Thursday, March 11th marks the six-month deadline for the BC government to halt logging in all at-risk old-growth forests in BC, according to its own Old Growth Panel recommendations.
So far, the province has only deferred logging in a mere 3,800 hectares of unprotected, big tree forests, leaving the other 99% on the chopping block.Every day on the countdown to March 11th, we’ll highlight a different endangered ancient forest that deserves an immediate deferral (followed by long-term protection), starting with the spectacular Fairy Creek. For six months, independent blockaders have kept logging company Teal-Jones from clearcutting the Fairy Creek headwaters, but Teal-Jones are now seeking an injunction that could remove the blockaders and leave the valley open to logging again. Filled with ancient yellow cedars up to 1,000 years old or more, Fairy Creek is the last remaining, unprotected, intact valley on Southern Vancouver Island and must remain that way.
NOW is the time to SPEAK UP & pressure the BC NDP stick to their promise!
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/3-Fairy-Creek-Yellow-Cedar-2.jpg12001800TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2021-03-01 23:22:262024-10-10 11:24:51CALL the BC government and demand action for BC’s most at-risk ancient forests
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Caycuse-Split-View-1-1.jpg6751200TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2020-10-08 19:56:062023-04-06 19:06:40Cast your vote for ancient forest protection!
Until Tues, July 21st, British Columbians can submit their input on the BC government’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan. This presents a critical opportunity to call for investments in environmental protection and the transition to a green economy, including sustainable, second-growth forestry, as the Province works to “build back better”.
BC’s COVID-19 recovery means not only learning and adapting from our experiences during the pandemic, it should also address the climate and biodiversity crises that threaten our health and economy to an even greater extent.
As long as environmental destruction, including the liquidation of BC’s endangered ancient forests continues, we are hindering our chances of creating a truly sustainable, just, and resilient province. Tell the NDP government it’s time to build a better BC by investing in solutions that support the health and well-being of communities and species alike.
There are 3 ways to submit your feedback on BC’s COVID-19 recovery plan:
1. Email your response to the BC government’s Recovery Discussion Paper to recoveryideas@gov.bc.ca. Read the discussion paper here
2. Complete the online survey
3. Participate in a virtual town hall
Here are some suggested points you can use:
• Old-growth forests provide clean air, absorb pollutants, filter freshwater for wildlife and communities, support our physical and mental health, and are vital to the cultures of many First Nations.
• BC’s ancient forests are one of our greatest assets in this time of climate crisis. They store 2-3 times more carbon per hectare than the second-growth plantations they’re replaced with, help mitigate the negative effects of climate change by acting as buffers against floods and fires, and they provide biological diversity, which supports adaptation and resilience.
• Studies have shown that keeping old-growth forests standing can provide a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down when factoring in recreation, tourism, carbon storage, non-timber forest products, and other non-timber values.
• Recent independent research shows only a tiny fraction (less than 3%) of BC’s highly productive old-growth forests (those capable of growing big trees) remain standing today.
As part of its COVID-19 recovery plan, the BC government must:
• Prioritize the protection of life-supporting ecosystems, including old-growth forests, by halting logging in BC’s most endangered old-growth ecosystems and developing a comprehensive, science-based plan to protect remaining old-growth forests across BC.
• Fund the protection of endangered ecosystems on private lands by establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund.
• Grow BC’s manufacturing sector by using regulations and incentives to encourage the retooling of mills and the development of value-added, second-growth wood manufacturing facilities to sustain and enhance forestry jobs.
• Provide training and apprenticeship opportunities to help build the skilled labour force to develop a higher-end, value-added wood manufacturing sector that can employ far more workers per volume of wood harvested.
• Support the sustainable economic development of First Nations economies in lieu of old-growth logging through conservation financing.
• Support and fund Indigenous-led land-use plans and protected areas to maintain the significant cultural values of ancient forests while supporting First Nations’ communities and wellbeing.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this page with your network.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Edinburgh-Mt-Old-Growth.jpg8001200TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2020-07-07 23:16:222024-10-04 10:18:09ACTION ALERT: Have your say on BC’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan.
Right now until 5:00 pm, Friday, June 26th, the BC government is seeking input from British Columbians on their priorities for the 2021 provincial budget. This is a critical opportunity for us to request funding for old-growth forest protection!
