Major Old-Growth Logging Deferrals on Mosaic’s Private Lands on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii

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The largest private landowner in British Columbia, Mosaic Forest Management, is moving to defer 40,000 hectares (400 square kilometers) of old-growth and older second-growth stands from logging on their private lands for the next 25 years, via a carbon credit program. The lands are mainly located on southeastern Vancouver Island, with a few scattered stands on other parts of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.

These lands include dozens of hard-fought, contentious old-growth and mature forests on Vancouver Island and elsewhere that conservationists have been working to protect, including: the McLaughlin Ridge, Cameron Valley Firebreak, Cathedral Grove Canyon, lands adjacent to MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove) and Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park near Port Alberni; key ancient spruce stands in the Lower Gordon Valley and San Juan Valleys near Port Renfrew; the slope above the town of Youbou by Cowichan Lake, including Mount Holmes; old-growth along the Sooke River; and hundreds of other stands.

The company’s BigCoast Carbon Credits program will set aside the stands via a carbon credits program which will be certified under the Verified Carbon Standard. The company is expecting several hundred million dollars in carbon offsets funding over the next 25 years that will be equivalent to or exceed what their logging revenues would’ve been from logging these stands.

Currently, First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s Central and North Coasts and in Haida Gwaii groups are using carbon credits to fund important local jobs for their members in stewardship and conservation and to fund sustainable economic development initiatives, while ensuring the highest levels of forest conservation in Canada. Across BC, First Nations in British Columbia are increasingly looking at carbon offsets as a means to fund old-growth logging deferrals, in order to provide key financial support that would enable them to forgo their old-growth logging rights on their unceded territories.

Carbon offsets have been criticized over various loopholes, including “saving” forests that were already off-limits to logging through environmental regulations or de facto restrictions (ie. forests that were not going to be logged anyway), and for replacing native forests with fast-growing non-native tree plantations (neither of these criticisms applies to the stated approach of Mosaic’s BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative, which is retaining forests that could normally be logged).

Mosaic Forest Management manages the private lands of logging giants TimberWest and Island Timberlands – almost 600,000 hectares across Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Sunshine Coast. The Vancouver Island lands, for the most part, were a part of the original E&N Land Grant in 1905 when the BC government gave away about 25% of Vancouver Island’s land area in the unceded territories of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-Nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which subsequently was sold over the ensuing century to various timber companies and private landowners.

Old-growth forests have unique characteristics not found in the ensuing second-growth tree plantations that they are being replaced with, and which are re-logged every 50 to 60 years on BC’s coast – never to become old-growth again. Old-growth forests are vital to support endangered species, the multi-billion dollar tourism industry, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and First Nations cultures. Well over 90% of the high productivity old-growth forests with the biggest trees and over 80% of the medium productivity old-growth forests have been logged.

The BC government has opened the door to a major policy overhaul in old-growth forest management, hiring a science team to identify 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests for potential logging deferrals, pending First Nations consent. The province has put forward $185 million over the next three years to help finance this transition, of which perhaps half would go to First Nations – about one-third of the $300 million that the province must provide – to match the roughly $300 million that the federal government is making available to expand protected areas in BC (including old-growth forests). The BC government has not provided any dedicated funds for private land acquisition, which is needed to buy old-growth forests for new protected areas on private lands such as these Mosaic lands. In addition, the BC government has not yet embraced Canada’s national protected areas targets of 25% by 2025 and 30% by 2030 of the land and marine areas in the country.

Quotes:

“Mosaic has taken an innovative approach to keep some of the rarest and most significant old-growth forests standing for the next 25 years. I’ve hiked, mapped and identified most of these areas for the BC government for their wildlife values for decades, and after decades of seeing one area after another fall, I am feeling positive about this announcement. However, we still need more info through their 30-day consultation process, and I would encourage the company to include additional areas of older forests with high recreational values, like Cold Creek watershed and Candy Store, into their deferral areas via their carbon credits program,” stated Mike Stini, a wildlife specialist in Port Alberni.

“I have a huge sigh of relief for many of my favourite old-growth forests and hiking areas. These are some of the most beautiful places on Earth that so many people in Port Alberni have fought to protect for years, including parts of the China Creek watershed where we get our drinking water from, critical deer and elk wintering range, and habitat for endangered species like the Northern Goshawk. Mosaic’s plan includes many, but not all, of the areas of importance. It is a big step forward,” stated Jane Morden, coordinator of the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance.

“We’ve fought hard for decades to keep dozens of these old-growth forests on Mosaic lands from being logged. Now, these long-term deferrals via their carbon credits program will buy vital time – 25 years to be precise – to keep these old forests standing until they can hopefully be purchased and permanently protected in legislation. It appears that Mosaic is taking an important step forward to keep some of the very rarest and most endangered old-growth forest types standing, whose last remnants are heavily concentrated on eastern Vancouver Island, and they should be commended for this if it pans out. However, private carbon offset agreements between companies are not a conservation substitute for public protected areas, like Indigenous Protected Areas/ provincial conservancies, parks and ecological reserves, in terms of their protection and management standards, their permanency, and public access. But this arrangement will provide significant breathing room so that funds can be procured by conservation groups and/or levels of government, including First Nations, whose unceded territories these privatized lands are and who may want to protect these lands as Indigenous Protected Areas,” stated Ken Wu, Executive Director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance.

