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New economic report highlights need for funding to support Indigenous-led old-growth protection and sustainable economic development.

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The Ancient Forest Alliance has released a report that considers the economic implications of protecting old-growth forests when taking ecosystem services like carbon storage, recreation, tourism, salmon habitat, and other values into account.

The study, which took 2.5 years to complete, uses old-growth forests near Port Renfrew, in the territories of the Pacheedaht and Ditidaht First Nations, as a case study. 

The intention of this study was not to unilaterally determine how old-growth forests should be managed at a local scale. Rather, it considers many potential old-growth logging/protection scenarios to better understand what’s possible and explores the economic benefits and implications of those scenarios in order to provide a useful resource to inform land-use decision-making.

The BC government’s Old Growth Strategic Review Panel recommended the province develop local and provincial transition plans and support communities in transitioning their economies while pursuing science-based old-growth protection. We hope this study, which explores alternative uses and economic benefits of standing old-growth forests, can assist in that work.

The AFA’s mandate is to work within the law to advocate for policy change to protect endangered old-growth ecosystems, and to support First Nations and rural communities to find solutions that support ecological, economic, and community wellbeing.

We are calling for old-growth logging deferrals, upon the consent of First Nations, in the most at-risk old-growth ecosystems, as described by the Old Growth Strategic Review Panel, while long-term conservation solutions are found. 

We are also working to leverage provincial and federal funding to assist land-embedded communities, including First Nations, to undertake land-use planning, develop new protected areas (including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas), and support sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging.

Photos: Bugaboo Ridge Ancient Forest

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New photos from June 2021 show at-risk ancient forests along the ridgeline of Bugaboo Creek near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory.

Large red and yellow cedars, along with hemlock and amabilis fir, abound. Trilliums, berry bushes, and hellebore carpet the forest floor where animal trails from bear, deer, and cougar wind through.

Teal-Jones has approved road permits in this forest, the construction of which was partially completed before being blocked by independent activists but could resume soon. Though no cutting permits have yet been issued, “falling boundary” flagging tape can be seen throughout the forest, which falls outside the recently announced deferral areas, leaving it open for logging.

B.C. is flunking on old-growth forests, environmental report card says

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National Observer
March 11, 2021

The B.C. government is failing to enact recommendations to protect large old growth trees like those pictured above in a Vancouver Island cut block. Photo by TJ Watt.

Premier John Horgan is getting failing grades when it comes to protecting B.C.’s old-growth forests, according to a report card issued by a coalition of environmental groups on Thursday.

The report card evaluates the province’s progress at the six-month mark after its promise to act on 14 recommendations outlined in a report that followed a strategic review of B.C.’s old-growth forestry practices.

Most urgently, the province grades poorly around the call to take immediate action to protect at-risk old-growth and stem the loss of rare ecosystems, said Andrea Inness, a campaigner with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), which issued the report card along with the Wilderness Committee and the Sierra Club BC.

“They committed to act immediately to temporarily halt logging in the most endangered old-growth forest ecosystems,” said Inness.

“The province still has a very, very long way to go to actually implement that critical recommendation.”

When the government announced it would adopt a new approach to old-growth management in September, it temporarily deferred logging in 353,000 hectares of forest in nine regions until a new plan was developed.

Andrea Inness, of the the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), said the B.C. government is not acting on its promise to act on recommendations to protect at-risk, old-growth forests. Photo courtesy of Ancient Forest Alliance

However, various environmental groups and reports have questioned how much of the government’s deferred areas actually included at-risk, high-value, old-growth ecosystems, Inness said.

“Those deferrals were highly problematic,” she added, noting the most at-risk areas of old-growth valued in terms of biodiversity were not protected.

“They’ve really exaggerated that a lot to make it sound like they’ve done more than they have,” Inness said.

Much of the forested areas covered in the government’s deferral fell within a number of parks, ecological reserves, or included already existing deferrals or poor grade timber and low-value ecosystems not at risk of logging, Inness said.