Budget 2021 will set the tone for a post-COVID-19 BC. With $1.5 billion in stimulus spending, overwhelming public support, and a promise to “build back better” after COVID, the BC government needs to prioritize spending for environmental conservation, an area which typically receives decreased funding and attention following an economic downturn.
Protecting ancient forests while supporting First Nations communities is critical for ensuring a healthy, just, and resilient British Columbia. And, although regulatory measures such as science-based protection targets are desperately needed for ancient forests on Crown lands, BC also needs to allocate funding in Budget 2021 to protect endangered old-growth forests and other ecosystems on private lands and support the long-term economic and social well-being of First Nations communities that want to protect ancient forests in their territories.
Please join us in calling on the BC government to commit funding in Budget 2021 for:
A provincial Natural Lands Acquisition Fund for the purchase and protection of endangered ecosystems on private lands to sustain wildlife, clean water, recreation and tourism;
Conservation financing for the sustainable economic development of First Nations economies in lieu of old-growth logging;
Indigenous-led land use planning and protected areas to maintain the significant cultural values of ancient forests while supporting First Nations’ communities and wellbeing.
To submit your feedback, visit the Budget 2021 consultation website, where you can either make a written, audio, or video submission (see our suggested wording for a written submission below) or complete the online survey (see our handy survey guide below).
To the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services,
BC’s coastal and temperate old-growth forests are vital for sustaining unique and endangered species, BC’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, many First Nations cultures, a stable climate, and clean water for communities and wild salmon.
Recent independent research shows that only a tiny fraction (less than 3%) of BC’s highly productive old-growth forests (those capable of growing big trees) remain standing today. Studies have also shown that keeping old-growth forests standing can provide a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down when factoring in the values listed above.
I therefore recommend the BC government prioritize the conservation of endangered old-growth forests in its 2021 provincial budget by:
1) Establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase private lands of high conservation, scenic, cultural, and recreational value from willing sellers to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system. This $40 million annual fund should increase by $10 million/year until the fund reaches $100 million/year.
2) Contributing funding toward the sustainable development and economic diversification of Vancouver Island First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging, similar to the $120 million (including $30 million in provincial funds) provided to First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in support of ecosystem-based management in that region.
3) Allocate dedicated funding toward the planning, implementation, and management of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in BC. IPCAs are increasingly being recognized as innovative and effective mechanisms for conserving lands and waters while also supporting the languages, cultures, health, wellbeing, jobs, and economies of Indigenous communities and must be supported and funded in Budget 2021.
In addition to your own views, please include one or both of the following points.
Note: To edit the text below, copy and paste it into a Word document or a similar program, edit, then copy/paste into the survey.
1. To create a resilient and truly sustainable economy, we must protect the natural ecosystems on which we all depend for our health and survival. Many of BC’s most endangered ecosystems are found on privately-owned lands and support large concentrations of endangered species, wild salmon habitat, drinking watersheds, the climate, important First Nations cultural sites, and outstanding tourism and recreational opportunities. The BC government must allocate funding to the creation of a provincial Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to systematically purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on BC’s private lands for the benefit of communities and species alike.
2. Recent research shows that only a tiny fraction of BC’s productive old-growth forests remain standing today. In order to protect endangered old-growth forests on a large scale while also supporting the long-term economic and social wellbeing of Indigenous communities, the BC government must increase funding for Indigenous-led land-use planning, allocate dedicated funding to the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and financially support the sustainable economic development and diversification of First Nations communities.
Complete as you see fit. In the “other” category, you may choose to add the following:
Invest in an expedited transition to a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry while also protecting old-growth forests and other endangered ecosystems on private and Crown lands.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this page with your network. We need thousands of British Columbians to request funding for old-growth protection in Budget 2021!
Questions about the Budget 2021 consultation process? Visit the Budget 2021 website for more information.[Original article no longer available]
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cameron-Firebreak-Douglas-Fir-Tree.jpg10001500TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2020-06-17 23:45:342024-10-10 10:39:06ACTION ALERT: Speak up for ancient forests. Submit your feedback on Budget 2021 by June 26th!
Right now, the BC government is seeking public feedback on how it can better manage old-growth forests as part of its Old Growth Strategic Review. An independent, two-person panel is accepting public feedback via written submissions and an online questionnaire until Friday, January 31st 2020 and will report to the premier and cabinet by the end of April 2020.
This is a rare and critical opportunity for us to call for a science-based plan to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests.
With entire forest ecosystems and the species they support being pushed further to the brink of extinction under BC’s destructive forest policies, it’s time for sweeping changes that put biodiversity, the climate, and the long-term wellbeing of communitiesfirst.
Please take a moment to submit your feedback. Below are some suggested points you can include:
BC’s old-growth forests:
Are complex ecosystems that have evolved over millennia and are home to some of the largest and oldest trees on Earth.
Provide habitat for unique and threatened species, support clean water for communities and wild salmon, store more carbon per hectare than second-growth forests, are a pillar of BC’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, and are important to many First Nations cultures.
Are a non-renewable resource under BC’s system of forestry where second-growth forests are logged every 50-80 years, never to become old again.
Are endangered in many parts of BC, particularly on the southwest coast, after over a century of industrial logging.
Under its proposed Old Growth Strategy, the BC government must:
Implement an ecosystem-based approach to forest management, similar to the Great Bear Rainforest. This includes establishing higher, legally-binding old-growth protection targets, based on the latest science, to sustain the long-term ecological integrity of old-growth forest ecosystems.
Support First Nations’ sustainable economic development and diversification, Indigenous land-use plans that protect old-growth forests, and the creation of Indigenous Protected Areas.
Create a Natural Lands Acquisition Fund for the purchase and protection of endangered old-growth forests on private lands.
Use its control over BC Timber Sales to quickly phase out old-growth logging in BCTS-controlled lands.
While the BC government develops its Old Growth Strategy:
The BC government must take immediate action to halt logging in old-growth forest “hotspots” and BC’s most endangered forest ecosystems.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/eden-grove-old-growth-forest-port-renfrew.jpg10001500TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2019-12-18 20:01:002023-04-06 19:07:15ACTION ALERT: Have your say on the BC government’s Old Growth Strategy
The BC Government is currently seeking public feedback on proposed changes to the Forest and Range Practices Act, the main piece of legislation governing forest practices in BC. The amendments will focus on issues like climate change, biodiversity, government oversight, and public trust in forestry management decisions.
This is a rare and critical opportunity for British Columbians to speak up for science-based protection of BC’s endangered old-growth forests!
The Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) has reduced government accountability and oversight and put the fox (timber industry) in charge of the henhouse (BC’s public lands, including rare and endangered old-growth forests). It also prioritizes timber supply over all other forest management objectives and includes loopholes around old-growth protection big enough to drive a logging truck through! The results have been a disaster and BC’s ancient forest ecosystems, biodiversity, climate, and communities are paying the price.
Now is our chance to demand bold and sweeping changes to this outdated law.
Current legislated targets for old-growth protection are set too low and are not based on science, meaning we are losing the species, ecosystem services, tourism and recreation opportunities, and valuable carbon stores that old-growth forests provide. It’s high time the NDP government stopped placating the timber industry and started prioritizing the health and resilience of BC’s forest ecosystems. And it starts with strengthening the Forest and Range Practices Act.
Amendments to FRPA must:
Mandate the establishment of higher, legally-binding old-growth protection targets, based on the latest science, to sustain the long-term ecological integrity of old-growth forest ecosystems;
Prioritize forest connectivity and climate resilience;
Prioritize the management of biodiversity over timber supply across landscapes; and
Close the loopholes that allow much of Earth’s grandest forests and biggest trees to be logged.
Read the BC government’s discussion paper for more information and details on the proposed changes.
Until Monday, July 15th, the BC government is accepting public comments on amendments to FRPA through an online survey. We have provided responses to the survey questions below to make it as easy as possible for you -simply copy, paste, and edit your responses as needed.
Prioritize forest ecosystem health, connectivity, and resilience over timber supply to ensure forest ecosystems and the species that depend on them can cope with the impacts of climate change. Recent studies show that mature and old-growth and older forests are more resilient and can better protect communities from climate impacts like droughts and flooding better than younger forests.
Strengthen protection of valuable forest carbon sinks (i.e. old-growth forests).
Recognize the BC forest sector’s contribution to provincial greenhouse gas emissions and prioritize management approaches that significantly reduce forestry emissions (for example, by ending slash burning).
Logging and clearcuts that readily dry out have been shown to make landscapes more prone to fires. Protecting more forests around communities and curtailing forestry around communities will help reduce the frequency of fires.
Forest operations must aim to minimize activities that exacerbate climate change impacts such as fires, flooding, droughts, and landslides.
