Apr 19 2014

Forum urges residents to Stand Up for forests

Approximately 200 people came out to hear from First Nations, labour leaders, forestry policy analyst Anthony Britneff and noted environmentalist Vicky Husband. Britneff is a former senior forester with the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range. He retired in 2010 after 40 years with the agency, and has been speaking out about what he calls "a perfect storm of mismanagement." On April 1, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steven Thomson announced a public consultation on a proposal to increase area-based tenures and tree farm licences. The consultation runs until May 30. "This process is not a public consultation at all. It's the government asking for feedback on what it plans to do," Britneff said.

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Apr 4 2014

Playing with words regarding Tree Farm Licences

"When you drill down past all the headings and references to Area-based Forest Tenures on the Ministry’s website and in its Discussion Paper, it becomes clear that what the Ministry is proposing is a rollover of volume-based licences into one particular - and highly controversial - type of area-based tenure, i.e. Tree Farm Licences (TFLs). So, rather than a Discussion Paper on Area-based Forest Tenures, the Discussion Paper could be more accurately described as a Discussion Paper promoting the benefits of Tree Farm Licences and defining the criteria for rollover to these TFLs. Why confound the terms and cause confusion? Why not make it crystal clear, with no ambiguity, that this whole exercise is about TFLs alone? Well, Tree Farm Licences have always been controversial in BC. Just last year, the Minister of Forests tried to push through legislation allowing for large-scale conversion of existing timber licenses into TFLs. Many in the province felt that this move would be a giveaway to the investors and shareholders of a few big companies at the expense of other sectors of the forest industry, First Nations and the population as a whole. In the face of widespread opposition, the Forest Minister was forced to withdraw the legislation." 

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Apr 1 2014

B.C. announces plans to revamp its timber supply system for forestry firms

Forests Minister Steve Thomson says the Liberal government is taking another shot at giving forest companies more rights to control British Columbia's public forest lands, but he rejects criticism that the plan would privatize provincial forests. The move could dramatically change the way public forests are managed by granting lumber companies tenure rights, or logging rights, to large pieces of land. Companies are currently allotted timber harvest rights on a specified numbers of trees. Plans to amend the Forest Act last year to move towards area-based tenures were dumped after a public outcry.

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Apr 1 2014

B.C. government reopens timber rights talks

Critics argue that giving forest companies increased control over Crown land spells disaster for the environment and makes it more difficult to settle First Nations treaties. “When companies say they want greater certainty over the land base, what they mean is greater certainty against conservation measures and treaty settlement,” said Ken Wu, executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance. “There’s a lot of other users and a lot of other values on those lands besides large-scale logging.” NDP forests critic Norm Macdonald said there is no evidence that allowing exclusive rights in a timber area benefits anyone other than the big forest companies, many of whom are major donors to the B.C. Liberal Party.

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Mar 31 2014

Timber companies can’t see the consequences for the trees

  British Columbia is in the midst of an unprecedented and unsustainable salvage operation in its interior forests because of the attack of the mountain pine beetle. And yet, when two of the province’s biggest forestry companies were caught going into those woods and cutting truckloads of healthy green timber meant for future harvests, Forests Minister Steve Thomson’s reaction was as mild as a milk-sated kitten. After forestry-ministry staff raised alarms, Mr. Thomson signed an order that could have led to hefty penalties for Canfor and West Fraser for taking greenwood in an area where they were supposed to be targeting the dead and dying pine. In defiance of the chief forester’s order, set down in February, 2008, the two companies overcut 928,000 cubic metres worth of healthy trees in the Morice Timber Supply Area, around the community of Houston, in B.C.’s northwest. But the minister’s order was rescinded after the companies – both heavy contributors to the governing B.C. Liberal party – agreed to behave. The past is forgiven, no need for consequences. 

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Mar 30 2014

Overharvesting – Who is watching our forests?

"It is an outrageous amount. According to a document from the Ministry of Forests that was recently brought to light in the provincial legislature (1), for the five years between 2008 – 2013, the forest company giants, Canfor and West Fraser, overcut 928,000 cubic metres of non-pine wood in the Morice Timber Supply Area (TSA), a region in north-western British Columbia. This overharvesting was done in direct violation of the Allowable Annual Cut (AAC), and is equivalent to about 23,000 logging truck loads of timber."

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Mar 30 2014

Comment: Forest, parks bills should be open to debate

On Feb. 25, two proposed bills, Bill 4 and Bill 5, entered their second reading and almost no one noticed. If passed, the two amendment bills — known as the Park Amendment Act and the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act — would adversely affect forest-based jobs and our protected areas network, which are anchors for the motto “Super Natural B.C.” 

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Ancient Forest Alliance
Mar 29 2014

Giant tree nicknamed ‘Big Lonely Doug’ stands alone in clear-cut

Global TV's (BC's largest TV news station) main news piece about "Big Lonely Doug", which may be Canada's 2nd largest Douglas-fir. Global TV joined the AFA's TJ Watt and Ken Wu on a tour of the tree and clearcut yesterday.

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Ancient Forest Alliance
Mar 29 2014

VIDEO: Big Lonely Doug

Global TV "pre-news piece" snippet using the AFA's still photos about Big Lonely Doug, which may be Canada's second largest Douglas-fir.

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Mar 29 2014

Canada’s second largest Douglas fir tree may have been found near Port Renfrew

Activists with the Ancient Forest Alliance say provincial government should do more to protect the province’s biggest trees. “There is an urgency to protect these areas because old-growth logging continues right near Port Renfrew,” says Watt. The organization has been calling for provincial legislation to protect big trees and monumental groves. See here for comprehensive coverage including TV news video, gallery of photos and written article on Global TV's website.

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