Only about 415,000 hectares of old-growth forest with big trees remain in B.C., mostly without protection, according to an independent report, Inness said.

“We try to look at this data and have determined that only 3,800 hectares of that 353,000 deferral was actually previously unprotected high-risk old-growth forests,” Inness said.

As such, clear-cutting will continue in critical old-growth stands — such as the Fairy Creek watershed on Vancouver Island — destroying their bio-diverse ecosystems forever, she said.

Activists blockading logging activity in the Fairy Creek watershed near Port Renfrew for the last seven months got a temporary reprieve after an injunction hearing to oust them was adjourned last week.

“It would send a very strong signal if Premier Horgan announced within this three-week timeframe that (government) is going to set that forest aside,” Inness said.

“Because, that would be consistent with what he’s promised to do.”

An environmental report card on the B.C. government’s protection of old-growth forests, created by Ancient Forest Alliance, the Wilderness Committee and the Sierra Club BC.

The report card suggests that the province is also failing to adequately chart a new forest approach that prioritizes the integrity of ecosystems and biodiversity as called for by the review plan.

During the October election, the NDP election platform committed to meeting the old-growth strategic review recommendations and protecting more old-growth forests — in addition to the original deferral — in collaboration with First Nations, labour, industry and environmental groups.

And the province also committed to protecting up to 1,500 individual, giant and iconic trees as part of its special tree regulations when announcing its forest deferrals.

While the government has initiated conversations with First Nations around old-growth forestry, other steps need to be taken to fulfil the old-growth recommendations, Inness said.

The new B.C. budget is slated for April and the province should commit funds to support First Nations experiencing economic losses due to forestry deferrals or when choosing to protect ancient forests, she said.

“Until that economic piece is addressed, it could be very difficult for First Nations to agree to temporarily halt logging or permanently protect old growth in their territories if there aren’t alternatives,” Inness said.

Additionally, the province has failed to tie its implementation promises to any timeline, nor has it signalled whether it’s on track to come up with a provincial transition plan within the next six months that prioritizes ecosystem health as promised, she said.

Should the government make good on its promises to enact old-growth strategic review recommendations, it involves a complete paradigm shift in the way forests are managed, Inness said.

“It means putting biodiversity and ecosystem integrity ahead of timber supply,” she said.

“But (the province) isn’t showing that they understand that. In fact, it feels more like they want to maintain the status quo.”

Comment from the office of the B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development was unavailable before the National Observer‘s publication deadline.

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer

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Conservationists welcome old-growth panel report and positive first steps by BC government to address old-growth crisis

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Victoria BC – The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is celebrating the BC government’s announcement today that it will defer logging in nine areas, including world-famous Clayoquot Sound, and protect some of BC’s biggest trees while it works to develop a new provincial approach to old-growth management. But they say much more work urgently needs to be done to protect BC’s at-risk old-growth forests while supporting BC forestry workers and First Nations communities.

The announcement coincides with the long-awaited release of a report, entitled A New Future for Old Forests, by an independent Old Growth Strategic Review panel, comprised of professional foresters Garry Merkel and Al Gorely, which contains 14 recommendations on how BC can better manage its endangered old-growth forests based on feedback gathered from thousands of British Columbians last fall and winter.

In addition to accepting and implementing the panel’s first recommendation to increase First Nations’ involvement in old-growth management, the BC government announced it will immediately defer logging in nine areas totaling almost 353,000 ha of forest across BC – 200,000 ha of which is old-growth.

The temporary deferrals include the entire unlogged McKelvie Valley near Tahsis in Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory on Vancouver Island, the Incomappleux Valley in Ktunaxa territory in BC’s Inland Temperate Rainforest, and over 250,000 ha in Clayoquot Sound, the largest intact area of old-growth forest on Vancouver Island, located in Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, and Hesquiaht territories.

“This is a positive first step, especially for Clayoquot Sound, which is home to some of BC’s most spectacular ancient forests,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness. “Now, the province needs to uphold its commitment to work with First Nations in the region to further the implementation of their visions towards securing a future for their people and the old-growth forests in their territories.”

