Please Donate! https://ancientforestalliance.org/donations.php
Mon., Feb.27: 100 MILE DINNER ((SOLD OUT)) and CELEBRATION! ((TICKETS LEFT)) (Victoria) *info further down page*
The AFA is almost two years old!! February 24, 2010, was our official incorporation date as a registered not-for-profit society in British Columbia.
It has been an intense two years! With nothing more than a gmail account when we started, and with almost no funding, we quickly ramped up the scale of our campaigns to include tens of thousands of supporters in BC and major media coverage around the world.
Now, in 2012, with just over one year left before a BC election, the ruling BC Liberals and the opposition NDP who will likely form the next government are highly sensitive to public pressure. We need YOUR support during this MOST critical year.
Can you support us with a donation of any amount? We are limited by a lack of funding at this point, but have just about the lowest overhead of any major environmental organization. To donate go to: https://ancientforestalliance.org/donations.php
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mon., Feb.27: 100 MILE DINNER & CELEBRATION – 2 YEAR ANNIVERARY of the ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE!
To celebrate the Ancient Forest Alliance’s 2 year anniversary, Social Coast is organizing a 100 Mile Dinner for the AFA with locally-produced, delicious gourmet foods prepared by renowned Vancouver Island chefs Landon Crawford and Andrew Bisson! The dinner features a “Mossy Maple” theme, in reference to the AFA’s new campaign to protect BC’s ancient bigleaf maple groves and with BC bigleaf maple syrup used with several delicious course items. Afterwards, there will be a celebration with music, drinks, speakers, a silent auction, and hob-nobbing with fellow tree-huggers!
The Ancient Forest Alliance will be two years old at the end of this month! In that time the organization has hugely grown in size and influence. Recently the BC government protected the famed Avatar Grove from logging as a result of the AFA’s campaign! See: Times Colonist article and AFA press release
DATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
LOCATION: Norway House, 1110 Hillside Avenue (near Graham St.), Victoria
TIMES:
6:00-7:30 pm: 100 MILE DINNER ((SOLD OUT)) *** SEE FULL DINNER DETAILS and MENU BELOW***
Includes BC Bigleaf Maple-Glazed Wild Salmon, Ancient Forest Lichen Crisps (unique and new!), homemade BC Bigleaf Maple-Drizzled Ice Cream, and more!!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!
7:30—9:30 pm: CELEBRATION ((TICKETS LEFT))
AFA’s 2 year overview presentation with Ken Wu, TJ Watt, and Joan Varley!
Words from renowned forest activists Valerie Langer (tentative) and Vicky Husband!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!
Drinks!
Silent auction of donated goods and services from local businesses!
Door prizes!
Hob-nob with fellow tree-huggers!
***100 Mile Dinner tickets are SOLD OUT***
$10 Celebration only tickets are still available for the 7:30-9:30pm portion of the night!
BUY TICKETS:
100 MILE DINNER DETAILS from SOCIAL COAST
This dinner will be created using all ingredients that are sourced no farther than 100 miles from Victoria.
The dinner will feature the professional cooking skills of Landon Crawford (Nourish Bistro and Cafe), and Andrew Bissoon (chef and owner of Fat Daddy’s BBQ and Catering). They will be dishing up a 3 course meal that will include at least a couple of ingredients you have never tried before. Along with vegetarian options for all three courses, the menu includes Wild Sockeye Salmon glazed with BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup from the Cowichan Valley, ancient forest lichen crisps (lobaria or “lettuce” lichens) foraged by the Ancient Forest Alliance’s own TJ Watt, handmade goats cheese, homemade ice cream and a couple of more surprises. You can be assured that even the salt will be sourced from within 100 miles and the flavours will make you re-think the possibilities of local cuisine.
Bartender Eric Nordal (Bard and Banker) will be creating a locally inspired cocktail as well as other pairings to compliment the evening’s cuisine.
