There is very little common ground between Island Timberlands’ logging methods and how the community would like forestry to be done on Cortes—but as this is private managed forestland, there’s not a whole lot they can legally do about it.
Policy analyst Eric Hamilton-Smith said there is growing pressure to log marginal forest — including old growth — to compensate for the shortfall due to mountain pine beetle. He also pointed to increased volumes of waste wood, policies absolving companies from having to build mills in communities and a draft policy to convert forest licences into tree farm licences. If government were serious about developing secondary manufacturing in the sector, it could create tens of thousands of jobs, he said.
Georgia Straight: Proposed logging around the Clearwater Valley near the spectacular Wells Gray Provincial Park threatens the second largest herd of mountain caribou in BC.
Join the UVic Ancient Forest Committee and Ken Wu of the Ancient Forest Alliance for a spectacular slideshow on the ecology, wildlife, biggest trees, and politics surrounding BC's old-growth forests including at Echo Lake east of Vancouver, and the Upper Walbran Valley, Avatar Grove, Mossy Maple Grove (Fangorn Forest), and Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island.
Today from 12:45 to 1:30 pm at the BC Legislative Buildings, a group of Ancient Forest Alliance supporters will unfurl a giant 10 meter long banner that reads “Hands Off the Old-Growth” during the opening ceremonies. The BC Legislative Assembly will sit for its last session before a provincial election is held just over three months from now, on May 14, 2013.
An environmental coalition will Thursday attempt to push protection of the Great Bear Rainforest onto the already crowded election agenda, issuing open letters to B.C.’s main political leaders, calling for more immediate action.
Forests Minister Steve Thomson's account of proposed changes to forest licences in B.C. is being questioned by independent MLA Bob Simpson and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives researcher Ben Parfitt.
The Mountain Caribou is heading to the brink. Before we log the Clearwater Valley, let's consider the consequences. Please join the call for a moratorium.
In their dying days, the BC Liberals will introduce enabling legislation that will allow politicians to give forest companies exclusive rights over our public forests without the checks and balances of governing laws or regulations, or the guaranteed scrutiny of a transparent public process.
According to a leaked cabinet document, the “rollover” of volume-based licenses to area-based tenures was recommended to cabinet in April as an option to enable the rebuilding of the Burns Lake sawmill — a month before the committee was formed and five months before it made its recommendations public.
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