The province also announced a Special Tree Protection Regulation would be introduced to protect 1,000 to 1,500 of BC’s exceptionally large trees with one-hectare buffer zones around them.

Tahsis Mayor Martin Davis stands beside a giant old-growth Douglas-fir tree in the McKelvie Valley, part of a 2,231 ha temporary deferral that will prohibit logging in this area.[/caption]

 

“We welcome the BC government’s decision to protect more of BC’s biggest trees,” stated AFA campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “We hope to see the Special Tree Protection Regulation expanded to capture additional trees as well as the province’s grandest groves.”

“More importantly, the BC government has signaled that it recognizes that fundamental changes are needed in the way old-growth forests are managed in BC. The panel’s report is a blueprint for a complete paradigm shift. The province now needs to commit to starting a process, based on science, to implement the Old-Growth Strategic Review panel’s recommendations over the three-year timeframe they suggest.”

“The immediate steps announced today are an encouraging start. However, they still leave out the vast majority of BC’s most endangered ecosystem types and highest productivity old-growth stands, which are of the greatest value to industry and species at risk. While the province has committed to working with First Nations leaders to identify and implement additional deferrals, they need to ensure these are located in BC’s highest risk ecosystems.”

According to a recent analysis by independent scientists, referenced in the panel’s report, only 2.7% of BC’s high productivity, big tree old-growth forests remain today and many of BC’s forest ecosystem types have very little old-growth remaining, leading to a high risk of permanent loss of biodiversity across much of BC. One of the panel’s recommendations to the province is to place logging deferrals in ecosystems and landscapes with very little old-growth forest remaining while a new strategy is implemented.

“We need to hear the BC government embrace both reports’ findings, make a strong commitment to put ecosystem health and biodiversity ahead of timber values, and set higher, science-based, legislated targets to protect old-growth forests, which the panel also recommends.”

“We also support the province’s commitment to work with First Nations leaders, governments, and organizations on old-growth management solutions – something the NDP government promised it would do in its 2017 election platform, but has only just begun,” stated Inness. “However, without funding for Indigenous-led land-use planning and sustainable economic alternatives for First Nations communities tied to old-growth protection, the main economic option being provided by the province for First Nations is old-growth logging.”

“A core part of the province’s strategy must include funding for the creation and stewardship of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), First Nations’ sustainable economic development based on things like cultural and ecotourism, clean energy, and value-added wood manufacturing, and the purchase and protection of endangered old-growth forests on private lands.”  

The BC government has stated that more work needs to be done to study the socio-economic impacts of the panel’s recommendations. To that end, the province has committed to undertaking an engagement process with conservation groups, stakeholders, labour unions, industry, and communities.

“Where there are socio-economic impacts, there needs to be economic support for First Nations, workers, and forest-dependent communities,” stated Inness. “This includes funding to support the transition to sustainable, second-growth forestry and away from logging old-growth, as recommended by the BC government’s own Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in their Budget 2021 consultation report released last month. Without funding for these critical pieces, comprehensive old-growth protection cannot be achieved.”

“Today’s announcement could signal the start of a positive, new, science-based approach to old-growth management in BC. But it could just as easily signal the start of further delays and long, drawn-out consultation processes with few meaningful results. BC’s endangered ancient forests, communities, and at-risk species can’t afford to wait while the province decides which of the panel’s recommendations to implement and when. They need and expect action now.”

 

Facts about old-growth in BC:

  • The total area of old forest in BC is ~13.2 million hectares.
  • The vast majority of this forest (80%) consists of small trees.
  • In contrast, only a tiny proportion of BC’s remaining old forest (3%) supports large trees: ~380,000 hectares have a site index 20 –25m, and only ~35,000 hectares of old forest have a site index greater than 25m
  • These types of forests match most people’s vision of old growth. They provide unique habitats, structures, and spiritual values associated with large trees. 
  • Old forests on these sites have dwindled considerably due to intense harvest so that only 2.7% of this 3% is currently old.
  • These ecosystems are effectively the white rhino of old growth forests. They are almost extinguished and will not recover from logging. 
  • Over 85% of productive forest sites have less than 30% of the amount of old expected naturally, and nearly half of these ecosystems have less than 1% of the old forest expected naturally. This current status puts biodiversity, ecological integrity and resilience at high risk today.

