{"id":52817,"date":"2021-07-06T15:47:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T19:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=52817"},"modified":"2021-07-06T15:47:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T19:47:41","slug":"an-industry-response-to-curtailing-old-growth-logging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/an-industry-response-to-curtailing-old-growth-logging\/","title":{"rendered":"An industry response to curtailing Old Growth logging"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Roy L Hales<\/p>\n

An industry response to curtailing old growth logging appeared in the\u00a0Spring 2021 edition of the Truck Loggers Association magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n

The author, Ian MacNeill, points to what he believes is a glaring omission in the province\u2019s\u00a0Old Growth Strategic Review<\/a>. It does not \u201ctalk much about\u201d the social economic impact that further curtailments would have on communities that rely on forestry \u201cand where old growth timber makes up a significant part of the harvesting basket.\u201d MacNeill writes that the authors assume that communities will transition to other activities, but do not suggest what these activities might be.<\/p>\n

The Old Growth Strategic Review calls for a two year deferment on sites with the potential to grow very large trees. They are said to cover less than 3 per cent of the province and more than 97 per cent of the old growth on these sites is logged off.<\/p>\n

The report does not suggest that any actions be taken in the 80 per cent of forests classified as \"old growth,\" where the trees are small.<\/p>\n

MacNeill does not mention this distinction, but writes that the communities this would impact are already financially squeezed.<\/p>\n

With three of Mackenzie\u2019s four mills currently in curtailment, the job count has dropped from 650 to 275.<\/p>\n

Mayor Gaby Wickstrom<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Port McNeill\u00a0<\/a>pointed out in the Truck Loggers Association magazine article that taking old growth out of the equation would mean a 50 per cent decrease in the cut.<\/p>\n

She also takes issue with the idea that old growth are threatened in northern Vancouver Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the North Island, 76 per cent of the old growth is outside the timber harvesting land base,\u201d stated Wickstrom in the article.<\/p>\n

Dallas Smith<\/a>, president of the Nanwakolas Council\u00a0<\/a>on Vancouver Island, points out that industry would be crippled if it could not log old growth.<\/p>\n

Smith stated that the provincial report \u201dpaints a picture we had known existed for a long time, but it does not discuss long term solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Links of Interest:<\/h2>\n