Silvicultural practices must be changed to reduce wildfire risks near communities. This can be done, for example, by planting climate appropriate tree species and actively reducing fuel build-up in second-growth forests via thinning and controlled burns.
The current amount, in hectares and percentages, of protected and unprotected old-growth forest that remains in each landscape unit, by ecosystem type and productivity level, compared to their original extent (pre-European colonization).
Maps showing the geographic location of these remaining old-growth forests and their existing land use designations, both legislated (Parks, TFLs, Private, Crown, etc.) and regulatory (OGMAs, WHAs, etc.).
Information on biodiversity (at all scales), including biodiversity hotspots for species richness, endangered species concentrations, underrepresented plant communities, and rare element occurrences.
Various species at risk habitat, including critical habitat.
Freshwater quality and salmon stock data and trends.
Forest industry and other industry tenures, leases and activities over the landscape.
Members of the public should be given meaningful, timely opportunities for public engagement at all levels of forest planning, including online commentary.
Landscape planning must be well-funded and be done quickly.
Landscape planning must also be multi-stakeholder processes (including environmental non-governmental organizations, among others) and co-managed by provincial and Indigenous governments.
Minimize on road construction wherever possible. Road densities may be the single largest source of lasting environmental degradation in landscapes.
Maintaining habitat connectivity and supporting species that rely on large tracts of undisturbed forest for survival.
Maintaining sufficient interior forest habitat and reducing the amount forest edge ecosystem.
Maintaining access to areas that provide valuable recreation and tourism opportunities while ensuring habitat connectivity and ecological integrity take priority.
Ensuring minimal impacts to freshwater quality, especially in drinking watersheds and salmon-bearing waterways.
Provide meaningful, timely opportunities for public engagement at all levels of forest planning.
Forest Stewardship Plans must be more detailed on specific cutblock plans and roads, be publicly available online, and require public consultation spanning at least 120 days (twice the current 60-day period) to allow ample time for public comment.
Require licensees and provincial decision-makers to demonstrate how public comment substantially informed proposed plans, operations and approval decisions.
Maps of planned cutblocks and roads, forest reserve designations (e.g. OGMAs, WHAs), old-growth forest ecosystems (at the BEC zone and, where possible, site series level) and productivity classes, species-at-risk habitat, recreation opportunities, and information such as surveys, assessments, and studies relied on by licensees to demonstrate consistency with government objectives, approval tests, and statutory requirements should all be made publicly available in order to inform feedback on proposed plans.
Science-based old-growth forest retention on a scale sufficient to ensure their long-term ecological integrity must be added as a management objective.
Through FRPA, the BC government must establish an independent science panel to: a) Evaluate the conservation status of all forest ecosystems, b) Establish evidence-based old-growth and other biodiversity targets to be applied through landscape level planning with associated, legally-binding timelines.
These targets must take ecosystem types, forest productivity, and elevation distinctions into account and must not be based on representation alone, but also on landscape ecology and conservation biology principles to ensure long-term ecological integrity.
FRPA amendments must also:
Establish biodiversity as a high management priority in all forest ecosystems through an explicit FRPA objective.
Remove the constraint “without unduly reducing the supply of timber from British Columbia’s forests” from all FRPA legal objectives and from the Government Actions Regulation and add the constraint “without unduly reducing the resilience of ecosystems” to timber and other ‘use’ objectives.
Include a hierarchy of old-growth forest reserve establishment where old-growth forests take priority over second-growth and high productivity forests take priority over low.
Restrict the movement of Old Growth Management Area boundaries.
Require licensees to provide sufficient information for provincial decision-makers to evaluate operational plans and proposed forest operations for consistency with legal objectives and require government approval of site-level plans.
Require that decision-makers provide written reasons to the public demonstrating how proposed logging and road-building are consistent with statutory tests, legal objectives, Indigenous rights and public comment.
Require provincial decision-makers to determine whether proposed forest operations are consistent with: a) maintaining and where necessary restoring healthy, fully functioning forest ecosystems that support ecological, social and cultural resiliency, and b) the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Remove existing, lengthy bureaucratic steps required to set objectives and give government the authority to set objectives, informed by public input, for a particular area.
Thank you for submitting your feedback! Can you go a step further?
Send an email to Forests Minister Doug Donaldson, Premier John Horgan, and other decision-makers telling them the 2020 Forest and Range Practices Act amendments must include science-based protection of old-growth forests!