“I’ve hiked, photographed, and filmed dozens of these exceptionally rare and beautiful old-growth forests – the giant Douglas-firs at the Cameron Firebreak, Cathedral Grove Canyon, McLaughlin Ridge, and Horne Mountain, the ancient Sitka spruce in the San Juan Valley and the Lower Gordon River Valley, and many other areas when they were on the verge of being logged or were being logged. We’ve lost a lot of important old-growth on Mosaic lands over the years but this new initiative brings a vital pause for the remaining stands while we continue to secure a permanent legislated solution via potential Indigenous Protected Areas and other initiatives. For now, the 25-year deferral period lets us and many others breathe a huge sigh of relief that these incredible forests won’t be cut,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder and photographer.

“Old-growth forests are ecologically important for a whole host of reasons, and recent inventories suggest that BC’s remaining old-growth forests are critically imperilled. Mosaic’s BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative represents a progressive new approach to forest management on private lands in BC. It’s an excellent example of how innovative thinking can lead to new strategies that will yield multiple benefits (social, economic and environmental) from not logging our forests,” said Andy MacKinnon, forest ecologist and Endangered Ecosystems Alliance science advisor.

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Three-quarters of at-risk old-growth forests in BC still without logging deferrals

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Environmental groups and First Nations give provincial government poor grades as old-growth logging continues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

March 10, 20212

VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) — In the 18 months since the BC government promised to implement the recommendations of the Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR) panel, only 24 percent of the most at-risk old-growth forests have been deferred from logging.

The findings are part of an assessment by the Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC, and Wilderness Committee, who today issued a report card grading the BC government’s progress on implementing the recommendations of the OGSR panel. This is the third report card issued since the panel’s recommendations were released on September 11, 2020, and falls at the halfway point of the three-year framework the panel laid out.

The OGSR panel’s recommendations included taking immediate action to protect at-risk old-growth forests and a paradigm shift away from a focus on timber value and towards safeguarding biodiversity and the ecological integrity of all forests in B.C.

See the full version of the report card here.

“The BC government has taken some small, slow actions, but has not delivered the fundamental change it promised in the wake of the old-growth panel’s report and in the last provincial election,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “Premier John Horgan has set some nice intentions for old-growth forests, but done very little to actually limit logging of the most endangered stands – this is more talk-and-log, not the beginning of a paradigm shift.”

Using the limited publicly available data around confirmed old-growth deferrals and logging, the three organizations have calculated that in the 18 months since the BC government committed to these recommendations, approximately 624,000 hectares or 24 percent of the 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth has been confirmed for deferral or a pause on logging.

The past year has seen the establishment of a Technical Advisory Panel to provide expert guidance around old-growth deferrals and the announcement of the government’s intention to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth in November 2021. For the first time, the government has adopted a scientific assessment of the state of old-growth forests in BC, with a priority on protecting the biggest and oldest trees. But the various announcements and new processes haven’t resulted in substantial on-the-ground protection for threatened forests.

The government’s approach has been criticized by environmentalists and Indigenous leaders as putting unfair pressure on First Nations without providing adequate resources and support.

“The BC NDP government has neglected its responsibility to take swift action and despite all the words and promises, chainsaws continue to roar and threatened old-growth forests across BC remain without protection,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. “Premier John Horgan promised permanent protection of old-growth forests, but without providing a clear plan and adequate resources his government has put First Nations in an impossible position – moving slowly is no longer an option if we’re serious about leaving old-growth for our children and grandchildren.”

Last year, the province made some funding commitments to help First Nations review deferral options and support forestry workers impacted by deferrals. Budget 2022 included $185 million to help workers and communities and enable deferrals. This funding commitment is a significant step but not enough to enable both short-term deferrals and lasting Indigenous-led conservation solutions. The federal government has pledged $2.3 billion to achieve the protection of 30 percent of Canada’s landmass by 2030 but the BC government has yet to embrace this target and use this opportunity to secure a significant portion of these federal funds to support old-growth protection.

“The BC government has taken a step in the right direction in funding for old-growth,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “However, they’ve fallen short on the amount needed to relieve the economic pressure faced by First Nations so that logging deferrals can become an economically viable option. This funding shortfall makes enacting the full suite of old-growth logging deferrals virtually impossible to achieve. BC also has a golden opportunity to obtain hundreds of millions in federal funding to support the creation of new Indigenous Protected Areas. It’s high time they embraced this.”

Of the 2.6 million hectares recommended for deferral in November 2021, the province hasn’t provided consistent updates on how much has been deferred to date.

