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Old growth near Cathedral Grove set for imminent logging: activists

Mar 13 2013/in News Coverage

An old-growth forest, close to Cathedral Grove and formerly protected as a critical wildlife corridor, is ringed with logging tape and conservation groups fear harvesting is imminent.

The marked 40-hectare cutblock, part of Island Timberlands private lands that government agreed could be removed from a tree farm licence in 2004, is about 300 metres from the boundary of MacMillan Provincial Park on the Alberni Highway. It is one of Vancouver Island’s most popular tourist attractions because of giant Douglas firs.

Island Timberlands did not return calls Monday or Tuesday, but company spokeswoman Morgan Kennah wrote in an email: “We have no comment on the planned story.”

The logging tape and road markings were found by members of the Ancient Forest Alliance. Ken Wu, founder of the environmental group, said logging would affect tourism and wildlife populations.

Wu wants both the Liberals and NDP to commit to re-regulating lands removed from the more stringent rules of tree farm licences.

“And we want to see a provincial park acquisition fund of $40 million a year to purchase endangered ecosystems on private land,” he said.

Alliance campaigner TJ Watt said Cathedral Grove is B.C’s iconic old-growth forest.

“It’s like the redwoods of Canada,” he said.“The fact that a company can just log the mountainside above Canada’s most famous old-growth forest underscores the B.C. government’s deep failure to protect our ancient forest heritage.”

The cutblock intersects the Mount Horne Loop Trail, which connects with Cathedral Grove.

“It’s a circle trail, so a lot of people walk up it,” said Jane Morden of Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance.

The planned logging is the latest in a series of proposed cutblocks on lands that were supposed to be protected as critical habitat for wintering deer and other species.

When the government agreed to allow then-owners Weyerhaeuser to remove 88,000 hectares of private land from Tree Farm Licence 44, the province insisted that critical winter habitat should be protected for two years and a committee should then decide on further levels of protection, according to documents obtained through a freedom of information request by Alberni-Pacific Rim NDP MLA Scott Fraser.

But, after the private lands went to Island Timberlands, meetings with the government were “terminated” by the company in 2009, with government biologists saying the company’s harvesting plans were not science-based, the documents show.

There is no doubt that logging in the winter range would have an adverse effect, said independent biologist Mike Stini, a former government contractor.

“They are totally wrong to do this,” he said. “Habitat means it is the animals’ home. If someone takes your house away and you have to live on the streets, you won’t die right away, but your life will be short and your reproductive chances are going to be slim.”

Fraser, who has met with Forests Minister Steve Thomson about the breakdown in the original protection agreement, said the government signed the document and must take responsibility for enforcing it.

“The government gave away public control and that’s what caused this problem,” he said.

Fraser acknowledges it will be tough to regain control of private lands, but, if the NDP forms the next government, he would like to see changes to the Private Managed Forest Lands Act, possibly giving more say to local governments, and more public representation on the Private Managed Forest Lands Council, which is now made up of two industry representatives, two government appointees and a chair chosen by the other four members.

“But some of this might be very simple. Having a government that protects the public interest may be all it takes,” he said.

CHEK News – Cathedral Grove Threatened by Logging

Mar 13 2013/in News Coverage

Direct Link to video: https://youtu.be/3exaYAqSrzw

Conservationists are calling for much stronger, comprehensive old-growth protection policies in BC after having discovered a major logging threat to Canada's most famous old-growth forest, Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. Conservationists came across survey tape marked “Falling Boundary” and “Road Location” in an old-growth Douglas fir and hemlock forest only 300 meters from the park boundary last week. See photos and a map (based on some GPS points) at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/cathedral-grove-canyon/ The planned cutblock by Island Timberlands is about 40 hectares and lies within an area formerly intended for protection as an Ungulate (deer) Winter Range. It lies on the southwest facing slope of Mt. Horne on the ridge above the park and highway that millions of tourists pass through each year. Logging the area would further fragment the forest that is contiguous with the small park, destroying an important wildlife corridor from mountain ridge to valley bottom in an area that conservationists once hoped the park could include for the deer winter range. The logging would also threaten eco-tourism in the area, by destroying a major section of the popular hiking trail, the Mt. Horne Loop Trail, which the cutblock overlaps. The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC Liberals and NDP to commit to a provincial plan to protect the province's old-growth forests, to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry, and to end the export of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills. For private lands, the organization is calling for a provincial “park acquisition fund” of $40 million/year to purchase endangered ecosystems on private land for protection, similar to the park acquisition funds of various regional districts, like the Capital Regional District around Victoria.