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Copy-of-Have-your-say-on-changes-to-the-Forest-and-Range-Practices-Act.png312820TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2019-06-25 14:04:032024-10-04 10:21:33ACTION ALERT: Have Your Say on Changes to BC’s Forest Practices Legislation
Across British Columbia, old-growth forests have significant economic, social, and environmental value.
Old-growth forests: • Support unique and endangered species that cannot flourish in second-growth forests; • Are vital pillars of BC’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, with tourists coming from around the world to visit BC’s old-growth forests and parks; • Are vital to many First Nations cultures; • Store vast amounts of atmospheric carbon, potentially allowing local communities to benefit from rapidly expanding carbon markets; • Supply clean water for communities and for wild salmon, which in turn supports commercial and recreational fisheries; and • Are important for non-timber products, such as mushrooms, wild berries, and medicines.
Studies have shown that keeping old-growth forests standing can provide a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down when factoring in the values listed above. Across British Columbia, local communities stand to gain greater revenues and jobs by protecting nearby old-growth forests.
A century of industrial logging has reduced BC’s remarkable old-growth forests to a fraction of their original extent. Today, almost 80% of the original productive old-growth forests on BC’s south coast have been logged, including well over 90% of the highest productivity forests with the greatest biodiversity and biggest trees. As more of BC’s carbon-rich old-growth forests are logged every year, unique species and entire ecosystems are being pushed to the brink of collapse.
I therefore recommend the BC government prioritize the conservation of endangered old-growth forests in its 2020 provincial budget by:
1) Establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase private lands of high conservation, scenic, cultural, and recreational value from willing sellers to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system. This $40 million annual fund should increase by $10 million/year until the fund reaches $100 million/year.
A $40 million Natural Lands Acquisition Fund would amount to only 0.07% of BC’s approximately $60 billion annual budget and would generate significant financial returns for the province. In fact, studies have shown that, for every $1 invested by the BC government in our parks system, another $9 is generated in the provincial economy through tourism revenues.
British Columbia’s most endangered ecosystems are often found on privately-owned lands, many of which are under threat from logging and real estate developments. Private land trusts, while important, are simply unable to raise enough funds fast enough to buy all of BC’s endangered private lands before many of them are destroyed. The BC government must develop a comprehensive, strategic plan with sufficient, consistent government funding to protect endangered ecosystems on private lands before they are lost.
2) Contributing funding toward the sustainable development and economic diversification of Vancouver Island First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging, tied to the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (an initiative known as conservation financing).
Many First Nations communities on Vancouver Island make significant revenues from old-growth logging, yet lack a range of alternative economic development opportunities that would support their local economies into the future and allow them to transition away from old-growth logging, should they wish to. In order to protect old-growth forests, create jobs, and improve community wellbeing, the BC government should support conservation financing solutions as an alternative to old-growth logging, similar to the $120 million (including $30 million in provincial funds) provided to First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in support of ecosystem-based management in that region.
This is a fundamentally important precursor for the large-scale protection of endangered old-growth forests in BC and for the NDP government to effectively implement its 2017 election platform commitment to apply ecosystem-based management of old-growth forests across BC.
Note: You may also wish to present your feedback in person to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government at a public hearing (in-person or via teleconference). Click here [Original article no longer available] for the dates and locations of public hearings being held across BC and read this handy guide [Original article no longer available] on how to prepare presentations and submissions to the Committee. You can also submit an audio or video submission here. [Original article no longer available]
Questions about the Budget 2020 consultation process? Visit the Budget 2020 website [Original article no longer available] for more information.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this page with your network! We need as many British Columbians as possible to speak up and request funding for old-growth protection in Budget 2020.
Every year, the BC government consults British Columbians on their financial priorities for the upcoming provincial budget. The consultation process for the 2020 provincial budget is happening now until 5:00 pm on Friday, June 28th, giving us a golden opportunity to request dedicated funding for old-growth forest protection.
A BC Land Acquisition Fund would allow endangered ecosystems on private lands (like Horne Mountain, pictured here) to be purchased and protected.
The Ancient Forest Alliance has long called for a legislated, science-based plan to protect endangered old-growth forests on Crown lands, along with regulations and incentives to support the transition to a sustainable, second-growth forest industry. But these regulatory measures aren’t enough to ensure the protection of endangered forests on private lands or secure the long-term economic and social well-being of First Nations communities that want to protect old-growth forests in their territories, but are dependent on revenues from old-growth logging.
