were directly linked to political donations to the Liberal government. In the 1970s, W.A.C. Bennett’s Minister of Forests, “Honest” Bob Sommers, went to jail for receiving kickbacks when he issued a TFL. In 1988, Bill Vander Zalm’s Forest Minister, Dave Parker, tried to enact legislation similar to Bill 8 and delayed consultation until after the law was passed. Both Parker and his deputy minister lost their jobs when the public rejected the creation of additional TFLs during the consultation process, and the legislation was repealed.

“There are four replaceable licensees in the Lakes TSA where Hampton has been promised preferential treatment,” said Simpson. “The three other licensees — Canfor, West Fraser and L&M Lumber, all BC-based companies — all need timber from the Lakes TSA to keep their Highway 16 mills operating.”

“It puzzles me why the Liberals have decided that Hampton should be the winner in the fight for timber,” said Simpson. “They are a U.S.-based firm and a member of the Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports. They received money from the $1 billion that was stolen from Canadian companies in the 2006 softwood lumber settlement, and they could still face charges under the Workers Compensation Act for their role in the events leading up to the explosion at the Burns Lake sawmill.”

Both the leaked cabinet document and the Minister’s letter to Hampton state that other license holders in the Lakes TSA would have to have their licenses transferred to adjacent TSAs.

“The admission that the other companies in the Lakes TSA would need to move their licenses is clear proof that there isn’t enough timber in the Highway 16 corridor to sustain all the mills that are currently operating there,” said Simpson. “By turning forest policy on its head to favour Hampton, the government is putting other jobs and Highway 16 communities at risk.”

Simpson has been calling on the government to work with the community of Burns Lake to find alternative economic models instead of rebuilding a traditional lumber mill that will employ less than 40 per cent of the original workforce.

“Breaking the law by promising Hampton Affiliates a TFL without due process will absolutely guarantee the public rejects this form of tenure once again,” said Simpson. “The government should not bring Bill 8 up for debate. They need to work with the community of Burns Lake on more creative and forward-looking solutions and inform Hampton that it will not be getting a TFL.”
https://www.bobsimpsonmla.ca/documents-show-government-is-already-breaking-proposed-forestry-law/

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Mar 16 2026

Every member of a former panel the BC government appointed to identify old-growth for potential protection in 2021 now says they're concerned about continued logging in those same rare and "irreplaceable" forests.

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NOW HIRING: Forest Campaigner

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