Environmentalists Sigh with Relief as BC Liberals Back Down from “Forest Giveaway Bill” to expand Tree Farm Licences (TFL’s) on Public Lands

Mar 12 2013/in Announcements

Environmentalists are rejoicing today after the BC Liberal government backed down from its plans to pass enabling legislation to give greater property rights for major logging companies in British Columbia by expanding Tree Farm Licences (TFL’s). Earlier today Forests Minister committed to delete Section 24, the so-called “Forest Giveaway Bill”, from Bill 8, an omnibus bill of miscellaneous statute amendments, after facing huge pressure from concerned citizens through a campaign spearheaded by Independent MLA Bob Simpson and BC environmental organizations. The deletion will occur tomorrow during the committee stage of Bill 8. See MLA Bob Simpson’s media release at: https://www.bobsimpsonmla.ca/independent-mla-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-forest-policy/

“This is good news! The BC Liberals wanted to give a ‘parting gift’ to the major logging companies before they leave office, but in this politically sensitive pre-election period that’s not going to happen now – thanks to thousands of people who spoke up and the great work of Independent MLA Bob Simpson. Simpson was the ‘central clearing house’ for the campaign, providing the main insights for concerned citizens on the government’s proposal, and acting as a battering ram against the proposal from within the legislature. He has clearly demonstrated the power that one determined, independent thinker and politician can be,” stated Ken Wu, executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance. “Time and time again, British Columbians have spoken up en masse to keep public lands in public hands every time a large scale forest privatization scheme like this has reared its ugly head through successive governments.”

The BC Liberals received thousands of emails in recent weeks, including over 3200 messages from Ancient Forest Alliance supporters through its website www.BCForestMovement.com, protesting the proposal since the government introduced Bill 8 on February 20. In addition, over 1200 people have already pre-confirmed their attendance for this Saturday’s rally for sustainable forestry (12:00 noon, Legislative buildings) being planned by the Ancient Forest Alliance in Victoria, which was originally going to include a focus against the “Forest Giveaway Bill” – but now no longer has to.

The TFL expansion bill would have gone through its second reading today, and would have empowered the Minister of Forests to allow major forest companies to convert their “volume-based” logging rights (ie. in cubic metres) into “area-based” licences or Tree Farm Licences in defined areas tens or hundreds of thousands of hectares in size.

Opponents of the plan argued that increasing private property rights for major logging companies on Crown lands would make it harder to protect forests for wildlife, recreation and scenery; make First Nations treaty settlement more difficult, lengthy and expensive; entrench the overcutting already occurring at the expense of the long term viability of local communities; and diminish the land base available for community forestry and other tenures.

“The Forest Giveaway Bill would have taken us backwards. Now we need to move forward, as the status quo is still highly unsustainable for jobs and the environment. We need to get commitments from both the BC Liberal government and the NDP opposition for strong legislation to protect our endangered old-growth forests, ensure sustainable, value-added second-growth forestry, and to end the export of raw logs to foreign mills,” stated Wu.

Background Info

A Tree Farm Licence (TFL) is a defined geographic area that is tens or hundreds of thousands of hectares in size that confers exclusive logging rights to one logging company on Crown (public) lands. TFL’s currently constitute a minor fraction of BC’s land base, perhaps about 10% of the geographic area and about 20% of the cut. Most of the province’s forests are found in Timber Supply Areas (TSA’s) where no specific geographic area is granted to companies for exclusive logging rights – instead they are given a volume of wood (in cubic meters) through a Forest Licence (FL) that they are allowed to cut within each massive TSA each year in cutblocks planned by the Forest Service.

See the Ancient Forest Alliance’s original media release on the BC Liberal government’s TFL expansion proposal at: See the AFA’s original media release at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/media-release-pine-beetle-used-as-trojan-horse-to-increase-privatization-of-bcs-forests-through-ministerial-fiat-instead-of-democratic-legislative-vote/

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on BC’s politicians to commit to:

– A provincial Old-Growth Strategy that will protect the province’s endangered old-growth forests.
– Ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, which now constitute most of BC’s productive forest lands.
– End the export of raw logs to foreign mills.
– Support the retooling of coastal old-growth mills and the development of value-added wood processing facilities to handle second-growth logs.

BC’s old-growth forests are vital to support endangered species, tourism, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. On Vancouver Island, satellite photos show that about 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including 90% of the valley-bottom ancient forests where the largest trees grow and most biodiversity resides. Only about 10% of Vancouver Island’s original, productive old-growth forests are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA’s). See: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/

So far the BC Liberal government has been defending continued, large-scale old-growth logging and raw log exports in the province, often citing highly misleading statistics to convey the false message that old-growth forests are not endangered.

The NDP opposition has so far stayed silent on a previous commitment by leader Adrian Dix in 2011 during his leadership bid that he would, “Develop a long term strategy for old growth forests in the Province, including protection of specific areas that are facing immediate logging plans” if elected. See:
[Original article no longer available]

See spectacular old-growth forest photos at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/
and videos at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/videos/