Mike Edel, a local artist who played at this year’s Rifflandia Festival will be performing and there are a number of captivating short presentations lined up for the night, including the Ancient Forest Alliance who will give an overview of its 2 year history and its recently successful campaign to protect the Avatar Grove from logging. Bed bath and beyond promo code
100 MILE DINNER MENU
APPETIZER
Meat option: 3- spot prawns
-Herb garlic puree
-Greens
Veggie option: Roasted beet salad
-On top of mesculine greens
MAIN
Meat option: Baked or poached salmon ($2.75/piece extra)
Veggie option: Amazing mushrooms of some kind, and ancient forest lichen crisps. Upside down portabella with kale. Goats cheese in the center.
The Starch: Mashed Potatoes (en croute perhaps)
The Green: Roasted Fennel or Collard greens or both
The Sauce: BC Bigleaf Maple Verjus Gastrique (Sweet and sour sauce)
-Put it around the plate and on the salmon
The colour: Kale, fennel, arugula puree
DESSERT
Maple ice cream
-Crushed roasted hazelnuts on top
-BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup drizzle
***Note:
– Menu subject to possible revision
– Drinks are extra
For more info about the 100 Mile Dinner and menu contact Social Coast’s Lliam Hildebrand at lliam@hotmail.com, Eric Nordal at eric@socialcoast.org
For information about the celebration afterwards or about the Ancient Forest Alliance contact Joan Varley at info@ancientforestalliance.org or 250-896-4007
Eco group urges B.C. to re-form park fund – Organization highlights CRD’s model
/in News CoverageUsing a backdrop of parkland bought by the Capital Regional District, an environmental group on Thursday called on the provincial government to set up a park acquisition fund similar to that of the CRD.
A fund of at least $40 million a year, raising $400 million over 10 years, is needed if old growth and other endangered ecosystems on private lands are to be protected, said Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder.
Environment Ministry spokesman Suntanu Dalal said there is no set annual budget for buying parkland, but other strategies – such as density transfers, land exchanges or partnering with organizations such as land trusts – are used for acquiring land.
Until 2008-09, there was a land acquisition budget, Dalal said. “Due to fiscal challenges, that fund no longer exists. However, the ability to continue to acquire key properties has remained,” Dalal said.
Sooke Potholes Regional Park, part of which was protected through the CRD’s park acquisition fund, is an example of what can be achieved, Wu said at a news conference.
The situation is urgent because Island Timberlands is set to log several privately owned forests with high recreational and environmental value, he said.
“The government must step forward with a funding solution,” Wu said. “At the same time, Island Timberlands needs to put the brakes on their plans to log the last old growth stands and contentious areas until those lands can be purchased for protection.”
Island Timberlands did not return calls on Thursday.
The company recently postponed logging on Cortes Island, a move that activist Zoe Miles attributes to intense public pressure. “It’s a temporary victory, but it does give us more time to raise funds for land purchase,” Miles said. “If Island Timberlands is genuinely willing to consider a land sale at fair market value, then it’s the responsibility of our provincial government to listen to its electorate and make that happen.”
Conservationists fear Cathedral Grove Canyon, near Port Alberni, and the nearby Cameron Valley Firebreak are about to be logged.
Dalal said the priority for the next fiscal year will be completing projects where there are legal obligations in place or where land with significant value is donated to the province.
“Lands are selected based on priorities for conservation, recreation or operational purposes,” he said.
Environmentalists Call for a BC Park Acquisition Fund and for Island Timberlands to Back Off until Contentious Lands can be Purchased for Protection
/in Media ReleaseConservationists are standing in solidarity today calling on coastal logging giant Island Timberlands to back off from their plans to log forests with high recreational and environmental values, including old-growth forests and sensitive ecosystems, while calling on the BC government to help purchase the company’s contentious private lands.
At McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni, on Cortes Island near Campbell River, at Stillwater Bluffs by Powell River, at Cathedral Grove Canyon adjacent to McMillan Provincial Park, and at the Cameron Valley Firebreak near Port Alberni, Island Timberlands’ corporate private lands include some of the most contentious forests of high conservation value in British Columbia – old-growth forests, sensitive ecosystems, and mature second-growth forests of high recreational value.