Source: https://veridianecological.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/bcs-old-growth-forest-report-web.pdf

Blockades halt logging road construction into untouched watershed

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Ha-Shilth-Sa
August 25, 2020

Eartha Muirhead stands with Steve Fischer at one of three blockades set up in August to block forestry access into the Fairy Creek valley. Teal-Jones has halted road building in the area. (Eric Plummer photos)

Port Renfrew, BC — Blockades are holding the line in three locations near Port Renfrew, preventing forestry activity from entering one of Vancouver Island’s few untouched watersheds.

Driven by a loosely affiliated collection of volunteers, the first blockade was established Aug. 10 to stop roads from being built into the Fairy Creek valley, a remote tributary of the San Juan River system east of Port Renfrew. A week later a second blockade was set up to prevent access by Granite Main, another route that could lead into the Fairy Creek valley.

Fairy Creek lies within Tree Farm Licence 46, a large section of Crown land that has been held by the Teal-Jones Group since 2004.

“Teal Jones started blasting a new road on the far side of Fairy Creek, it was going to come in right over the top of the ridge,” explained Jeff, a Victoria resident at the second blockade who asked that his last name not be disclosed. “The reason we have a blockade here is that this is the other logical route to get into Fairy Creek. There is very recent old-growth falling that was happening up this road.”

According to those at the site, this initial falling included large old-growth yellow cedar trees, a species that holds important spiritual value to Nuu-chah-nulth-aht. The Fairy Creek valley is within the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht, but the First Nation has yet to speak in support or opposition to harvesting in the watershed.

However, Pacheedaht elder Bill Jones isn’t reluctant to share his opposition to the forestry activity. He recalls hunting in the Fairy Creek valley as a young man, and his uncles used the area for prayer and other spiritual practices.

“I used to go up there hunting in my young manhood and they came out of the forest behind Fairy Lake mountain and surprised me,” recalled Jones. “They used to like to go into the woods for the private solitude and the peace there.”

The region is home to massive stands of yellow and red cedar, reason enough to keep harvesting away from the valley, said Jones.

“There’s a lot of yellow cedar in the Fairy Lake watershed, which is a revered and respected spiritual tree for our people, along with the red cedar,” he continued, adding that the road that Teal-Jones began to build was directed at a particularly old tree. “The road is going directly to a yellow cedar that a forester estimated to be about 1,500 to 2,500 years old. They are aiming the logging road right straight to the tree.”

Support for the blockades has been consistent over August, with a steady flow of food, provisions and volunteers to man the posts for a few days at a time. A third blockade went up Aug. 22 to ensure logging trucks don’t gain access to the valley.

Denman Island resident Eartha Muirhead accompanied Jeff at the Granite Main blockade. They are both veterans of past movements to stop the clearcutting of old-growth trees, including an arrest Muirhead sustained in Clayoquot Sound in 1993, possibly the largest movement of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

“I think that growing up in old growth forests influences how you see the world,” commented Muirhead.  “The natural world has so much wisdom. It is who we are in essence.”

She saw someone from the forestry company come to the site on Aug. 10 to check on a road building machine on the other side of the blockade. Muirhead said he looked surprised to see people there, and although they invited him to cross the line to check on the machine, he voluntarily left.

A drive up Granite Main overlooking the other side of the mountain that forms the Fairy Creek valley gives a quick indication of why so many are concerned for the untouched watershed. Large swaths of the mountainside are clearcut, with equipment still on site.