“We are halfway through the timeline laid out in the old-growth recommendations Premier John Horgan promised to implement, but only a small amount of the most at-risk forest in BC is temporarily off the chopping block and there is still no path to permanent protection,” said Jens Wieting, senior forest and climate campaigner with Sierra Club BC. “With every day of delay, irreplaceable ancient forests, the web of life that depends on them and our last defense against the climate crisis are clearcut. We must stop the bleeding now.“

Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC, and Wilderness Committee are calling on the BC government to: immediately defer logging in all at-risk old-growth forests while compensating for any lost revenue for First Nations, increase funding to support deferrals, economic transition, and permanent protection to at least $300 million, implement legislation to protect biodiversity across BC, establish a plan with milestones consistent with the OGSR framework and regularly publish accurate and detailed progress updates on the deferral process.

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Download a PDF of the full report card here

Download a JPEG version of the full report card here

Funding for Old-Growth Arrives in BC Budget, Falls Short of What’s Needed

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For immediate release
February 22, 2022

Conservationists argue more support is necessary for First Nations communities to ensure most at-risk ancient forests can remain standing.

VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – The BC government appears to have improved upon funding commitments for old-growth forests in Budget 2022, but still has fallen short of providing the amount necessary to fully protect endangered ancient forests in BC. $185 million has been budgeted for old-growth, which includes funding for workers, industry, communities, and First Nations. Depending on how funding is allocated, this announcement potentially contains up to one-third of the contribution needed from the province to support First Nations communities, whose consent is needed to implement old-growth logging deferrals.

Conservationists have repeatedly called for the province to commit at least $300 million to support Indigenous-led old-growth logging deferrals, land-use plans, and protected areas alone.
 
This would include funding for Indigenous Guardians programs, offsetting the lost revenues for logging deferrals, and support for the sustainable economic diversification of First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging and linked to the establishment of Indigenous Protected Areas. Support for forestry workers and contractors, and legally defined compensation for major licensees, would be above and beyond this total.

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner & photographer TJ Watt stands beside a giant old-growth cedar stump in the Caycuse Valley in Ditidaht territory.

“Today the BC government took a first step in the right direction in funding for old-growth,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “However, they still fell short on the funding needed to relieve the economic pressure faced by First Nations so that logging deferrals can become an economically viable option for them. This funding shortfall makes enacting the full suite of old-growth logging deferrals virtually impossible to achieve.”
 
The BC government has committed to implementing all 14 recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review Panel. In its list of recommendations, the review panel directed the province to act quickly to defer (temporarily halt) the logging of old-growth forests at high risk of biodiversity loss. The BC government later accepted, in principle, the recommendation to defer 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk ancient forests by an independent science panel, focusing on the largest and oldest trees remaining in BC. Months later, 570,000 hectares have been deferred on lands managed by BC Timber Sales, and an additional smaller fraction has been set aside by First Nations, while some forests identified for deferral continue to be logged.
 
Federal funding is available to support environmental protection in BC. $2.3 billion was committed last year to help Canada achieve its international commitments to protect 25% of lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Of this, several hundred million dollars are available for the expansion of protected areas in BC, with $50 million specifically allocated to BC old-growth so far. An additional $631 million is earmarked for “Nature Smart Climate Solutions” with $200 million already allocated for the protection of carbon-rich ecosystems such as BC’s old-growth forests.

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner & photographer TJ Watt stands beside a giant old-growth cedar tree in a forest recommended for deferral near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory. 

“It’s time that the BC government embraced the significant funding available from the federal government to help support land conservation initiatives in BC, including for old-growth forests,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Ian Illuminato. “This is a golden opportunity to obtain hundreds of millions in funding from the federal government to support the creation of new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and support the permanent protection of old-growth forests. Why are they waiting?”
 
Last week, 25 municipal leaders from 14 BC communities urged the province to follow through on its promises to protect at-risk old-growth forests. Their letter requested that the BC government swiftly establish a provincial fund to relieve the economic pressure that makes it challenging for many First Nations communities to support logging deferrals. Citizens across BC have recently made hundreds of phone calls and sent thousands of letters calling for increased funding for old-growth protection as well.

Municipal leaders in BC call on provincial government to commit funding for old-growth protection in Budget 2022

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VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – A letter signed by 25 municipal leaders from 14 BC communities is urging the province to follow through on its promises to protect at-risk old-growth forests, including by allocating significant funding in the upcoming provincial budget, set to be released February 22nd. Read the letter here.

Metchosin councillor and forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon beside Big Lonely Doug, Canada’s second-largest Douglas-fir tree, found near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory.

The letter is addressed and sent to seven provincial decision-makers, including Premier Horgan, Forests Minister Katrine Conroy, and Environment Minister George Heyman, and is signed by mayors, councillors, and regional district directors from diverse communities including Comox, Nanaimo, Powell River, Saanich, Victoria, Vancouver, Nelson, and Tahsis. In it, the elected leaders commend the province for taking the first important steps towards protecting old-growth forests and express their concern with the insufficient amount of funding committed so far to ensure success.

“Imagine asking California to turn their iconic Ancient Redwoods into roof shingles – you’d get laughed out of the room,” said Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov, one of the letter’s co-authors. “That’s how we treat the last remnants of old-growth forests we have left. This budget cycle, the province needs to put their money where their mouth is and commit significant funding to finally make good on their promise to protect our world-class old-growth assets,” Vagramov continued. “It’s time we log elsewhere; the vast majority of BC is now second-growth forest.”