Conservationists are calling on the provincial government to establish a BC Park Acquisition Fund of at least $40 million per year, raising $400 million over 10 years, to purchase old-growth forests and other endangered ecosystems on private lands across the province. The fund would be similar to the park acquisition funds of various regional districts in BC which are augmented by the fundraising efforts of private citizens and land trusts.
“Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government must step forward with a funding solution, a BC Park Acquisition Fund similar to those of many regional districts, to purchase old-growth forests, sensitive ecosystems, and other important areas on private lands for protection – particularly Island Timberlands’ contentious lands,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder. “At the same time, Island Timberlands needs put the brakes on their plans to log the last old-growth stands and contentious areas until those lands can be purchased for protection.”
“There has been an incredible amount of public pressure about the situation on Cortes, which I think is a major factor in Island Timberlands’ recent decision to postpone their logging plans for 6months,” says forest activist Zoe Miles, who grew up on Cortes Island. “It’s a temporary victory, but it does give us more time to raise funds for land purchase. If Island Timberlands is genuinely willing to consider land sale at fair market value, then it’s the responsibility of our provincial government to listen to its electorate and help make that happen.”
“Stillwater Bluffs has been identified as a priority parcel for protection as a regional park by the Powell River Regional District. It contains sensitive ecosystems and veteran old-growth trees and is a popular area used by local people for recreation,” said Jason Addy of the Friends of Stillwater Bluffs. “It is a no-brainer for a new park and Island Timberlands needs to stay away until the lands can be purchased at fair market value.”
Many regional districts in BC, such as the Capital, Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, Strathcona, and Powell River Regional Districts have park acquisition funds to protect lands of high ecological and recreational value. The Capital Regional District’s (CRD) Land Acquisition Fund has spent over $34million dollars to purchase over 4500 hectares of land around Victoria since its establishment in the year 2000.
See https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks/preservation/newparks.htm and https://www.crd.bc.ca/media/2010/2010-01-13-land-acq-fund.htm . The CRD fund is raised through an average $14-per-household levy (increasing to $20-per-household by 2015) each year, raising roughly $3 million per year between 2010 to 2019, and has been pivotal for protecting lands of high environmental and/or recreational value at Jordan River, the Sooke Hills, the Sooke Potholes, lands adjacent to Thetis Lake Park, and at Burgoyne Bay on Salt Spring Island.
Island Timberlands (IT) is the second largest private landowner in BC, owning 258,000 hectares of private lands (https://www.islandtimberlands.com/our-company/our-present.htm)mainly on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and Haida Gwaii.
Some of the most contentious sites on Island Timberlands’ private lands include:
Cortes Island – IT owns about 1000 hectares of land on this northern Gulf Island, including the Children’s Forests, Whaletown Commons,and extremely rare old-growth “dry maritime” forests at Basil Creek and the Green Valley. As a result of community pressure, the company has temporarily backed off from plans to log on the Island until September, while the community submits ecological inventory information and proposals to the company. For more info contact Zoe Miles at wildstands.press@gmail.com See the spectacular photo gallery at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/
Stillwater Bluffs – IT owns a 48 hectare dry maritime forest by Powell River which contains a rugged stretch of dramatic coastline. It is accessible to the public and offers rock bluffs, hiking trails, and unspoiled wildlife habitat that is perfect for a nature park. It is heavily used by local people and could be the local residents’ version of West Vancouver’s famous Lighthouse Park. The parcel, known as DL 3040, includes sensitive ecosystems of arbutus/rocky outcrops, second-growth Douglas fir and cedar of high community recreation and scenic value, and scattered old-growth “veteran” trees. The Powell River Regional District has expressed an interest in protecting the Stillwater Bluffs as a park. Local citizens say that Island Timberlands has committed to not log the Stillwater Bluffs within the next 6 months, but plan log it within 2 years. Formore info contact Jason Addy at jasonaddy@hotmail.com