One the other side of the cutblock, two thirds of the Fairy Creek watershed is protected as a Marbled Murrelet Wildlife Habitat Area, according to the Ministry of Forests.

“Our government is committed to protecting old growth and biodiversity while supporting workers and communities,” said B.C. Forestry Minister Doug Donaldson in a statement sent to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “When it comes to this work, there have been some strides over the past 30 years, but our government wants a comprehensive science-based approach.”

Nearly three decades since the mass arrests in Clayoquot Sound, old growth logging remains an integral part of B.C.’s coastal forestry industry. Information sent to the Ha-Shilth-Sa in July 2019 from BC Timber Sales clarified that approximately half of the timber harvested from Crown land that is auctioned annually is old growth, and will be “for the foreseeable future.”

“This is what the timber supply, economic base and community employment across the coast is based on,” wrote a spokesperson for the provincial agency responsible for auctioning sections of Crown land.

The TFL 46 management plan calls to maintain an annual harvest of 367,363 cubic metres of timber, less than half – or 180,000 – of which is second growth.  

“This harvest level is sustainable for fifty years, at which point it must fall to the long-term sustainable level of 332,500 m3 /year,” states the management plan, which was drafted in 2010.

This model for a sustainable harvest has not reassured Jones.

“We have very little left, and likely within a short while it will be gone forever,” he said. “We have to save some for the future and we have to save some for the children’s future.”

The Ministry of Forests would not say if it will enforce forestry access to the Fairy Creek valley. For the time being, Teal-Jones has halted road construction as the blockades remain in place. 

Photos: Granite Creek Logging Adjacent to Fairy Creek

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Images taken in August 2020 from the Granite Creek watershed in Pacheedaht territory, near Port Renfrew. Old-growth logging and road building by Teal-Jones.

Giant redcedar was recently cut down by Teal-Jones.

Protesters showcase massive old yellow cedar as Port Renfrew area forest blockade continues

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The Williams Lake Tribune
August 14th, 2020

9.5-foot-wide yellow cedar measured by Ancient Forest Alliance campaigners in Fairy Creek watershed

Government and company officials continue to avoid comment as an environmental blockade near Port Renfrew reached its fifth day Friday.

Attempts by Black Press media to speak to representatives of logging company Teal Jones and area MLA and Premier John Horgan went unreturned, as protesters continued with a blockade launched Monday to stop Teal Jones Group from punching road access into the Fairy Creek watershed.

READ MORE: Battle of Fairy Creek: blockade launched to save Vancouver Island old-growth

Conservationists said they have documented a old yellow cedar tree measuring 9.5 feet in diameter in the general area. They said the tree is wider than the ninth-widest yellow cedar in Canada, as recorded in BC Big Tree Registry.

TJ Watt, a conservationist with Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) measured record-sized ancient yellow cedars at the headwaters of Fairy Creek which the protesters say is the last unlogged old-growth valley near Port Renfrew on southern Vancouver Island.

“Yellow cedars are the oldest living organisms in the country,” said Watt and added, “these trees are the last of the ancient giants.”

Although AFA conservationists were able to measure only a dozen or more of these giant trees over the weekend, Watt said that there may be much larger undocumented big trees in the valley. The group also located a number of exceptionally large western hemlocks as well.

“Unfortunately there are no rules in place to preserve big trees. The government continues to delay and stall policy to protect these trees and in the meantime logging companies cut and raze them,” said Watt

Calling it a chance encounter, Watt said that no one would have known these record sized trees existed at this place if the logging company had gotten to it first.

Teal-Jones Group recently began building roads along the ridgeline above Fairy Creek, about four kilometres up from the popular Fairy Lake recreation spot. The company also has approved permits to build roads extending down into the headwaters and on the ridgeline on the opposite side of the upper valley.

While there are currently no pending or approved cutblock applications at this time, protesters worry boundary tape found within the valley headwaters indicates that it could be part of their future plans.

These giant yellow cedars add weight to the Fairy Creek blockade and gives protesters even more of a reason to stand firm. “This is an exceptional area of biodiversity,” said Watt.