The letter urges the BC government to swiftly establish a provincial fund to relieve the economic pressure that makes it challenging for many First Nations communities to support logging deferrals in 2.6 million hectares of at-risk ancient forests.

The fund, they argue, is also crucial to ensure the permanent protection of old-growth forests by supporting Indigenous-led land-use planning, the creation and management of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), and the development of sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging.

“Communities need sufficient funding and support to transition away from old-growth logging while ensuring economic prosperity through more sustainable means,” stated Ben Geselbracht, Nanaimo city councillor and co-author of the letter. “Without critical funding to support economic alternatives and transitions, the current path will lead to the collapse of old-growth ecosystems and the economies of many communities.”

Tahsis Mayor Martin Davis next to a giant old-growth Douglas-fir tree growing unprotected near town in Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory.

The provincial government has so far offered limited funding, including $12.6 million for capacity building support for First Nations to engage in the initial logging deferrals process, and $19 million to help forestry workers impacted by the deferrals. The municipal leaders acknowledge these are important first steps, but they are inadequate to provide the kind of support communities need to protect at-risk old-growth while diversifying their economies.

“Indigenous Protected Areas that permanently protect at-risk old-growth forests can play a significant role in supporting community wellbeing and economic diversification,” said Andy MacKinnon, a forest ecologist and Councillor for the District of Metchosin. “But their creation and management require investment. The federal government has come to the table with hundreds of millions of dollars that can be used to help solve BC’s old-growth crisis, but where is the province?”

Last year, the federal government pledged $2.3 billion to help Canada achieve its international commitments to protect 25% of lands and waters by 2025. Of this, several hundred million dollars are available for the expansion of protected areas in BC, with $50 million specifically allocated to BC old-growth so far. An additional $631 million was committed for “Nature Smart Climate Solutions” with $200 million already allocated for the protection of carbon-rich ecosystems such as BC’s old-growth forests.

Metchosin councillor and forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon measures a giant old-growth Douglas-fir tree on Edinburgh Mountain near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory.

The municipal leaders’ letter urges the BC government to adopt Canada’s goals of protecting 25% of lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030 and to act quickly to implement all the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review panel, including developing overarching biodiversity protection legislation, setting new, science-based old-growth protection targets for all old-growth forest ecosystems, and implementing an ecosystem-based approach to forest management.

“Ancient forests are in peril across the province,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “Municipal leaders and their constituents are advocating for lasting solutions that support local economies and these irreplaceable ecosystems. The BC government needs to fund old-growth protection and economic diversification in Budget 2022.”

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Conservationists Applaud Tourism Industry Association of BC for Joining the Call to Protect Old-Growth Forests

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VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) are celebrating that the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) has joined the call on the BC government to protect endangered old-growth forests and enable the shift to a sustainable, second-growth forest industry.

In December, TIABC signed an AFA resolution that acknowledges the significant economic benefits standing old-growth forests provide, including for BC’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, and urges the province to support Indigenous communities to defer and permanently protect old-growth forests, which are central to many First Nations’ cultures, while supporting sustainable economic development.

 Click here to read the resolution.

Tourists visit the giant trees of Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew, BC in Pacheedaht territory. ‘Big Tree Tourism’ has seen a dramatic rise in the town over the past decade, giving the local economy a major economic boost. Photograph by TJ Watt.

“Old-growth forests are vital to British Columbia’s ‘super, natural’ image and are part of what makes BC an increasingly popular destination for tourists from near and far,” said Walt Judas, TIABC CEO. “Our tourism and broader economy depend on healthy, functioning old-growth forests to provide things like climate stability, wildlife habitat, and clean water and to support myriad tourism and recreational activities like wildlife viewing, fishing, hiking, and more.”

“Despite the impact of the COVID-19 travel restrictions in the last two years, domestic tourism has thrived, with British Columbians increasingly flocking to BC’s parks, outdoor spaces, and nearby rural communities. Continuing to log old-growth forests would further compromise the over $23 billion in average annual tourism spending that many thousands of people rely on in the province.”

“We applaud TIABC’s decision to speak up for old-growth forest protection,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness. “The tourism sector won’t stand by while BC continues to destroy its globally rare forests and, with them, sustainable tourism jobs. By passing this resolution, TIABC joins a growing chorus of voices across BC, calling on the province to step up its efforts to protect old-growth while supporting communities’ economic wellbeing. 

A hiker takes photos of a giant redcedar in the lower Avatar Grove.
Avatar Grove, Port Renfrew BC.

TIABC is the primary advocate for BC’s tourism industry, one of the province’s top business sectors, and represents most of the province’s 19,000 tourism businesses and nearly 300,000 employees. Nature-based tourism is one of the top three drivers of BC’s tourism and rural economy, supporting 26,000 direct full-time jobs and some 40,000 jobs in total.

TIABC joins the Wilderness Tourism Association, over 100 BC businesses, mayors and city councils (Union of BC Municipalities and Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities), First Nations (Union of BC Indian Chiefs), unions (the Public and Private Workers of Canada forestry union) and conservation groups across BC who have called on the provincial government to increase protection for BC’s endangered old-growth forests.