McLaughlin Ridge – IT owns about 500 hectares (about 100 hectares of which they’ve logged in recent years) of critical old-growth wintering habitat for black-tailed deer and nesting and foraging habitat of the endangered Queen Charlotte Goshawk in this section of the China Creek water shed near Port Alberni. This area was previously planned to become a Wildlife Habitat Area and Old-Growth Management Area until the BC Liberal government removed Weyerhaeuser’s (now Island Timberlands) private forest lands on Vancouver Island from their Tree Farm License in 2004. So far IT is still planning to move ahead and log this area in the near future. For more info contact Jane Morden at janemorden@gmail.com See the spectacular photo gallery of photos by the AFA’s TJ Watt at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/mclaughlin-ridge/
Cathedral Grove Canyon and the Cameron Valley Firebreak – IT owns old-growth and second-growth forests adjacent to the famed Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park near Port Alberni, including the spectacular Cathedral Grove Canyon along the Cameron River where giant old-growth Douglas firs and red cedars stand. A public outcry about the marking of these old-growth trees for potential logging seems to have put a hold on the company’s logging plans. Further up the Cameron Valley is the “Cameron Valley Firebreak”, one of the last major tracts of old-growth forest left in the valley that local communities recently learned is also being targeted for logging by IT. For more info contact Annette Tanner at wcwcqb@shaw.ca See an incredible photo gallery of Cathedral Grove Canyon at:
https://ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/cathedral-grove-canyon/
The Ancient Forest Alliance is also calling on the BC government to implement a Provincial Old-Growth Strategy to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests, to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry, and to ban raw log exports to foreign mills.
Shaw TV’s The Daily – Avatar Grove Protected
/in News CoverageDirect link to video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPnCkkbitKE
CHEK News – Avatar Grove Protected
/in News CoverageDirect link to video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKkNnujp47o
CHEK News coverage of the Avatar Grove’s official protection. *Note – The shots of the river and the otter are not from the Grove but the San Juan River nearby.
CBC Radio: All Points West radio interview with the AFA’s Ken Wu on Avatar Grove
/in News CoverageIt’s a grove of 900 year-old cedars near Port Renfrew and has attracted the attention of everyone from eco-tourists to Al Jazeera.The BC government announced Avatar Grove will be protected from logging. Ken Wu is celebrating this decision. He has spent years advocating for preservation of the area. He is the co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance.
[CBC Radio All Points West interview with Ken Wu no longer available]
Protection of Avatar Grove will boost tourism
/in Media ReleaseKen Wu called it a “campaign on steroids,” and Rose Betsworth called it a “soft approach,” but whatever it was called, the provincial government listened.
On Feb. 16, Steve Thomson, Minister for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, announced that all of Avatar Grove is now protected from harvesting.
Wu, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, said he would like to commend the B.C. government for protecting this key old growth forest.
“Eventually we would like to see it as a legislated park or conservancy,” said Wu.
Rose Betsworth, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce is understandably pleased. For her community it means Avatar Grove will be made more accessible with upgrades to the trails and tidying up the area leading to increased tourism to the area.
“Now we can make it better for everybody… we can put a trail in and do upkeep,” said Betsworth.
She said the Ancient Forest Alliance had the right approach which was a soft one where they educated people and gained respect out of that. The AFC included forestry workers and the small business community’s comments and concerns in their efforts to save the grove.
“They’re not a bunch of radicals,” said Betsworth in referring to the way the AFA conducted their campaign.
The campaign led to a public review and comment period during the fall of 2011, where 232 out of 236 comments expressed support for preservation of the grove.
The unique stand of old-growth cedar, 15 minutes from Port Renfrew, is now protected in an expanded old-growth management area, totaling 59.4 hectares,
TJ Watt, the other co-founder of AFA, came across the grove in December 2009, popularized it and began the goal of preserving the monumental stand of valley-bottom ancient red cedars and Douglas fir.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of extremely rare valley bottom ancient forest – virtually all of the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island where the biggest trees grow have been logged, literally 95 per cent of them, ” stated TJ Watt. “At the same time, thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are being logged every year on Vancouver Island, and millions of hectares of old-growth forests are endangered across B.C. Our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect all of B.C.’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable second-growth forest industry instead.”
