BC Government Announces Additional Logging Deferrals

Earlier this month, in partnership with First Nations, the BC government announced the deferral of an additional 480,000 hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests in BC – a big step forward in the push to save old-growth, with a ways still yet to go.

Combined with the government’s earlier deferral (a temporary halt to logging) in BC Timber Sales’ tenure, just over 1 million hectares of big-tree, ancient, and remnant forest ecosystems are now deferred, as recommended by the independent science panel or Technical Advisory Panel (TAP).

Without detailed maps, however, it’s difficult to make an accurate assessment of the latest deferrals to determine whether they have indeed prevented logging in areas under immediate threat or instead focused on areas that weren’t currently slated to be cut. The province must release detailed maps to ensure public transparency. 

In addition to the above deferrals, the government also announced an extra 619,000 hectares of deferrals in forests that were not mapped by the TAP. These forests may have been selected by First Nations for their cultural values or importance to wildlife and are a welcome addition to the province’s efforts. 

In total, 1.7 million hectares of forest land are now temporarily off-limits from logging, giving First Nations the time needed to create land-use plans that will ultimately determine which areas receive permanent protection in the form of new Indigenous Protected Areas and forest reserves.

However, it should be noted that 1.55 million hectares, or 60% of the 2.6 million hectares of at-risk old-growth recommended for deferral by the TAP, still lack deferrals and recent research has shown are in some cases still being logged (see article below).

This is why conservation financing is so critical at this time.

Under pressure, the BC government committed $185 million in its most recent budget for workers, contractors, and First Nations to assist with the impacts of deferrals – a major step up from previous budgets but still short of what’s needed. 

We’ve been calling for at least $300 million for First Nations alone to help fund sustainable economic diversification, Guardian programs, and the creation of new Indigenous Protected Areas that protect old-growth forests.

The federal government has made hundreds of millions available for land conservation in BC, with $55 million specifically earmarked for old-growth; the latter of which requires matching funding from the province. It’s time they embraced this amazing opportunity!

We’re not all the way there yet but the tide is starting to turn towards greater protection of old-growth forests. This would not be the case without the pressure and support from the tens of thousands of AFA supporters who continue to speak up and demand better. Thank you!!

• Please take a moment to send a letter to the BC government calling for conservation funding and share the link with your friends and family.

• For news on the latest deferral announcement, read this news coverage.

• For news on old-growth logging taking place in areas recommended for deferral, read this press release by Stand.Earth.