Communities across the province stand to benefit from protecting ancient forests. An economic analysis commissioned by the Ancient Forest Alliance in 2021 showed that keeping old-growth forests standing can provide greater overall economic benefits than cutting them down when factoring in their value in supporting tourism, recreation, carbon offsets, commercial fisheries, education and research, and non-timber forest products (e.g. mushrooms and salal).

The BC government has promised to take significant steps to protect old-growth forests and overhaul BC’s forest sector by implementing all the recommendations in the Old Growth Strategic Review Panel’s 2020 report. As a first step, in November, the province announced its intent to defer logging in 2.6M ha of the most at-risk old-growth forests across the province. However, conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance are deeply concerned by the lack of provincial funding to support Indigenous-led old-growth protection.

“The province has acknowledged the biodiversity crisis that’s resulted from decades of unsustainable forestry and has promised to act, but endangered ancient forests are still being logged every day,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer, TJ Watt.

TJ Watt of the Ancient Forest Alliance stands beside a giant redcedar tree in the unprotected Eden Grove near Port Renfrew, BC in Pacheedaht territory. This forest is growing in popularity but its future remains uncertain. Photograph by TJ Watt.

“Protecting old-growth forests is vital to support healthy, safe, and prosperous communities. Without provincial support and significant funding, First Nations and forest-based communities are losing opportunities to protect old-growth forests and diversify their economies through nature-based cultural and eco-tourism, recreation, carbon offsets, sustainable second-growth logging and manufacturing, and more.”

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to commit several hundred million dollars in conservation financing in the upcoming provincial budget to support logging deferrals, Indigenous-led land-use planning and sustainable economic development, Guardians programs, and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas that permanently protect at-risk old-growth forests.

Environmentalists, Green Party MLA, and prominent forest ecologist make holiday-themed appeal for provincial old-growth funding

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VICTORIA (Lekwungen Territories) – Pressure on the BC provincial government to back their old-growth forest protection commitments with funding is growing with First Nations leaders, scientists, and Green Party representatives joining environmentalists to demand significant funding for old-growth protection in the 2022 provincial budget.

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), along with Adam Olsen, Green Party MLA for Saanich and the Islands and Andy MacKinnon, forest ecologist and Metchosin Councillor, held a press briefing on the steps of the BC Parliament Buildings on Tuesday to discuss the urgent need for significant provincial funding to both temporarily defer and permanently protect the province’s at-risk old-growth forests. 

Tying into the season of giving, the briefing featured gift-wrapped presents and signs reading “All we want for Christmas…is funding to protect old-growth forests!”

The briefing comes after the BC government announced its intention to work with First Nations to defer 2.6 million hectares of at-risk old-growth forests in early November, based on the recommendation of an independent scientific panel. Last week, the province announced that most First Nations that responded to requests for deferrals have expressed interest in discussions with the government on old-growth management, but the province is failing to back these discussions with funding to offset revenues from old-growth logging. 

Adam Olsen, Green Party MLA for Saanich and the Islands speaks on the steps of the BC Parliament Buildings addressing the need for funding for old-growth protection in BC.

“We are glad the province has finally moved to protect BC’s most at-risk forests, but as long as they continue to come to the negotiation table with First Nations virtually empty-handed, they won’t fully achieve it,” stated Adam Olsen. “Many Nations are dependent upon the revenues from logging in their territories, and the government is putting them in the impossible position of having to choose between old-growth protection and economic security. This does not advance conservation or reconciliation.” 

Despite logging continuing in at-risk old-growth forests identified for deferral, the BC government has yet to announce any significant new deferrals, which were recommended by the province’s Old Growth Strategic Review Panel to immediately halt the destruction of old-growth forests at high risk of biodiversity loss. $12.6 million has been allocated to support ongoing government-to-government deferral negotiations, but without greater financial support for compensation, many First Nations may be reluctant to support proposed deferrals. 

However, conservationists are quick to point out that funding for deferrals is only a first step and that significant funding, in the hundreds of millions of dollars, is also needed to support First Nations-led land-use planning, Indigenous protected areas that permanently conserve old-growth, and economic alternatives to old-growth logging.

Makwala Rande Cook, a Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw artist and Hereditary Ma’amtagila Chief, who was unable to join the press conference as anticipated, said “Old-growth forests have sustained our people for millennia. They provide critical ecosystem services that sustain the health and wellbeing of all British Columbians, but successive governments and industry have depleted them to near extinction. Indigenous communities need funding and support to protect and steward what little old-growth remains.” 

Federal funding has already been made available to support old-growth protection in BC. $2.3 billion was committed earlier this year to help Canada achieve its international commitments to protect 25% of lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Of this, several hundred million dollars are available for the expansion of protected areas in BC, with $50 million specifically allocated to BC old-growth so far. An additional $631 million has been committed for “Nature Smart Climate Solutions” with $200 million already allocated for the protection of carbon-rich ecosystems such as BC’s old-growth forests. 