To fulfil the province’s obligation to Teal-Jones Group, which holds the logging rights for Tree Farm Licence 46 where Avatar Grove is located, the boundaries of other old-growth management areas were adjusted by removing 57.4 hectares. They were compensated with 30 hectares of second-growth forests and 27 hectares of old-growth.
“We’re opposed to compensation for the company, as they don’t own the land or the trees on Crown lands – all they have are access rights to the resource through their license. If government enacts conservation regulations to protect deer or trout in areas where their populations are down, those with hunting or fishing licenses don’t get compensation for not being able to take all the deer or trout in those areas. Neither should logging companies on publicly-owned Crown forests,” said Ken Wu.
The province states in their press release, “Of the 862,125 hectares of old-growth forests on Crown land on Vancouver Island, it’s estimated that over 520,000 hectares will never be harvested.”
Read the article in the Sooke News Mirror: https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/139871533.html
TWO YEAR Anniversary of the Ancient Forest Alliance – Mon., Feb 27th!
/in AnnouncementsPlease Donate! https://ancientforestalliance.org/donations.php
Mon., Feb.27: 100 MILE DINNER ((SOLD OUT)) and CELEBRATION! ((TICKETS LEFT)) (Victoria) *info further down page*
The AFA is almost two years old!! February 24, 2010, was our official incorporation date as a registered not-for-profit society in British Columbia.
It has been an intense two years! With nothing more than a gmail account when we started, and with almost no funding, we quickly ramped up the scale of our campaigns to include tens of thousands of supporters in BC and major media coverage around the world.
Now, in 2012, with just over one year left before a BC election, the ruling BC Liberals and the opposition NDP who will likely form the next government are highly sensitive to public pressure. We need YOUR support during this MOST critical year.
Can you support us with a donation of any amount? We are limited by a lack of funding at this point, but have just about the lowest overhead of any major environmental organization. To donate go to: https://ancientforestalliance.org/donations.php
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mon., Feb.27: 100 MILE DINNER & CELEBRATION – 2 YEAR ANNIVERARY of the ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE!
To celebrate the Ancient Forest Alliance’s 2 year anniversary, Social Coast is organizing a 100 Mile Dinner for the AFA with locally-produced, delicious gourmet foods prepared by renowned Vancouver Island chefs Landon Crawford and Andrew Bisson! The dinner features a “Mossy Maple” theme, in reference to the AFA’s new campaign to protect BC’s ancient bigleaf maple groves and with BC bigleaf maple syrup used with several delicious course items. Afterwards, there will be a celebration with music, drinks, speakers, a silent auction, and hob-nobbing with fellow tree-huggers!
The Ancient Forest Alliance will be two years old at the end of this month! In that time the organization has hugely grown in size and influence. Recently the BC government protected the famed Avatar Grove from logging as a result of the AFA’s campaign! See: Times Colonist article and AFA press release
DATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
LOCATION: Norway House, 1110 Hillside Avenue (near Graham St.), Victoria
TIMES:
6:00-7:30 pm: 100 MILE DINNER ((SOLD OUT)) *** SEE FULL DINNER DETAILS and MENU BELOW***
Includes BC Bigleaf Maple-Glazed Wild Salmon, Ancient Forest Lichen Crisps (unique and new!), homemade BC Bigleaf Maple-Drizzled Ice Cream, and more!!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!
7:30—9:30 pm: CELEBRATION ((TICKETS LEFT))
AFA’s 2 year overview presentation with Ken Wu, TJ Watt, and Joan Varley!
Words from renowned forest activists Valerie Langer (tentative) and Vicky Husband!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!
Drinks!
Silent auction of donated goods and services from local businesses!
Door prizes!
Hob-nob with fellow tree-huggers!
