Great news! The Port Alberni municipal council has unanimously passed a resolution supporting the statement for Island Timberlands to cease and desist from logging McLaughlin Ridge, an ancient forest near Port Alberni in the city's drinking watershed, and for the BC government to ensure its protection. Thanks to our allies at the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance for getting the resolution passed!
Here's an article in the Alberni Valley Times about the Port Aberni city council unanimously passing a resolution for Island Timberlands to stop logging McLaughlin Ridge and the BC government to protect it. Again thanks to our friends at the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance for their great work!
In the following article, Island Timberlands seems to be engaged in some sort of misleading PR spin, claiming that they are not logging the ungulate winter range in the core of McLaughlin Ridge, which they most clearly are (see our photos). The core area was mapped to become a Wildlife Habitat Area, which would protect the habitat of the endangered Queen Charlotte Goshawk and at the same time serve to protect the ancient Douglas-fir forest where the ungulates (deer) spend the winter – this is where Island Timberlands has been logging. In addition, Island Timberlands has also logged in areas mapped as UWR in recent years. Stating anything else is either simply false or misleading sophistry designed to throw doubt and confusion on what the company is doing, to buy time for them to log as much endangered ancient forest as they can. However, it should be noted that if Island Timberlands now has a new policy to not log anymore of the mapped UWR's, we greatly welcome that and look forward to discussing how to move forward on this…stay tuned.
The Port Alberni Council of Canadians, Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union and various environmental organizations have signed a joint statement calling on Island Timberlands to halt logging the endangered old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni, BC. They asked the BC Liberal government show leadership and ensure the forest’s protection.
“The company and the BC government really need to heed the call of so many diverse organizations, otherwise the controversy will only continue to grow,” said Jane Morden from the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance, which is spearheading the campaign to protect old-growth forests around the region, including McLaughlin Ridge.
Diverse organizations, including a major forestry workers union, BC’s largest environmental organizations, and community organizations, have signed a statement calling on Island Timberlands to immediately cease and desist from logging the endangered old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge, one Canada’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and for the BC Liberal government show leadership and ensure the forest’s protection – before it’s too late.
We, the undersigned organizations, are greatly concerned about the rapid logging by Island Timberlands of McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. We urge both the BC government and Island Timberlands to ensure that this critical area and the remaining old growth forests on Vancouver Island in similar situations are not logged.
Kwakiutl First Nation Chief Coreen Child says the Tsilhqot'in court victory on Thursday, June 26, 2014, proves that Vancouver Island First Nations with Douglas Treaties already demonstrated Aboriginal Title over 160 years ago…
Since 2004, the BC government has been granting the removal of private lands from Tree Farm licenses located within Kwakiutl territory without Kwakiutl consent. Consequently, businesses, companies, and governments have exploited Kwakiutl lands with impunity."BC forestry decision making is one example of Treaty infringement," says Councillor Jason Hunt. "In 163 years, the Crown, first as Colony, then as BC and Canada, built entire economies on North Vancouver Island without First Nations consent. They have exploited our lands and waters, and marginalized our people."
The Ancient Forest Alliance is looking for dedicated, considerate, and capable volunteers to help construct the Avatar Grove boardwalk this summer on the weekends of July 26/27 & August 23/24 in Port Renfrew, BC.
Conservationists expressed alarm over a logging company's logging of rare old-growth Douglas Fir trees near Port Alberni. Island Timberlands had reportedly logged a hundred-metre wide section of old-growth trees in the previously intact part of McLaughlin Ridge's forest. The Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance and Ancient Forest Alliance have urged the BC government — which deregulated the land in 2004 — to work toward conservation of McLaughlin Ridge and other endangered old-growth forests jeopardized by Island Timberlands.
Conservationists are raising the alarm as Island Timberlands has rapidly undertaken a road-building and logging spree into the heart of one of BC’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests at McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. Last week conservationists were greatly dismayed to discover that the company had logged a couple hundred meter wide swath of old-growth trees, traversing almost the entire span of the previously intact section of McLaughlin Ridge’s old-growth forest.
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