The Ancient Forest Alliance is urging the BC government to adopt Canada’s protected area targets and commit several hundred million dollars in conservation funding to match or exceed the federal government’s funding commitments in the upcoming spring budget.

Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance hold signs during the press conference on the steps of the BC Parliament Buildings

Last week, the province announced $19 million in funding to support workers and communities impacted by logging deferrals and promised additional supports in the new year. This is a welcome step in the right direction, but conservationists are pointing to BC’s recent extreme weather events as further justification for urgent conservation funding. 

“If the BC government is serious about community safety and addressing deadly climate change impacts like flooding, landslides, fires, and droughts, they must include funding in Budget 2022 to vastly expand protection of BC’s most carbon-rich and climate change resilient old-growth forests and to overhaul the forestry regime,” stated forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon. “They simply cannot afford not to.” 

“Making bold promises without the funds to deliver on them is a recipe for failure, leaving millions of hectares of at-risk ancient rainforests on the chopping block,” said AFA campaigner Andrea Inness. “Right now, the question is: will there be significant funding in Budget 2022 to implement deferrals and permanent old-growth protection? Or will BC’s remaining ancient rainforests receive a lump of coal?”

(L-R) Andy MacKinnon, forest ecologist and Metchosin Councillor, Andrea Inness, Ancient Forest Alliance Campaigner, and Adam Olsen, Green Party MLA for Saanich and the Islands, stand on the steps of the BC Parliament Buildings.

West coast old-growth forests recommended for deferral in Vancouver Island’s Barkley Sound at risk of logging.

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VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) are raising concerns over Interfor’s plans to log 33 cutblocks, totaling 55 hectares, in rare, intact old-growth forest along the coastline of western Vancouver Island and are calling on the BC government to commit conservation funding to support immediate protection of at-risk old-growth forests.

The approved cutblocks, which members of the AFA visited and explored in summer 2021, are located in Vernon Bay, a stunning stretch of coastal old-growth forest in Barkley Sound in the territories of the Uchucklesaht and Tseshaht nations. Conservationists measured unprotected monumental redcedar trees up to 12 feet in diameter.

Some of the ancient forests found here, where the BC government only recently granted approval for logging, have since been identified by the province’s independent Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) for immediate deferral due to their very large old-growth trees. Despite the province having accepted, in principle, the TAP’s recommendation to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of at-risk old-growth forests across BC last month, logging in the Vernon Bay cutblocks will likely proceed unless the local First Nations and the province immediately enact deferrals.

AFA Photographer and Campaigner TJ Watt beside a monumental redcedar tree measuring 12ft (3.6m) wide, growing unprotected in the ancient forests of Vernon Bay in Barkley Sound in Uchucklesaht and Tseshaht Nation territories.

“These are some of the most remarkable and beautiful coastal old-growth forests we’ve explored this year,” stated AFA campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “It’s incredibly rare to come across a large, intact stretch of unprotected ancient forest like this today. Allowing logging to proceed would turn these lush forests into a patchwork of ugly clearcuts.”

“Significant conservation funding is needed from the provincial government to support forestry-dependent communities where old-growth forests are protected, which would help ensure that the science panel’s deferral recommendations can be fully implemented. The federal government has put hundreds of millions of dollars on the table for permanent protection. It’s time for the province to meet or exceed that amount.”

Nine of the 33 approved cutblocks are also located within a “non-legal” Old Growth Management Area (OGMA), the result of a legal loophole that allows old-growth forests that have been identified for protection to still be logged.

“Non-legal OGMAs are areas that have been mapped, but haven’t been legalized by a ministerial Order,” stated Watt. “Some of these OGMAs have remained in draft form for as long as a decade, allowing forest companies to cherry-pick the best trees from them in exchange for setting aside forests that are less commercially and ecologically valuable elsewhere. One of the simplest steps the province could immediately take to protect old-growth would be to legalize all non-legal OGMA’s,” stated Watt.

The coastal old-growth in Vernon Bay comprises a habitat for diverse and abundant wildlife, including gray wolves, and is designated as an Important Bird Area for marbled murrelets, an old-growth forest-dependent seabird. Barkley Sound is also a renowned destination for sea kayakers and supports countless marine life, including Orcas, Humpback Whales, and Pacific Gray Whales. With many of the proposed cutblocks located immediately adjacent to the shoreline, the AFA is also concerned the logging will have adverse impacts on the area’s visual quality.
 

Overlooking the unprotected ancient forests of Vernon Bay in Barkley Sound in Uchucklesaht and Tseshaht Nation territories. 33 logging cutblocks have been approved in this region, some overlapping with the newly recommended deferral areas.

“Approaching the coastline by water, you can easily imagine earlier times when the island was blanketed with intact forests,” said Ian Illuminato, AFA Campaigner. “While its remote location has allowed Vernon Bay to remain largely intact for now, this area and others like it could be lost unless the BC government immediately commits funding to support the development of Indigenous Protected Areas through First Nations land use planning initiatives, which first requires logging deferrals,” said Illuminato.