***100 Mile Dinner tickets are SOLD OUT***
$10 Celebration only tickets are still available for the 7:30-9:30pm portion of the night!
BUY TICKETS:
100 MILE DINNER DETAILS from SOCIAL COAST
This dinner will be created using all ingredients that are sourced no farther than 100 miles from Victoria.
The dinner will feature the professional cooking skills of Landon Crawford (Nourish Bistro and Cafe), and Andrew Bissoon (chef and owner of Fat Daddy’s BBQ and Catering). They will be dishing up a 3 course meal that will include at least a couple of ingredients you have never tried before. Along with vegetarian options for all three courses, the menu includes Wild Sockeye Salmon glazed with BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup from the Cowichan Valley, ancient forest lichen crisps (lobaria or “lettuce” lichens) foraged by the Ancient Forest Alliance’s own TJ Watt, handmade goats cheese, homemade ice cream and a couple of more surprises. You can be assured that even the salt will be sourced from within 100 miles and the flavours will make you re-think the possibilities of local cuisine.
Bartender Eric Nordal (Bard and Banker) will be creating a locally inspired cocktail as well as other pairings to compliment the evening’s cuisine.
Mike Edel, a local artist who played at this year’s Rifflandia Festival will be performing and there are a number of captivating short presentations lined up for the night, including the Ancient Forest Alliance who will give an overview of its 2 year history and its recently successful campaign to protect the Avatar Grove from logging. Bed bath and beyond promo code
100 MILE DINNER MENU
APPETIZER
Meat option: 3- spot prawns
-Herb garlic puree
-Greens
Veggie option: Roasted beet salad
-On top of mesculine greens
MAIN
Meat option: Baked or poached salmon ($2.75/piece extra)
Veggie option: Amazing mushrooms of some kind, and ancient forest lichen crisps. Upside down portabella with kale. Goats cheese in the center.
The Starch: Mashed Potatoes (en croute perhaps)
The Green: Roasted Fennel or Collard greens or both
The Sauce: BC Bigleaf Maple Verjus Gastrique (Sweet and sour sauce)
-Put it around the plate and on the salmon
The colour: Kale, fennel, arugula puree
DESSERT
Maple ice cream
-Crushed roasted hazelnuts on top
-BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup drizzle
***Note:
– Menu subject to possible revision
– Drinks are extra
For more info about the 100 Mile Dinner and menu contact Social Coast’s Lliam Hildebrand at lliam@hotmail.com, Eric Nordal at eric@socialcoast.org
For information about the celebration afterwards or about the Ancient Forest Alliance contact Joan Varley at info@ancientforestalliance.org or 250-896-4007
B.C. Auditor-General faults government for failing to protect forests
/in News CoverageA Vancouver Island environmental organization is praising the B.C. government for protecting a unique old-growth forest known as Avatar Grove, but the Auditor-General has slammed the province for losing track of the forest resource.
Government management of B.C.’s timber supply is insufficient and has reached the point at the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry where the province isn’t properly monitoring its programs, said John Doyle’s ministry audit.
Avatar Grove, so named by environmentalists inspired by the Hollywood eco-fable Avatar, has become a tourism attraction due to its fantastically shaped western red cedars, including one tree nicknamed “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree” for its massive burls.
The Victoria-based Ancient Forests Alliance applauded the government’s decision to protect from logging almost 60 hectares of the old-growth cedar forest near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of rare, valley-bottom, old-growth forest because virtually all the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island are gone now,” forests alliance spokesman Ken Wu said on Thursday. – College Grants For Minorities [Original article no longer available]
“But at the same time thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across B.C.”
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said the protected area covers just under 60 hectares. B.C. forest company Teal-Jones Group, which held the licence to cut trees in the grove, will be compensated for losing its cutting rights there, Thompson said.
He said the government was persuaded to protect the grove after a public consultation process last fall that received 236 comments, only four of them against saving the unique region.
He said businesses in the Port Renfrew area see the grove as a potential tourism draw.
But Mr. Doyle’s report found that elsewhere in B.C., the government hasn’t been as diligent in protecting the future for forests.
