Congratulations to the AFA’s photographer and campaigner TJ Watt, who through popular vote was tied for first place in the local Eco-Hero competition by Hemp & Company! We’re proud of TJ, who’s photography has gone around the world to highlight the beauty and the plight of BC’s endangered old-growth forests. Thanks for everyone’s support and votes!
Hemp & Company no longer in operation.
Logging company officials maintain harvesting increases in the Comox Lake watershed in recent decades had nothing to do with the extended boil water advisory in the Courtenay area. But as more severe storms wreck havoc on the ecosystem, which provides the drinking water for tens of thousands in the Comox Valley, a local conservation group says it’s time to rethink forestry practices.
“What’s the right level of logging in the watershed? That’s what we have to figure out,” said David Stapley, project manager with the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Community Partnership (CVCSCP). “We believe from our research that it contributes to turbidity pollution in the lake when we have these high rainfall and snow events.”
Logging has come into focus in the wake of a one-and-a-half month boil water advisory in the Comox Valley, something that will be addressed at a forum called Re-Think Our Watershed to be held Feb. 24 at the Stan Hagen Theatre. CVCSCP is organizing the event which will feature a presentation from a TimberWest Corp. representative, the company most active in the watershed.
Neither BC Hydro nor the Comox Valley Regional District have evidence that logging was directly responsible for the elevated turbidity levels that prevented health officials from lifting the boil water advisory, but the events have sparked a conversation about the impact of logging on the environment.
A review by the CVCSCP found while it took 100 years to log 54 per cent of private forest lands in the Comox Lake watershed, between 1999 and 2009 16.2 per cent of this area was logged – a rate three times higher than before.
Domenico Iannidinardo, chief forester and VP sustainability for TimberWest said the company has full-time staff dedicated to monitoring the watershed and has water quality as a top priority.
“When it comes to forestry and drinking water, these are the two greatest renewable resources the Comox Valley has,” he said. “TimberWest has continued to adapt its plans, integrate science and work with the community.”
Island Timberlands LP and the Hancock Timber Resources Group are also present in the watershed, but don’t log as much in the area.
Some environmentalists are concerned the increase in logging has weakened the ecosystem.
“With that extensive logging you’ve got a network of logging roads, ditching and culverts,” Stapely said, adding that leads to erosion, which causes turbidity in lakes and rivers. “How much of that is from logging, how much of that is natural? We’d have to do a study.”
Not everyone agrees, including some loggers who have spent a good chunk of their lives trudging up and down the hills above Comox Lake.
Ken Cottini was based out of the Comox Valley for 34 years, watching Crown Zellerbach turn into Fletcher Challenge and then into TimberWest.
Before the snippers and other machinery were brought in there would be up to 25 fallers at a time working above Comox Lake, he remembers.
In many ways forestry companies have tightened up their act, he says, but notes loggers have always had a commitment to keeping the watershed intact – although they wouldn’t have phrased it that way decades ago.
“There was always cases of guys not wanting to fall into fish bearing creeks,” he said. “There’s only so much you can do if you’re ordered to do it.”
But things have improved significantly, he says. In the past loggers wouldn’t think twice about cutting into swamps to open up a setting, for example.
And it wasn’t until the 90s that water quality came to the fore.
Meanwhile TimberWest was going through its own changes.
The company had been absent from the Comox Lake watershed throughout the 1980s as second-growth forests were allowed to mature.
TimberWest returned to the area the following decade and began increasing the volume of logs it pulled out of the watershed.
Cottini recalls the TimberWest environmental committee he sat on bringing concerns from loggers about a jump in harvesting from about 300,000 cubic metres in the entire district (which includes Campbell River, Mount Washington and Comox Lake) past 400,000 cubic metres and beyond, in the mid 90s.
After Paul McElligott was appointed president and CEO in 2000, the company’s approach to logging on Vancouver Island took a dramatic turn, with harvesting levels shooting up past a million cubic metres per year, he said.