To protect old-growth forests, the BC government must commit funding to two key initiatives in its 2020 budget:
A provincial Natural Lands Acquisition Fund for the purchase and protection of endangered ecosystems on private lands; and
Conservation financing for the sustainable economic development of First Nations economies in lieu of old-growth logging, tied to the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
Funding for these initiatives is critical for the large-scale protection of BC’s endangered forests. Even modest funding in the 2020 budget would send a positive signal that the BC government is willing to take action in the interests of BC’s ancient forests and First Nations communities and would create momentum for greater funding commitments in future budgets.
PLEASE SPEAK UP FOR ANCIENT FORESTS AND SUBMIT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2020 PROVINCIAL BUDGET TODAY!
Follow these easy steps to submit your feedback: 1) Copy the prepared submission below, 2) Visit the budget consultation website [Original article no longer available], select Make a written, audio or video submission, and hit “next,” 3) Fill in your contact details and skip to the next page, 4) Paste the prepared submission into the “comments” box, 5) Follow the instructions and submit!
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR FEEDBACK [Original article no longer available]
Suggested wording for your submission:
Across British Columbia, old-growth forests have significant economic, social, and environmental value.
Old-growth forests: • Support unique and endangered species that cannot flourish in second-growth forests; • Are vital pillars of BC’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, with tourists coming from around the world to visit BC’s old-growth forests and parks; • Are vital to many First Nations cultures; • Store vast amounts of atmospheric carbon, potentially allowing local communities to benefit from rapidly expanding carbon markets; • Supply clean water for communities and for wild salmon, which in turn supports commercial and recreational fisheries; and • Are important for non-timber products, such as mushrooms, wild berries, and medicines.
Studies have shown that keeping old-growth forests standing can provide a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down when factoring in the values listed above. Across British Columbia, local communities stand to gain greater revenues and jobs by protecting nearby old-growth forests.
A century of industrial logging has reduced BC’s remarkable old-growth forests to a fraction of their original extent. Today, almost 80% of the original productive old-growth forests on BC’s south coast have been logged, including well over 90% of the highest productivity forests with the greatest biodiversity and biggest trees. As more of BC’s carbon-rich old-growth forests are logged every year, unique species and entire ecosystems are being pushed to the brink of collapse.
I therefore recommend the BC government prioritize the conservation of endangered old-growth forests in its 2020 provincial budget by:
1) Establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase private lands of high conservation, scenic, cultural, and recreational value from willing sellers to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system. This $40 million annual fund should increase by $10 million/year until the fund reaches $100 million/year.
A $40 million Natural Lands Acquisition Fund would amount to only 0.07% of BC’s approximately $60 billion annual budget and would generate significant financial returns for the province. In fact, studies have shown that, for every $1 invested by the BC government in our parks system, another $9 is generated in the provincial economy through tourism revenues.
British Columbia’s most endangered ecosystems are often found on privately-owned lands, many of which are under threat from logging and real estate developments. Private land trusts, while important, are simply unable to raise enough funds fast enough to buy all of BC’s endangered private lands before many of them are destroyed. The BC government must develop a comprehensive, strategic plan with sufficient, consistent government funding to protect endangered ecosystems on private lands before they are lost.
2) Contributing funding toward the sustainable development and economic diversification of Vancouver Island First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging, tied to the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (an initiative known as conservation financing).
Many First Nations communities on Vancouver Island make significant revenues from old-growth logging, yet lack a range of alternative economic development opportunities that would support their local economies into the future and allow them to transition away from old-growth logging, should they wish to. In order to protect old-growth forests, create jobs, and improve community wellbeing, the BC government should support conservation financing solutions as an alternative to old-growth logging, similar to the $120 million (including $30 million in provincial funds) provided to First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in support of ecosystem-based management in that region.
This is a fundamentally important precursor for the large-scale protection of endangered old-growth forests in BC and for the NDP government to effectively implement its 2017 election platform commitment to apply ecosystem-based management of old-growth forests across BC.