Watt is worried that building these roads opens the door to future fragmentation of Fairy Creek.

Dr.Saul Arbess, a spokesperson for the Fairy Creek protesters told Black Press Thursday that they have not received any response from either the provincial authorities nor Teal Jones.

Arbess suspects Teal Jones Group might get a court injunction. But the protesters are still holding strong and maintaining the blockade, he said.

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Protesters block logging road near Port Renfrew

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Times Colonist
August 12, 2020

 

About 20 protesters have blocked a logging road near Port Renfrew, vowing they will stay until old-growth forests in a critical watershed area of the San Juan River are protected.

The protesters say they want the provincial government to prevent Teal Jones from building a road into the Fairy Creek headwaters. They say the logging company has already cut trees and blasted and bulldozed rock for the road, and are cresting a ridge into an area that contains old-growth yellow cedar, hemlock, Douglas fir and cedar.  

The area is part of Tree Farm Licence 46, which is held by Surrey-based Teal Jones.

In a statement, protesters are calling on the province for the “immediate and permanent protection of the entire Fairy Creek Valley, [and to] nullify all cutbocks and road construction approvals in the watershed and contiguous old-growth forests.”

Bobby Arbess, a spokesman for the protesters, said Fairy Creek is the last unlogged tributary in the San Juan watershed and “is far too important to allow the status quo of industrial forestry to happen here.”

He said the “grass-roots” protest sprung up quickly as Teal Jones intensified its road-building operations. The group includes locals from Port Renfrew and Jordan River and others from as far away as Fanny Bay who are concerned about the rapid decline of old-growth forests, said Arbess, who said he’s a landscaper.

“Teal Jones is trying to get a foothold into the watershed, which is a way companies leverage for a cut-block application,” Arbess said. “They say, ‘We’ve already built the road, so let us log.’ ”

Tree Forest Lisences cover vast areas and companies who hold them must apply to log and build roads in areas within the licence area. So far, Teal Jones has not applied for a cutblock in the Fairy Creek watershed, but observers say cresting the ridge on tributary’s valley is too close.

A sub-contractor was taking photos of the protesters over the weekend, and Arbess expects Teal Jones to file a court injunction to have them removed.

A spokesman for Teal Jones said Tuesday the “company has no comment at this time.”

The protesters want Premier John Horgan — whose riding contains the tree-forest licence — to immediately release the recommendations outlined by an independent review on old-growth forests.

The review was completed April 30 and a response was expected by Forestry Minister Doug Donaldson within six months, although the minster has recently said it could be revealed by the end of summer or early fall.

The protesters expect that the report will recommend protecting old-growth forests and the critical habitats around them.

“We’re trying to send a strong message that the loss of critical old-growth affects habitats for so many [species] that it hurts diversity and it degrades salmon habitat,” Arbess said.

Arbess suggested the slow response from government might also have a political point, saying Teal Jones is headquartered in Surrey, which is a “critical swing riding for the NDP.”

Arbess suggested the Fairy Lake watershed would be a good park acquisition for the Capital Regional District, which has land from Salt Spring to Port Renfrew.

Port Renfrew has been reinventing itself after the decline of forestry and commercial fishing and now promotes itself as an outdoor recreation hub with trail heads to the West Coast and Juan de Fuca trails.

The local chamber of commerce uses “Tall Tree Capital of Canada’ to promote the region as tourists have been flocking to old-growth patches called Avatar Grove, Red Creek Fir and Lonely Doug.

dkloster@timescolonist.com

Battle of Fairy Creek: blockade launched to save Vancouver Island old-growth

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Victoria News
August 10th, 2020

‘Forest Defenders’ occupy road to prevent logging company from reaching Port Renfrew-area watershed

With peaceful protests, sit-ins and a blockade, the battle to save old-growth forests has intensified near Port Renfrew.

Calling Fairy Creek the last intact unlogged watershed of southern Vancouver Island’s San Juan River system, “forest defenders” are adamant they will not allow logging in that area.