“Industry is legally obligated to reforest the areas it harvests, and it does so,” said Mr. Doyle in a statement after the release of his 23-page audit.
“But government, which is responsible for over 90 per cent of British Columbia’s forests, and whose reforestation decisions have a significant impact on our future forests, is not clear about its own commitments.”
Mr. Doyle’s audit found the ministry has not clearly defined its timber objectives and, as a result, cannot ensure that its management practices are effective.
The report said existing management practices are insufficient to offset a trend toward future forests having a lower timber supply, and the audit found the ministry is not properly monitoring and reporting its timber results against its timber objectives.
Mr. Doyle’s report makes six recommendations, including developing performance measures that can be used to evaluate progress in achieving long-term timber objectives.
The ministry responded with a statement saying it was already meeting Mr. Doyle’s recommendations and “will strive to develop a publicly reported performance measure that shows progress in achieving timber objectives.”
Mr. Thomson said he’s confident the ministry will have an updated inventory of lands that require reforestation within the next six months.
He said he disagreed with the Mr. Doyle’s assessment that the ministry is falling behind on its management of the timber resource.
Mr. Doyle’s audit said that of the 95 million hectares of forested land in British Columbia, 22 million hectares are available for harvesting.
Industry is legally obligated to reforest 10 per cent of that land – about 2.2 million hectares – while the government is responsible for the management of the rest.
Mr. Thomson said the ministry has identified 733,000 hectares of land that is “non-sufficiently stocked.”
He suggested that amount could change once the ministry completes a review.
“I’m confident we have the resources and the staff available, and the technology available, to do the analytical work that will identify and clarify the lands that need to be restocked,” Mr. Thomson said.
Opposition New Democrat forests critic Norm Macdonald said Mr. Doyle’s audit is a condemnation of the government’s management of its timber supply over the past 11 years.
“The first place you start is you get the inventory right,” he said.
“Seventy-five per cent of the inventory is decades out of date. They just do not know what’s going on on the land base.”
Click here to view the Globe and Mail article.
Island version of Avatar Grove given provincial protection
/in News CoverageA grove of giant, old-growth trees that has drawn thousands of tourists to Port Renfrew over the past two years will be protected by the province.
Avatar Grove, a unique stand of centuries-old Douglas firs and red cedars, will be at the heart of an expanded, 59-hectare old-growth management area, Forests Minister Steve Thomson said Thursday.
“A lot of the requests that came in recognized the importance of the grove to the community,” Thomson said in an interview.
“It’s very good news for Vancouver Island.”
Logging and mining are not permitted in old-growth management areas, but the designation is one step short of legislated protection given to parks.
The decision follows a public review period, with 232 out of 236 comments favouring protection.
The grove, with massive gnarled trees and an abundance of wildlife, gained public attention after being discovered by members of the Ancient Forest Alliance who gave it the Avatar nickname. Shortly after the initial visit in February 2010, the area was flagged for logging and a public campaign to save Avatar Grove gained steam. At that time only 24 per cent of the grove was in an old-growth management area.
To the amazement of many residents of Port Renfrew, a community formerly based on logging, the big trees drew a steady stream of sightseers.
“I was shocked at the amount of people,” said Rosie Betsworth, Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president.
Through last summer, at least a dozen people stopped daily at the Chamber of Commerce information booth asking about Avatar Grove. Tours run by the AFA drew up to 80 people each time. “We owe the Ancient Forest Alliance a big thank you for bringing Avatar into the public focus,” Betsworth said.
Ken Wu, AFA co-founder, said the success of Avatar Grove as a tourist attraction will be watched in communities across the province.
“It is important that environmentalism has a component on how people can make revenues and have jobs,” he said.
Wu and co-founder TJ Watt applauded the provincial protection, but would have preferred the stronger park designation. They want the government to stop all old-growth logging on Vancouver Island.
“Virtually all of the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island, where the biggest trees grow, have been logged,” Watt said. “Our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect all of B.C’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable second-growth industry instead.”