Note: You may also wish to present your feedback in person to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government at a public hearing (in-person or via teleconference). Click here [Original article no longer available] for the dates and locations of public hearings being held across BC and read this handy guide [Original article no longer available] on how to prepare presentations and submissions to the Committee. You can also submit an audio or video submission here. [Original article no longer available]
Questions about the Budget 2020 consultation process? Visit the Budget 2020 website [Original article no longer available] for more information.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this page with your network! We need as many British Columbians as possible to speak up and request funding for old-growth protection in Budget 2020.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/D8KmGvvVUAA_-nI.jpg6001200TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2019-06-14 19:50:552024-10-10 11:26:04ACTION ALERT: Speak up for Ancient Forests. Submit your Feedback on Budget 2020 Before June 28th!
Thank you to everyone who made a written submission in support of expanding protections for the Jurassic Grove! The comment period has now closed. We will keep you up to date with any future developments. Thanks!
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/jurassic-grove-redcedar-tj-watt-1.jpg10711500TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2019-02-28 22:16:282024-07-30 16:24:05ACTION ALERT: Send a message and help protect spectacular Jurassic Grove!
Please take just a couple minutes to WRITE to the BC government, telling them you support their proposal to expand protections in the endangered Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem on Vancouver Island and in the Gulf Islands!
The BC government is seeking the public’s input on their proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem protected on public (Crown) lands on Vancouver Island’s southeast coast and in the southern Gulf Islands.
The Coastal Douglas-Fir (CDF) ecosystem is home to the highest number of species at risk in BC, including Garry oak trees, sharp-tailed snakes, alligator lizards, and Vancouver Island screech owl and pygmy owl subspecies. With less than four percent of the region’s ecosystems currently protected by the province, the proposed protection measures are greatly needed and are a significant step forward, although by themselves are not sufficient to halt the loss of biodiversity from the region.
The BC government is proposing to protect 21 parcels of public land in Bowser, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Galiano Island, and Saltspring Island. The proposed new protected areas total 1,125 hectares and expands upon a similar process in 2010 that resulted in the issuance similar land use orders, which protected 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.
See: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/TASB/SLRP/southisland/CDFAmendment.html
Please write to the BC government until Monday, January 15th 2018, to express your support for this proposal and for greater protection of the Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem.
Email your written comments to CDFOrderAmendment2017@gov.bc.ca and Cc Forest Minister Doug Donaldson at FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca and Environment Minister George Heyman at env.minister@gov.bc.ca.
Tell them:
You support the BC government’s full proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-Fir (CDF) ecosystem protected on Crown lands through their proposed Land Use Orders.
In addition, you also support the creation of a provincial land acquisition fund, which would allow the BC government to purchase and protect private lands of high conservation or recreational values to establish new protect areas in the CDF ecosystem and across BC. Because private lands constitute the vast majority of the region, this fund is needed to ensure the sufficient protection of the CDF ecosystem.
You would like the province to consider a third phase of similar land use order protections on additional Crown lands in the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem.
*Be sure to include your full name and address so that they know you are a real person.
More details:
The BC government is proposing to protect 21 parcels of public land covering 1,125 hectares in Bowser, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Galiano Island, and Saltspring Island. The protection measures expand upon a similar process undertaken in 2010, where land use orders were issued to protect 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.
The Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem, the smallest of BC’s 16 distinctive biogeoclimatic zones (classified according to their climatic and ecological features), is among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada.
The CDF ecosystem encompasses about 260,000 hectares on southeast Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands south of Cortes Island, and a small area of the Sunshine Coast. About 50 percent of the entire ecosystem has been converted to human uses such as agriculture and urbanization. About one percent of the region’s original old-growth forest remains.
Only nine percent of the land base is provincial Crown land, so the purchase and protection of additional private land is also critical to help safeguard conservation values and species at risk.
The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to establish an annual $40 million provincial land acquisition fund to purchase and protect private lands in BC, including in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone, which has the highest percentage of private land in the province of any biogeoclimatic zone in BC.
The proposed fund would rise to an annual $100 million by 2024 through $10 million increases each year and would enable the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.
Many regional districts in BC have land or “park” acquisition funds, including the Capital Regional District of Greater Victoria (CRD). The CRD’s fund generates about $3.7 million each year and, with its partners, has spent over $35 million to purchase over 4,500 hectares of land since its establishment in the year 2000, ensuring the protection of such iconic natural areas as the Sooke Hills and Potholes, Mount Maxwell on Saltspring Island, and lands between Thetis Lake and Mount Work. Like the CRD’s land acquisition fund, the proposed $40 million provincial fund could be used as leverage to raise additional funds from private land trusts, environmental groups and private donors.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/CDF-Photo-2-Large.jpg533800TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2018-01-09 00:00:002024-07-15 16:48:51ACTION ALERT: Support Expanded Protection of the Endangered Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem in British Columbia!
