Massive old-growth clearcuts by BC Timber Sales (BCTS), the government’s own logging agency, scar the hillsides along the upper Mahatta River on northwestern Vancouver Island in the territory of the Quatsino First Nation.
Included in these cutblocks, which combine for a total of 50 hectares, were stands of endangered ancient forests along the valley bottom and lower slopes, the likes of which have been virtually eliminated from the surrounding landscape after decades of high-intensity logging.
The giant cedar stumps are a testament to the magnificent forest that once stood here. One of the quickest ways the BC government could help implement greater protection for old-growth forests would be to stop issuing cutting permits for them in BCTS tenures and support local First Nations with conservation financing that supports sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging.
Take action by sending an instant message to protect old-growth forests.