“Recent studies have shown that old-growth forests are worth far more standing than logged, in terms of economics and in terms of climate change. Considering the catastrophic impacts of climate change felt throughout BC this year, it’s hard to imagine why we would choose to continue eliminating one of our best defenses against drought, floods, and fires through destructive old-growth clearcutting.”

Province uses best available science to identify and partially defer logging of at-risk old-growth, critical funding measures still missing

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VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) commend a BC government announcement made today releasing independent scientific mapping of BC’s endangered old-growth forests, and in principle accepting recommendations to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of at-risk old-growth forests. The province has also immediately deferred all future BC Timber Sales (BCTS) cutblocks that overlap with identified at-risk forests. However, critical conservation funding to enable the full scale of deferral recommendations is still missing. 

A summary report and new scientific mapping produced by an independent Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel have revealed there are 5 million hectares of unprotected, at-risk old-growth forest across BC. These forests are categorized into ancient, rare, and big tree forests. The panel recommended the province immediately defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of these forests, focusing on the most critically endangered stands. 

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness beside an old-growth redcedar tree in BC Timber Sales tenure in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni in Hupacasath territory.

“The independent mapping is a major step forward,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner TJ Watt. “For the first time in history, the province has used the best available science to accurately identify old-growth forests at risk. This mapping confirms what conservation organizations have been saying for years: that much of BC’s forests are at risk of irreversible biodiversity loss and must be protected.”

“The province’s acceptance of the recommendation to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of the best and most at-risk old-growth forests is also unprecedented,” stated Watt “However, these are not immediate and without a matching provincial commitment of several hundred million dollars in conservation financing, with a primary focus on First Nations economic relief linked to deferrals, the full scale of the deferrals, and eventual permanent protection, will be impossible to achieve. We have the road map in hand, but we’re missing the gas in the tank.”

A highlight of the announcement is that BCTS, which has stood at the centre of considerable controversy for the logging of some of BC’s finest remaining old-growth stands, will see immediate logging deferrals. Covering about 20% of the province’s annual allowable cut, this could represent an area of about 500,000 hectares being placed under temporary deferral. This area is larger than all protected parkland on Vancouver Island put together, vastly exceeding all deferrals in place thus far. Included in this area are some of the most critical old-growth hotspots remaining in BC, such as the Artlish, Tsitika, and Nahmint watersheds, areas that conservationists have struggled to protect for decades.

The province also announced its plan to launch a suite of programs to support workers that will be impacted by the deferrals, including connecting workers with short-term employment opportunities, education and skills training, or funds to bridge to retirement. However, the province did not announce economic relief for lost forestry revenues in First Nations communities due to proposed deferrals. $12.69 million over three years was committed to providing capacity funding for First Nations to participate in planning and negotiation, but no money has yet been committed to providing further conservation financing. 

Port Alberni Watershed Forest Alliance’s Jane Morden beside an old-growth redcedar tree in BC Timber Sales tenure in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni in Hupacasath territory.

“Today’s announcement is a historic step in the right direction, but there are some critical pieces still missing,” said AFA campaigner Andrea Inness. “Besides a lack of funding, the province has failed to provide timeframes or deadlines for the implementation of deferrals or any of the OGSR recommendations. Meanwhile, at-risk old-growth forests are being left on the chopping block while negotiations take place.”

“The province needs to show leadership in supporting First Nations-led old-growth conservation. The $12 million committed today to support capacity building for First Nations to participate in government-to-government negotiations doesn’t go nearly far enough.”

“It’s about ensuring First Nations in BC have funding made available to support logging deferrals, First Nations-led land-use planning, Indigenous protected areas that conserve old-growth, and economic diversification of First Nations’ communities,” said Inness. “There must also be support for joint decision-making and Indigenous self-determination. Currently, the province doesn’t have the political will to deliver on these pieces. That needs to change.”

The federal government recently committed $2.3 billion to expand protected areas across Canada. Of this, several hundred million dollars are available for the expansion of protected areas in BC, with $50 million specifically allocated to protect old-growth forests in BC. 

The Ancient Forest Alliance is urging the BC government to commit several hundred million dollars in conservation financing to match this federal funding in the upcoming spring budget.

AFA Photographer TJ Watt receives Trebek Initiative grant and named National Geographic Explorer and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer

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The Ancient Forest Alliance’s co-founder and photographer working to protect old-growth forests has been awarded significant support and recognition by receiving a Trebek Initiative grant, naming him a National Geographic Explorer and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer.

“I’m honoured and grateful to have been selected as one of the first grant recipients for the Trebek Initiative and to be named a National Geographic Explorer and a Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer,” noted Watt. “Combining art with exploration and environmental education is a lifelong passion of mine and I hope to shed new light on ancient forests to help see them saved.”

Watt’s project will focus largely on creating a new ‘before and after’ series of monumental old-growth trees standing and then cut, building on the impact of his first series captured in the Caycuse Valley that went viral around the world this year. The series garnered recognition in three international photo competitions: the Earth Photo 2021 Exhibition, the LensCulture Art Photography Awards, and Px3 ‘State of the World’ in Paris. The sobering images have also appeared in a number of major magazine publications such as Patagonia, Red Bulletin (Red Bull’s magazine), Outside Magazine, and the cover of British Columbia magazine.

