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EVENT: Battle for the Trees – Monday, Dec. 2 in Victoria!

Dec 2 2013/in Announcements

Battle for the Trees:
Major forest campaigns underway and around the corner for 2014

DATE: Monday, December 2, 2013
LOCATION: Ambrosia Event Center, 638 Fisgard St.,Victoria
TIME: 7:00-9:00 pm
Facebook Event page: www.facebook.com/events/1396785523893680 Invite friends!!

By Donation

Drinks! Snacks! Silent Auction of Goodies! New Ancient Forest Alliance calendars and shirts!

Speakers will include:

Ken Wu and TJ Watt – Campaigners, Ancient Forest Alliance
Jane Morden- Coordinator, Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance
Arnold Bercov – President, Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union
Vicky Husband – Victoria conservationist, Order of Canada recipient

and more…

Join the Ancient Forest Alliance and guests for presentations on some of the key forest controversies underway for 2014, including:

• The battle with Island Timberlands over their logging near Cathedral Grove, McLaughlin Ridge and other ancient forests on Vancouver Island, and the need for a combined regulatory solution and a park acquisition fund to purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on private lands.

• The BC Liberal government’s resurrection of the unpopular “Forest Give-away Scheme” to allow the largest logging companies in BC’s interior to have exclusive logging rights over vast areas of public forest lands, at the expense of forest protection initiatives, First Nations land rights, recreation, scenery, and tourism, and other interests.

• The BC government’s plans to open up Forest Reserves in BC’s Cariboo-Chilcotin region for logging to make up for a history of overcutting and the pine beetle outbreak.

• The Ancient Forest Alliance’s escalating campaign in 2014 to ensure provincial legislation to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests.

For more info contact the Ancient Forest Alliance at info@ancientforestalliance.org

VIDEO: Cathedral Grove under threat?

Nov 20 2013/in News Coverage

Here’s Global TV on the Cathedral Grove controversy. Take note that only 1% of old-growth Coastal Douglas-fir trees remain in all ecosystem types across the coast (ie. they are not only scarce in the “Coastal Douglas Fir” biogeoclimatic zone which Island Timberlands seems to imply, but in the Dry Maritime subzone of the Coastal Western Hemlock zone where Cathedral Grove lies and other forest types…) and that the planned designation as Ungulate Winter Range for black-tailed deer in the areas now being logged or roaded by Island Timberlands was supposed to be followed up by legislation but the lands were removed from the TFL – and the company and BC government failed to follow through on an agreement to ensure these areas’ protection.

Direct link to video: https://globalnews.ca/news/7667531/fairy-creek-blockade-old-growth/

Logging Around Cathedral Grove Highlights Need For Forestry Engagement

Nov 19 2013/in News Coverage

Victoria, BC: Recent forestry conflicts highlight need for proactive and inclusive approach to decision making.
The growing opposition to Island Timberlands’ plans to log a forest stand only 300 meters from Cathedral Grove, is only the latest sign that British Columbia’s Forestry management process is in desperate need of a review.

“As of 2:00pm on Monday, we have received over 2300 emails from concerned citizens, voicing their opposition to these plans. I completely understand and agree with the specific concerns raised by this campaign. It hints at a much larger disconnect between the decisions that are getting made, and the process to get there. I think people are feeling like they don’t have a voice”.

The decision to log the stand owned by Island Timberlands, adjacent to Cathedral Grove, goes against the idea of using a scientific approach to managing our forests. Identified previously as important Black-tailed Deer wintering habitat, the fracturing of this habitat will have adverse effects. Furthermore, Cathedral Grove is an iconic tourist attraction on Vancouver Island – it is unsurprising that there has been such a public backlash against logging activity so close by. This is an example of the current conflict driven model of forestry management – and the negative impacts it has on everyone involved.

“The current model for decision making in this sector seems to rely on large public backlash to spur proper engagement. This approach hurts everyone. We need to have a system that transparently and proactively engages citizens in the decision making process. This will benefit companies by removing a measure of uncertainty and will allow local communities to feel like they have the tools to protect their ecosystems.”

“I believe it is time for the BC government to re-engage British Columbia’s forestry stakeholders, including environmental groups, local communities, First Nation’s communities, forestry companies, and experts at our Universities, to develop a more proactive, evidence-based approach to identifying which areas should be logged, and which ecosystems need to be preserved.”

Quotes by Andrew Weaver – MLA, Oak Bay – Gordon Head

[Andrew Weaver MLA website no longer available]