Your MLA may or may not be well-informed on the need to protect endangered old-growth forests and to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry jobs. When meeting them, share your concerns, outline the basic information we’ve provided, and try to convince them to take a favourable stance if they haven’t already. You should also be prepared to discuss some key issues of concern your MLA is likely to point out. Below are some topics your MLA might bring up and how you can address them.
Topic 1: Protecting old-growth forests could have a negative effect on forestry jobs and the economy.
Response: Most of BC’s forests are now second-growth, with old-growth forests making up only a minority fraction of the land-base. If the BC government promoted policies, such as ending the export of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills and implementing tax breaks for new investments in machinery to process second-growth logs into lumber or higher-end, value-added products, the total number of forestry jobs in BC could be sustained and even increased while we quickly phase-out old-growth logging. We need to get more jobs out of every second-growth log that we cut, while protecting the last old-growth stands.
Topic 2: Protecting old-growth forests from logging must align with the interests and aspirations of BC’s First Nations communities.
Response: Because of the policies of the previous BC Liberal government, many BC First Nations communities now rely on old-growth logging in their traditional territories for some of their revenues and employment. Unfortunately, they also lack a range of alternative, sustainable economic opportunities that would allow them to sustain employment of band members and generate revenues if they were to protect the old-growth forests in their territories should they wish to. Therefore, the BC government should provide financial support for First Nations economic development and diversification – just like the previous government did in the Great Bear Rainforest – to support First Nations’ economic development in enterprises like eco- and cultural tourism, renewable energy development, and sustainable seafood harvesting, while protecting endangered old-growth forests.
Topic 3: Old-growth forests are not endangered. According to BC government statistics, 40% of BC’s forests are considered old-growth.
Response: Not all forests are the same – some are comprised of big trees, while others are comprised of small, stunted trees with little to no commercial value. However, the BC government’s old-growth statistics fail to distinguish between these different forest types. After a century of commercial logging, most of BC’s remaining old-growth forests are low-productivity forests growing on steep slopes with thin soils at high elevations or in water-saturated bogs where trees grow small and poorly. There is only a small fraction of original, moderate- to high-productivity old-growth forest left in BC – that which has moderate to high commercial value. These are the forests that are endangered.
According to Ministry of Forests data, 80% of the productive old-growth forests on BC’s southern coast have been logged, including well over 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow, while only about 8% of the productive forests are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas.
Topic 4: The BC NDP government will protect forests by investing in wildfire resiliency and recovery, modernizing land use planning, and keeping more logs in BC for processing.
Response: These measures do not adequately address the urgent need to curtail and end the large-scale logging of old-growth forests. Most of BC’s original, productive old-growth forests have been logged and there is now very little left. We need bold, decisive action and major policy changes in order to protect what remains. We need a science-based, legislated plan to protect old-growth; funding for First Nations sustainable economic development; immediate action to protect old-growth hotspots; a ban on old-growth raw log exports; incentives and regulations to ensure a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry; and finally, a land acquisition fund to purchase and protect old-growth forests on private land.
Topic 5: BC already has a system in place to protect old-growth forests in parks, Old-Growth Management Areas, and for species at risk like the Marbled Murrelet and Northern Goshawk. How is what you are proposing any different?
Response: BC’s existing system for protecting old-growth forests is not based on science and therefore protects a much smaller amount of old-growth than would otherwise occur. The current system does not mandate that the amount of old-growth to be protected, or “targets”, be based on any significant or comprehensive scientific assessments, does not distinguish between forest productivity classes (e.g. a stunted bog forest versus a monumental grove with giant trees) in those targets, and also allows the removal and “trade” of Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) for logging purposes. In addition, these OGMAs, which once protected high productivity old-growth forests, are typically “traded” for lower productivity sites. The protection of more old-growth habitat for endangered species such as the Marbled Murrelet and Northern Goshawk, while greatly welcome and needed, will still result in most of the remaining endangered stands being logged if not accompanied by a comprehensive law to protect endangered old-growth forests, which themselves are only a small fraction of what once stood.
http://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.png00TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2018-01-01 00:00:002023-04-06 19:07:33Talking Points for Meetings with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)