On Aug. 10, the group of 20-30 protesters from several communities across Vancouver Island annunced a blockade of the road leading to Fairy Creek. Members say they will continue to block forestry company Teal Jones’ road crews from any further constructions until the provincial government intervenes, or Team Jones Group abandons plans to log the area around the creek.

READ ALSO: What exactly is ‘old growth’ B.C. forest, and how much is protected?

Surrey-based Teal Jones is the license holder of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 46 and protesters maintain the company has “felled and graded several hectares of old-growth forest” on a road network that will soon breach the ridegline and enter the watershed. Black Press Media has reached out to Teal Jones for a comment.

Protesters called on B.C. Premier John Horgan’s office to establish an “immediate and permanent protection of the entire Fairy Creek Valley, thereby nullifying all cut blocks and road construction approvals in the watershed and contiguous old growth forests.”

Arbess said that when he contacted the premier’s office Aug. 6, the deputy called back to assure him that it was an urgent matter and asked him to submit a written letter.

“I haven’t heard back since,” he said.

Protesters want the provincial government to release the recommendations of the Old Growth Forest Review Panel submitted to the Forest Minister, Doug Donaldson’s office.

The report prepared by an independent panel of Garry Merkel and Al Gorley was received by Donaldson’s office on April 30 and a public response was announced within six months of receiving the report.

“The report has been sitting on the minister’s desk for months now and we want to know what is the direction they are planning to move forward in,” said protester Saul Arbess. He said that while the ministry delays the report, logging companies continue to wipe out old-growth.

Protesters are also asking for an immediate end to old-growth logging on Vancouver Island.

“It is unconscionable for the government to approve continued industrial destruction of the last old-growth temperate rainforest and new road developments into unlogged watersheds within the premier’s own electoral riding while it sits on the recommendations made by the Old Growth Review Panel,” stated Bobby Arbess, another protester at Fairy Creek.

Donaldson said in an email that the ministry will release the report well in advance of the said six months.

“The panelists (Merkel and Gorley) asked government to release the report within six months of its receipt on April 30. We expect to release it well in advance of that, likely later this summer or in the early fall,” said Donaldson.

However, last week, in a reply to MLA John Rustad’s questions about his ministry’s $489 million budget at B.C. legislature, Donaldson said that the ministry isn’t considering a moratorium on old-growth logging for an industry that has seen steady increase in protected areas and restrictions on the Crown land base.

READ MORE: Big old trees almost gone forever in B.C., scientists warn

READ MORE: Nanaimo men holding hunger strike to protest logging of old-growth forests

Over the past few weeks protests have been erupting on Vancouver Island to save old-growths. On August 8, James Darling and Robert Fuller completed a 14-day hunger strike in Nanaimo to protest against old-growth logging.

Earlier in June, an independent study undertaken by Nelson based research firm showed that there’s only three per cent of old-growth trees left in B.C. The report calls on the government to update forest management strategy for the current mix of forests, and to place a moratorium on old-growth logging in any area with less than 10 per cent old-growth remaining.

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Photos: Loup Creek Grove – Port Renfrew

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In March 2020, the AFA identified a spectacular grove ancient giants along Loup Creek near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory. This region was heavily logged in the 1970s and 80s, save for a strip of old-growth along the river. Most of the old-growth that remains today along Loup Creek is protected within an Old Growth Management Area and a Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA) for marbled murrelets. But a prime section containing dozens and dozens of ancient redcedars, giant amabalis fir, and Douglas-fir trees was left unprotected. We also spotted ribbons marked “Falling Boundary” and “Road Location”, indicating potential future logging plans by Teal-Jones.

The BC government is currently working to expand WHAs for marbled murrelets. We’ve recommended to the Ministry of Forests that this grove should be added to the adjacent WHA, ensuring a contiguous stretch of old-growth is protected along the river, but we don’t know whether they will listen.

See the new photo gallery here: https://16.52.162.165/loup-creek/