Tag Archives: Tom Reimchen

Rivers & Oceans

Drift logs are scouring marine life from BC’s rocky shores

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

Surging numbers of free-floating logs are scouring BC’s coast, threatening marine creatures from barnacles to seabirds, a new University of Victoria study shows.

Barnacle populations, which play a critical role in ocean ecosystems, suffer declines of up 80 per cent in key rocky areas pounded by drift logs mostly from forestry operations, compared to colonies tucked in crevices protected from wood debris, the research suggests.

It’s a worrisome finding, said UVic biologist Tom Reimchen, one of the study’s authors, stressing that barnacles may be small, but their loss has a big ripple effect. 

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Forests

Interview with Bruce Ellingsen p1: What is a sustainable rate of consumption for forestry?

In respect to British Columbia’s old growth trees, “Most of what is left is in the difficult-to-access areas and the not so productive sites. Most of the best and easy to get is gone” – Bruce Ellingsen, one of the founders of the Cortes Community Forest Co-operative. 

In the first of two articles about current forestry practices, Ellingsen looks to dynamics in nature for indicators toward a more sustainable harvesting rate.

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