Surrey-based Teal-Jones Group, which holds logging rights for Avatar Grove, will be compensated with 57 hectares removed from other old-growth management areas. That is a legal obligation to license holders, Thomson said.
But the AFA questions why compensation should be paid on publicly-owned Crown forests.
“The company does not own the land or the trees, all they have are access rights to the resource through their licence,” Wu said.
View the Times Colonist article here: https://www.timescolonist.com/
B.C. earns kudos for protecting Avatar Grove; slammed by auditor general on forestry
/in News CoverageA Vancouver Island environmental organization praised the B.C. government Thursday for protecting a unique old-growth forest known as Avatar Grove, but the auditor general is slamming the province for losing track of the forest resource.
Government management of B.C.’s timber supply is insufficient and has reached the point at the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry where the province isn’t properly monitoring its programs, said John Doyle’s ministry audit.
Avatar Grove, so named by environmentalists inspired by the Hollywood eco-fable Avatar, has become a tourism attraction due to its fantastically shaped western red cedars, including one tree nicknamed Canada’s Gnarliest Tree for its massive burls.
The Victoria-based Ancient Forests Alliance applauded the government’s decision to protect from logging almost 60-hectares of the old-growth cedar forest near Port Renfrew, located about 110 kilometres south of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of rare, valley-bottom, old-growth forest because virtually all the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island are gone now,” said forests alliance spokesman Ken Wu.
“But at the same time thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across B.C.”
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said the protected area covers just under 60 hectares. B.C. forest company Teal-Jones Group, which held the licence to cut trees in the grove, will be compensated for losing its cutting rights there, Thompson said.
He said the government was convinced to protect the grove after a public consultation process last fall that received 236 comments, only four of them against saving the unique region.
He said businesses in the Port Renfrew area see the grove as a potential tourism draw.
But Doyle’s report found elsewhere in B.C. forests, the government hasn’t been as diligent in protecting the future for forests.
“Industry is legally obligated to reforest the areas it harvests, and it does so,” said Doyle in a statement following the release of his 23-page audit.
“But government, which is responsible for over 90 per cent of British Columbia’s forests, and whose reforestation decisions have a significant impact on our future forests, is not clear about its own commitments.”
Doyle’s audit found the ministry has not clearly defined its timber objectives and, as a result, cannot ensure that its management practices are effective.
The report said existing management practices are insufficient to offset a trend toward future forests having a lower timber supply, and the audit found the ministry is not properly monitoring and reporting its timber results against its timber objectives.
Doyle’s report makes six recommendations, including developing performance measures that can be used to evaluate progress in achieving long-term timber objectives.
The ministry responded with a statement saying it was already meeting Doyle’s recommendations and “will strive to develop a publicly reported performance measure that shows progress in achieving timber objectives.”
Thomson said he’s confident the ministry will have an updated inventory of lands that require reforestation within the next six months.
He said he disagreed with the Doyle’s assessment that the ministry is falling behind on its management of the timber resource.
Doyle’s audit said that of the 95 million hectares of forested land in British Columbia, 22 million hectares are available for harvesting.
Industry is legally obligated to reforest 10 per cent of that land — about 2.2 million hectares — while the government is responsible for the management of the rest.
Thomson said the ministry has identified 733,000 hectares of land that is “non-sufficiently stocked.”
He suggested that amount could change once the ministry completes a review.
“I’m confident we have the resources and the staff available, and the technology available, to do the analytical work that will identify and clarify the lands that need to be restocked,” Thomson said.
Opposition New Democrat forests critic Norm Macdonald said Doyle’s audit is a condemnation of the government’s management of its timber supply over the past 11 years.
“The first place you start is you get the inventory right,” he said.
“Seventy-five per cent of the inventory is decades out of date. They just do not know what’s going on on the land base.”
Read it on Global News: Global BC: https://www.globaltvbc.com/protecting+unique+old-growth+stand+on+vancouver+island+dooms+other+ancient+trees/6442582501/story.html