Workers were concerned this rate just wasn’t sustainable and would hurt both employment levels and the environment in the not too distant future.
“When they brought in the new management team from Quebec and the US it was ‘Screw the labour,'” he said. “It became all about money.”
TimberWest put an American expansion plan behind them and focused on “delivering value to its unitholders from its B.C. operations,” according to a company press release from the era.
One key element opposed by the TimberWest environment committee was the method of determining sustainability on a company-wide basis instead of within a particular district of operations, Cottini explained.
“We questioned them every step of the way,” he said, noting one of the practices that bothered loggers was instances of “robbing areas that are immature.”
TimberWest officials say they only log up to three per cent of forest lands in any given area and are committed to looking at the integrity of the watershed as a whole.
“There are many people who get up every morning looking forward to managing this forest very carefully,” Iannidinardo said. “Drinking water is the top planning priority for our operations in the watershed.”
Collective bargaining in the 2000s brought in significant new changes to how forest lands are managed, Cottini reflected.
“What happened was they got to contract all their lands out,” he said. “They can always download blame.”
And while Cottini says he believes contractors are held to account by TimberWest in the Comox Valley watershed and doesn’t think the company has violated any rules on purpose, he says no matter what way you look at it, things have shifted.
“We would hold them to certain standards,” he said. “It’s a whole different ballgame now.”
Since then, TimberWest has been sold to a pair of pension funds, the BC Investment Management Corp. and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
But Cottini doesn’t believe logging played a significant part in bringing on the boil water advisory.
While he conceded timber extraction certainly is one of the many factors affecting the watershed, it’s the changes he’s seen in recent years to the entire climate that have the bigger impact, he said.
“The weather’s going to keep evolving, too,” he said, suggesting what he feels the regional district should do to safeguard water quality. “That’s why I believe in a filtration system. We might as well get ahead of it instead of lagging behind.”
TimberWest officials say they leave buffer zones that range from 5-35 metres depending on the type of stream and soil on the bank.
The company also holds regular training sessions with planning and harvesting contractors.
Rod Bealing, executive director of the Private Forest Landowners Association, maintains the penalties for mismanaging the forest and watershed are so severe it keeps logging companies on the straight and narrow.
“There’s a lot of long-term planning that goes into it,” he said. “We all live in the same communities and drink the same water.”
Lyle Quinn, a Merville resident who logged in the Comox Lake watershed last year for Fall River Ltd., said he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary take place on the cut block this year that would have triggered significant turbidity.
The biggest difference was due to the warm weather they could log longer than usual.
“It was the worst bloody year for rain,” he said. “We used to be shut down all winter. Now we log all winter.”
With logging in the Alberni Valley not showing any signs of slowing down, Jane Morden and Sarah Thomas of the Watershed Forest Alliance and local biologist Mike Stini spent several hours on Sunday, Feb. 15 showing Coun. Chris Alemany and his wife, Theresa, and kids, Jade and Josh, around the Cameron Firebreak.
While the area is not a part of the city’s watershed, the old growth and steep terrain make it similar to McLaughlin Ridge, a steep slope above China Creek. China Creek is Port Alberni and Beaver Creek’s main drinking water source, with current turbidity levels low enough that that the city is applying for a filtration waiver. According to city engineer Guy Cicon, current water conditions make him confident that the city will receive the waiver.
The WFA is concerned that if old growth in McLaughlin Ridge is logged, the natural filtration it provides will be lost.
Read more: https://www.albernivalleynews.com
Some Island Timberlands' stakeholders are adding pressure to the forestry company over the harvesting of old growth within Port Alberni's watershed.
As logging continues in McLaughlin Ridge near Cathedral Grove, the B.C. Teachers Federation voted to ask Island Timberlands to sell the forestry land it owns in the steeply sloped area. The motion passed Jan. 31 at a BCTF assembly of district representatives, urging the forestry company to sell McLaughlin Ridge to “an organization(s) that will conserve and preserve forest lands.”
