SECRET GOVERNMENT DEAL WOULD LOG OLD-GROWTH FOREST CRUCIAL TO OUR PROTECTION FROM GLOBAL WARMING
Old-growth forests play a critical role in reducing climate change and protecting biodiversity. Scientists urge that, to fight global warming, we must save our remaining old-growth and mature forests. At a time when wildfires exacerbated by climate change have caused massive destruction and tragedy in BC, and the province has over 2,000 species at risk, this has become crucially important. Unfortunately, very little of BC’s big trees have survived decades of Profit-First logging. In 2021 the government created a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) to identify old-growth forests where logging should be temporarily deferred while decisions are made whether to protect them. The Panel put a high priority on big-treed old-growth that is at risk of being logged. This is important because the biggest trees provide the most protection from climate change, and the older forests are more resistant to fire and drought. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Forests (MOF) has removed over half of the deferrals recommended by the Panel with rich big-treed old-growth, and substituted old forest growing on poor sites that have trees of little commercial value. If this had not been leaked and made public, our original old-growth deferrals could have been logged without warning or public consultation.
Today, according to the TAP panel, many forest ecosystems that produce big trees have less than 10%, and some less than 1% of their historic amount of old-growth. TAP recommended 2.6 million hectares of big-treed oldgrowth for deferrals, emphasizing that they are “rare, at-risk and irreplaceable”.When creating the Old-growth Technical Advisory Panel in 2021, the government stated:
“This new technical panel will ensure we’re using the best science and data available to identify at-risk old growth ecosystems and prioritize areas for deferral. We are committed to a science-based approach to old growth management.”
In reality, many of the old-growth deferrals are now the work of the industry-biased Ministry of Forests (MOF) in backroom deals with logging interests. Some deferrals recommended by the Panel have been logged; others now cover forest not wanted for logging.
Forests Minister Bruce Ralston has blamed some First Nations. But BC governments have a long history of making grand promises of forestry reform, then allowing MOF to claw back for logging companies a major part of what was promised. Less than 30% of BC’s Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) have old-growth forest. Large areas of semi-protected habitat for mountain
caribou were stuffed with poor forest of little use to caribou.
BIG TALK AND LITTLE PROTECTION
Deferrals only postpone logging. Almost three years after the deferral process began, the only significant real protection has been the Incomappleux Conservancy. As much as the Valhalla Wilderness Society appreciates having part of its park proposal protected, much more is needed. Deferrals are of little worth unless they become permanent protection on the ground.
BIG-TREED OLD-GROWTH CRUCIAL TO MODERATE CLIMATE
Scientists estimate that forests remove about 28% of the CO2 humans add to the atmosphere. Big trees absorb far more carbon than small or medium-sized trees, and store it in their wood and soil. Clearcutting sets carbon absorption back to zero.
Worse, according to retired BC forest ecologist, Dr. Jim Pojar, “Logging primary, mature and old forests for wood products and converting them into intensively managed plantations releases large and essentially unrecoverable amounts of carbon to the atmosphere. These emissions cannot be simply offset by planting more trees because it takes a long time for trees and forests to establish, grow and mature.”
We have to ask ourselves why our forests and unique animal populations, as well as our hope of enlarged mitigation of climate change, have to be endangered and most often lost or destroyed to feed the multi-million dollar salaries of corporate executives. Many logging, mining and fossil fuel companies have reaped huge wealth for the past 50 years, and contributed large sums to the election campaigns of politicians who support them. During that time these same corporations have spread disinformation and doubt about climate change, yet our governments have complied with their demands.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The old-growth forest that the panel found most “rare, at-risk and irreplaceable” has been sentenced to be logged. They already have active or pending cutblocks.This has been arranged by trashing science, deceiving the public, and thwarting measures to protect the province from climate disasters. As a matter of the health and safety of the province, all BC’s big-treed old-growth should be preserved, and full protection should continue immediately.
Please write the government today. Hon. David Eby, Premier of BC premier@gov.bc.ca / Hon. Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca / Hon. George Heyman, Min of Environment, ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca.