Three years have passed since the BC government promised to implement the Old Growth Strategic Review, but many feel very little has been done. On September 28 concerned citizens will be protesting in front of constituency offices across the province.
The local protest will be in front of MLA Michele Babchuk’s office at 908 Island Highway, in Campbell River, from 11:30 to 12:30.
“The Council of Canadians, Campbell River chapter and Sierra Club, Quadra Island chapter, decided to participate in a day of action for old growth forest that’s happening around the province on September 28th. We’re asking people to come down and bring signs. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to talk to Michelle if she’s in the office, if not certainly, impress upon her the need for the government to fully implement all 18 points of the Old Growth Strategic Review,” explained Richard Hagensen, from the Campbell River Chapter of the Council of Canadians.
“We’re hoping to bring this to the notice of the public and get the public to also write letters and urge the provincial government to get on with it.”
Bonnie Brownstein of Sierra Quadra added:
“I’d like to invite everyone in the Discovery Islands – so that’s Quadra, Cortes, Read, Maurelle etc. – and also Campbell River to attend the Old Grove Rally at the office of our member of Local Assembly, Michelle Babchuk on September 28.”
“We are all impacted by the excessive logging in the Discovery Islands. They all share characteristics in common, in that there is very little in the way of 250 year old trees and more left.”
“Tree Farm License 47 on Quadra, which is managed by Mosaic, is the one that I am most familiar with. There was a fire on Quadra in 1925, which burned most of the island, but there is a fairly large area of trees that either survived that fire or grew up after the fire. This is the age class that Mosaic is now preparing to log, or is logging. We really would like to see protection for that age class as well, since there is very little in the older age class left on Quadra.”
“It is different on the other Discovery Islands. Cortes has been more successful at protecting some of their land base, but for example, Read Island is really being devastated.”
“You’re all very welcome to come out and send a message to our provincial government. There is some progress being made at changing the forest and range Practices Act, but the changes are too slow to take effect.”
The BC Government does not agree with the idea that they are acting too slowly. In a recent press release they stated the logging of old growth declined by 42% between 2015 and 2021. Approximately 80% of the old growth identified by the Old Growth Strategic Review panel is allegedly protected.
Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, claimed, “The latest numbers show that BC is on the right track as we work to develop and implement new long-term solutions for better managing, preserving and sharing the benefits of our forests.”
BB: “Unfortunately, it continues to be talk and log. Old growth is still coming down, and we really as a province can’t afford to lose anymore.”
“We are not against all logging, but a certain percentage really needs to be saved. There has been ‘over logging’ in this province for decades.”
CC: Isn’t forestry one of the three pillars of Campbell River? And isn’t the forestry industry in crisis?
RH: “I agree with you, It is one of the pillars. Personally speaking, my dad was a logger, a faller, and I grew up in a logging family many years ago. I empathize with the logging industry and where it’s at today.”
“It is in a transition stage right now. There are less old growth forests left. Of course, our position is that they should be preserved and no longer cut.”
“Even the forest industry people and the loggers are expressing concern that there is no attention being paid by the government for a just transition.”
“We’re not against continuing logging, but certainly not on old growth.”
“A really important part of the old growth strategic review is a just transition plan for loggers and there hasn’t been any response from the government as to where that’s at. I think there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the current policies.”
“The other piece, of course, is that there’s too much monitoring left to the forest companies, and there’s not enough oversight by the provincial government on logging practices.”
Top image credit: Poster from Day of Action – courtesy Council of Canadians
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I am in total support of saving our old growth and fully implementing the Old Growth Strategic Review. While many forest companies respect the law and police themselves, it is ridiculous to think that they always act with integrity and with a wider view of what is happening. The province needs to act responsibly in overseeing that agreed actions are adhered to and that there is an overall vision of our forests.