The old growth forest is within the China Creek watershed, the drinking water source for more than 20,000 people in Port Alberni and Beaver Creek. Ken Zydyk, president of the Alberni Teachers Union, said the request for Island Timberlands to divest the land was first approved by public educators in Port Alberni.
“There are many teachers concerned about the current practices of Island Timberlands,” he said.
Local teachers wonder if the harvesting in McLaughlin Ridge ensures “the protection of our watershed so that Port Alberni can continue to have high quality, clean water,” added Zydyk.
The Jan. 31 motion also asks Island Timberlands to gain certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, an international system that promotes “strict environmental and social standards,” according to the council's website.
Canadian members of the Forest Stewardship Council include Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries, the National Aboriginal Forestry Association and B.C.-based Brinkman and Associates Reforestation. The teachers' request now goes to the B.C. Investment Management Corporation, a major Island Timberlands shareholder. The BCIMC invests pensions for teachers and other public sector employees around the province.
“Teachers are uncomfortable that we put some of our salary towards our pension, it's like a savings account that we access later,” Zydyk said, adding that the concern was if teachers' funds are “being used in a socially responsible way.”
The forestry company has met with municipal officials on almost a monthly basis since city council voted last August to join a lobbying effort to halt harvesting in McLaughlin Ridge.
This push is being led by the Watershed Forest Alliance, a local environmental group that fears the forestry activity is unsustainable, harming McLaughlin Ridge's wildlife and compromising Port Alberni's source of drinking water.
A letter from Island Timberlands to the city in August 2014 said the company's construction of logging roads, harvesting and replanting is executed with a focus on water quality. The company stated lots are usually replanted within nine months of harvesting.
The administrative body that enforces provincial law on private forestry companies has deemed Island Timberlands to be acting responsibly. The Private Managed Land Council has investigated the company's activities in the China Creek Watershed.
“Their report concluded that our practices are above average for coastal operations,” wrote Morgan Kennah, IT's community affairs manager, in the letter to the city. “The study noted that although harvesting activity has increased in the area in the past decade, the hydrological capacity for the watershed to balance this harvesting with current forest cover and regenerating forests is below the threshold for best management in watersheds.”
Turbidity – or water cloudiness – has been an issue raised in the push to halt logging in the watershed. Turbidity can interfere with municipal water treatment systems, a concern that led Island Health to issue boil water advisories for Nanaimo and the Comox Valley after heavy rain in December. An advisory was not given for the Alberni Valley, as turbidity levels fell within the province's standard for healthy drinking water.
Island Timberlands' letter to the city noted that selling McLaughlin Ridge would be costly and bring no guarantee that water quality will improve.
“Acquiring land in the watershed in an attempt to impact seasonal turbidity will certainly be expensive, and is highly unlikely to eliminate the need for filtration,” wrote Kennah.
Meetings between the Watershed Forest Alliance, city officials and the B.C. Ministry of Forests are expected to continue.
On the agenda for Tuesday's council meeting, a motion proposed to form the Alberni Valley Watershed Management Committee to oversee forestry and drinking water issues.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, the Ancient Forest Alliance has quickly grown to become BC’s leading grassroots organization working for the protection of endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs across the province.
Over the past several years since the AFA was founded, local businesses, green enterprises, artists, environmental foundations, and other organizations have bolstered the AFA’s important work through many fundraising initiatives such as yoga studio Karma Classes, gift raffles, ‘Haircut not Clearcut’ salon fundraisers, in-kind donations, proceeds from products or services, music festivals, concerts and special benefit events.
Thanks to our 2014 Donors!
