Tag Archives: Rachel Holt

Forests, Politics

BC’s Chief Forester Tells the SRD the State of BC’s Forests, or not

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Shane Berg, BC’s Chief Forester, has a message he is taking to trading partners around the world. On Thursday, October 2, 2025, he made a presentation to the Strathcona Regional District’s Natural Resources Committee. 

In today’s broadcast there are select clips from that presentation, including reactions from the committee. Also Bruce Ellingsen, one of the founding directors of the Cortes Community Forest Cooperative and a local thought leader on forestry matters, gave his opinion about the presentation and what he believes it lacks. 

Berg claims that the amount of old growth forests is increasing. According to Ellingsen what is not clear is that he is talking about the 80% of relatively small old growth trees growing in less productive areas, not the ‘big tree old growth’ that the environmental community is concerned about.  

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Forests

Evasion of forest regulations confirmed on Quadra Island

Originally published by the Discovery Islands Forest Conservation Project.

By David Broadland

In April 2023, the Discovery Islands Forest Conservation Project filed a complaint with the Forest Practices Board. Our surveys showed that the area of old forest on Quadra had fallen below 5 percent of the Crown forested area and three logging companies continued to log old forest or degrade it. We asked the Board to find a way to stop the degradation and reverse the loss.

The Board just released its report. It found that TimberWest, the tenure holder of TFL 47, has for the past 20 years failed to develop a plan for how it will meet the minimal targets set out in the 2004 Order Establishing Provincial Non-spatial Old Growth Objectives. That order sets a target of “greater than nine percent” old forest for the 11,000 hectares of TFL 47 on Quadra.

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Forests

BC’s new old-growth advisory panel

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Environmentalists struggling to save diminishing ancient forests on Canada’s West Coast are hopeful after B.C. announced a new old-growth advisory panel staffed by respected foresters and scientists.

Continue reading BC’s new old-growth advisory panel →
Forests

only 3% of BC’s old growth forest is highly productive mammoth trees.

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North Island Gazette, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Picture an old growth forest. You probably imagine towering, six-foot-wide trees carrying layers of silvery lichen and emerald moss. But according to a report recently released by three B.C. scientists, only 3% of BC’s old growth forest is comprised of these highly productive mammoth trees.

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