“Seeing before & after images of some of the largest trees in earth’s history turned into massive stumps contrasts the grandeur and destruction of these spectacular ecosystems,‘’ stated Watt. “The province and industry claim they’re practicing ‘sustainable’ forestry, but when 500-1000-year-old trees are being cut down on an industrial scale, the situation is pretty clearcut: this is not sustainable.”

Often exploring remote forests alone with just his camera gear and a GPS in hand, Watt hopes capturing photos of endangered old-growth will bring the attention needed to protect these forests before they’re clearcut.

“Ideally, no ‘after’ photos will have to be taken.”

“I have already captured my first set of ‘before’ images with support from the Trebek Initiative grant, which include giant old-growth redcedar and Sitka spruce trees within a recently approved cutblock along the lower Caycuse River, not far from the location where the previous series was shot,” noted Watt. “If the province doesn’t halt the logging here, the world will witness their unnecessary destruction.”

The solution to BC’s old-growth crisis lies in the need for conservation funding for indigenous communities. The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the province to support First Nations’ old-growth protection initiatives with several hundred million dollars, matching federal funds already allocated for expanding protected areas in BC.

“With our planet facing a global climate and biodiversity crisis, there’s a heightened urgency to ensure some of the world’s most ecologically and carbon-rich forests remain standing for centuries to come,” stated Watt. 

The Trebek Initiative is named after the late Canadian host of Jeopardy! Alex Trebek and is a grantmaking partnership between the National Geographic Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society that supports emerging Canadian explorers, scientists, photographers, geographers, and educators with a goal of using storytelling to ignite “a passion to preserve” in all Canadians. This is the first year it has been awarded.

Learn more about the Trebek Initiative.

NGO report card: One year after BC promised action, logging continues in almost all at-risk old-growth forests

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Report card raises alarm about predatory delay contributing to climate and extinction crises, lack of support for First Nations and forestry reforms, fuelling Canada’s biggest act of civil disobedience

VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) — One year after the BC government shared its Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR) report and Premier John Horgan committed to implementing all of the panel’s recommendations, Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee have released a report card assessing the province’s progress on their promise to protect old-growth forests.  

The OGSR’s report, made public on September 11, 2020, called on the province to work with Indigenous governments to transform forest management within three years. 

The panel recommendations include taking immediate action to protect at-risk old-growth forests and a paradigm-shift away from a focus on timber value and towards safeguarding biodiversity and the ecological integrity of all forests in BC. However, old-growth-related headlines in recent months have been dominated by police violence and arrests of forest defenders, rather than protection. As of this week, with at least 866 arrests, the fight to save what is left is now Canada’s biggest-ever act of civil disobedience.   

“The tough reality is that thousands of hectares of the endangered forests that Premier Horgan promised to save a year ago have been cut down since then,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “We’ve seen pitifully little concrete action to protect threatened old-growth, and ecosystems and communities are paying the price for the BC NDP government’s heel-dragging.”

In their report card, the organizations issued new grades on the BC government’s progress in five key areas, crucial for implementation of the panel recommendations: immediate action for at-risk forests (F), the development of a three-year work plan with milestone dates (D), progress on changing course and prioritizing ecosystem integrity and biodiversity (F), funding for implementation, First Nations and forestry transition (D), and transparency and communication (F).

“Our assessment is as devastating as a fresh old-growth clearcut. The ongoing ‘talk and log’ situation combined with police violence and the escalating climate and extinction crisis can only be described as predatory delay,” said Jens Wieting, senior forest and climate campaigner at Sierra Club BC. “Premier Horgan’s failure to keep his promise has now fueled the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada’s history, larger than Clayoquot Sound, with no end in sight. People know that clearcutting the last old-growth is unforgivable”

Clearcut logging in the Klanawa Valley in Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht territory.

“In the last six months, the BC government has failed to allocate any funding toward protecting old-growth, instead funnelling millions into police enforcement to clear a path for old-growth logging,” said Andrea Inness, forest campaigner for the Ancient Forest Alliance. “Without funding to support old-growth protection, the BC NDP government is forcing communities to make the impossible choice between revenue and conservation. They’re choosing inaction while the conflict in BC’s forests worsens.” 

In July, the province created a technical expert panel to inform the next announcement of old-growth deferral areas. Repeated government remarks about new deferrals in the summer, that are yet to be announced, have sparked a glimmer of hope for science-based interim protection for all at-risk old-growth forests in BC in the near future.

Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and the Wilderness Committee will continue to mobilize their tens of thousands of supporters and hold the government accountable for its old-growth promises. The next report card will be issued on March 11, 2022.

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For more information, please contact:

Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner/Science Advisor, Sierra Club BC

604-354 5312, jens@sierraclub.bc.ca

Andrea Inness, Campaigner, Ancient Forest Alliance

778-953-5983 (text only), andrea@15.222.255.145 

Joe Foy, Protected Areas Campaigner, Wilderness Committee

604-880-2580, joe@wildernesscommittee.org