In 2014, the AFA received significant support from a variety of granting programs and creative fundraisers. We are very grateful for the major support provided by Mountain Equipment Co-op’s Community Contributions Grants and MEC Victoria’s vote of preferred organizations, LUSH Handmade Cosmetics’ Charity Pot program and employee vote of preferred organizations, Patagonia Victoria’s 1% for the Planet contributions, Evergreen Foundation’s funding for a Douglas-fir ecosystem restoration project, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s grant supporting the Avatar Grove boardwalk construction, and Ball Foundation’s grant towards our nature and climate campaign work. In March the annual Tree Huggers’ Ball dance party fundraiser, organized by the UVic Ancient Forest Committee, once again raised significant funds and awareness for the AFA.
To celebrate Earth Day, Grassroots Eco-Salon organized a ‘Haircuts not Clearcuts’ fundraiser, North Park Bike Shop and Café 932 raised funds from the day’s sales, and Sea Flora Wild Organic Seaweed Skincare donated proceeds from an Earth Day seaweed hike.
The AFA’s Boardwalk Fundraiser in June, hosted by Stickleback Restaurant, received support from businesses such as the West Coast Trail Express, Soule Creek Lodge and Pathfinders Design & Technology.
This summer, the Heritage Boardshop donated 50% of entry proceeds from the Salt Spring Skate Competition, the new owners of Vorizo Cafe on Hornby Island pledged support and displayed AFA posters and educational newsletters in the café, and the popular Tall Tree Music Festival once again came to Brown Mountain near Port Renfrew and lent its support to the AFA’s work to protect old-growth forests near Port Renfrew and beyond.
Throughout the year, yoga studios such as Moksha Yoga Victoria, Ananda Ayurveda, and Feel Good Yoga hosted their own Karma Class fundraisers, clothing company Hemp & Co. produced a variety of unique and popular AFA clothing items, West Coast Wonders pledged support from their guiding operations, local designers Emma Glover Design and Cat Abyss Clothing lent support through their creative work, and Port Renfrew Marina hosted many boardwalk volunteers during the boardwalk construction workparties. Banyen Books & Sound has been assisting the AFA’s efforts through sales of AFA cards at their store, and many businesses – Hoyne Brewing, River Road Chocolates, Cottlestone Apiary, Beehive Wool Shop, Olive the Senses, Third Eye Pinecones, Nightingale Naturals, Two Blooms Organics, The Copper Hat, Full Circle Studio Arts, Tonic Jewelry, LUSH, and Escents Aromatherapy – donated items to our fall raffles.
This holiday season, Inspire Hair Design provided funds from every appointment over the month of November, Trees Organic Coffee House generously offered space in their Yaletown café for the AFA’s holiday sales booth, Bon Macaron Patisserie, Cordial Wildcrafted Consumables, La Tana Bakery and Pedersen’s Rentals donated items to our year end events in Victoria, and Eternal Abundance Grocer and Vegan Café began selling AFA merchandise to help raise funding and awareness among their customers.
We look forward to working with many more such supporters in 2015 and beyond as we pursue our ambitious goal of ensuring legislated protection for endangered old-growth forests across the province!
For more information on supporting the AFA as a business or organization, see here.
For a full list of businesses, artists and organizations that have supported the AFA, see here.
The Ancient Forest Alliance is most grateful to the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) for their major support provided through their Community Contributions grant program. This funding support will allow the AFA to expand our capacity as an organization and strengthen our campaign to protect endangered old-growth forests on Vancouver Island! See MEC's website at: www.MEC.ca
The AFA would also like to thank Innerlife Health Services (innerlife.ca) for their Community Clinic on January 25th, offering BodyTalk sessions with proceeds to the Ancient Forest Alliance, as well as Climbing Arborist (www.climbingarborist.com) and the Mat Fernandez Project for supporting the AFA through their film screening event on January 30th, which included Darryl Augustine's (Roadside Films) AFA documentary. Thank you to all who were involved for your dedicated support!
Here's a new article in the Island Tides about the Central Walbran Valley's ancient forest being flagged for potential logging – see the full article here: https://www.islandtides.com/assets/reprint/forests_20150205.pdf
