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Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt stands among towering old-growth Douglas-fir trees in Metchosin.

Ancient Forest Alliance Commends BC NDP Government for Expanding Protection for Coastal Douglas-Fir Ecosystem

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The Ancient Forest Alliance is thanking the BC NDP government, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and Forests Minister Doug Donaldson for protecting almost one thousand hectares of Coastal Douglas Fir (CDF) forests from logging on eastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

The 19 parcels of Crown lands totalling 980.5 hectares of second-growth forests (with scattered old-growth “veteran” trees in some areas) near Bowser, Qualicum, Nanoose Bay, Nanaimo, and Cedar, and on Galiano and Saltspring Islands, have been made off-limits to logging through an amended Land Use Order. These new additions have increased protection in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone to over 11,000 hectares in extent. The new protections expand upon a similar process in 2010 that resulted in the issuance of land use orders which protected 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.

“This is a good step forward for the protection of one of Canada’s rarest ecosystems and we commend the BC NDP government for moving ahead with these protections. A thousand hectares of extremely endangered Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem – largely second-growth forests with some scattered old-growth ‘veteran’ trees – is highly valuable in terms of biodiversity conservation. About 50% of the ecosystem is already under pavement, farmland, or in heavily disturbed condition,” stated Andrea Inness, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner.

See the maps of the protected lands at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/natural-resource-use/land-water-use/crown-land/land-use-plans-and-objectives/westcoast-region/southisland-lu/southisland_cdfmm_luor_27jun2018amend_maps.pdf

See the BC government’s media release at: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018FLNR0178-001441

The protection order only targets Crown lands, as private lands must be purchased from willing sellers in order to be protected. The Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem is home to many species at risk and also has the best weather in Canada. Hence, most of Vancouver Island’s cities are in this ecological zone (Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, etc.). Most of the Coastal Douglas-fir zone was privatized through the E&N Land Grant over a hundred years ago. As a result, only 20% of the CDF ecosystem lies on public (Crown) lands, while 80% is privately owned. Almost all of it is unceded First Nations Coast Salish territory.

“This is a second phase expansion of the initial 2010 protections for the ecosystem, which originally protected about 2,000 hectares. We’d still like to see a third phase expansion to protect more of these Crown lands and, in addition, we’d like to see the province implement a provincial land acquisition fund of at least $40 million/year to begin with – less than 1% of the provincial budget – to purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on private lands, which dominate most of the Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem, for new protected areas”, stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

More Background Info

The CDF zone encompasses about 260,000 hectares on southeast Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands south of Cortes Island, and a small area of the Sunshine Coast. About 50 percent of the entire ecosystem has been converted to human uses such as agriculture and urbanization. About one percent of the region’s original old-growth forest remains.

The Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem is the smallest of BC’s 16 major ecosystems or “biogeoclimatic zones.” It is also considered to be among the top four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, along with the Tallgrass Prairie in Manitoba, the Carolinian Forest in southern Ontario, and the “Pocket Desert“ near Osoyoos in southern BC. The ecosystem is characterized by its mild, Mediterranean-like climate; trees like the Douglas-fir, Garry oak, and arbutus; and large numbers of species at risk, such as the alligator lizard and sharp-tailed snake.

In order to establish an ecologically viable protected areas network in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone, the Ancient Forest Alliance advocates the protection of most Crown land parcels within the zone and the establishment of a joint provincial-federal parkland acquisition fund of at least $40 million/year ($20 million from each level of government) to purchase private lands for the establishment of new protected areas. The proposed fund would rise to an annual $100 million by 2024 through $10 million increases each year and would enable the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.

Species at risk within the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) zone include Garry oak trees, sharp-tailed snakes, alligator lizards, and Vancouver Island screech owl and pygmy owl subspecies.

“In an area where only nine percent of the land base is provincial Crown land, the purchase and protection of private land is critical if we want to avoid biodiversity loss in the long-term,” said Inness. “The protected area target set out for nations under the UN Convention of Biological Diversity is 17 percent. A land acquisition fund is a vital way to ensure enough large areas are protected to reach that 17 percent target in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone.”

The AFA is also encouraging the BC government to consider a third phase of land use order protections on additional Crown lands in the CDF zone to ensure this unique ecosystem is adequately conserved and can be enjoyed by BC residents and visitors for generations.

Port Alberni Watershed Forest-Alliance activist Jane Morden surveys old-growth logging by Island Timberlands on McLaughlin Ridge in the China Creek drinking watershed of Port Alberni.

Conservationists Disappointed the BC NDP’s Budget Fails to Allocate Land Acquisition Funding for Endangered Ecosystems and Old-Growth Forests

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For immediate release
February 20, 2018

Victoria, BC – The Ancient Forest Alliance is disappointed the NDP government’s provincial budget, released today, fails to include even modest funding for a provincial land acquisition fund vital for protecting endangered old-growth forests and ecosystems on private lands, despite repeated requests from conservation groups and thousands of concerned citizens. A land acquisition fund could be used to protect the endangered old-growth forests on Mount Horne above the world-famous Cathedral Grove, for example, and hundreds of other forests, grasslands, and wetlands across the province in danger of development.

Such a fund currently exists among various regional districts, including a $3.7 million/year annual fund at the Capital Regional District of Greater Victoria, and previously existed under the NDP government of the 1990s and on a diminished scale under the BC Liberal government until 2008, when the province cancelled dedicated, annual provincial funding for the initiative.

Since July of last year, the Ancient Forest Alliance has repeatedly sent briefing documents to Environment Minister George Heyman and Forest Minister Doug Donaldson, outlining the urgent need for a dedicated provincial fund to purchase private lands of high conservation and recreational value to add them to the province’s protected area system. Reports by the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and by environmental lawyer, Erin Grey, were also sent, detailing various funding mechanisms readily available to the province for a land acquisition fund.

As a start, the group asked the BC government to commit even modest funds in the February 2018 budget for a land acquisition fund for new protected areas and to begin exploring dedicated funding mechanisms that can be implemented during a subsequent legislative session, such as redirecting the province's unredeemed bottle deposit funds (worth an estimated $5 to $15 million/year) toward private land acquisition.

After repeated requests to meet with Environment Minister George Heyman and Ministry of Environment staff since August, the Ancient Forest Alliance received only one reply in October, saying the Minister would be open to meeting requests after the New Year. Two more meeting requests have since been made and subsequently ignored by the Minister’s office. The groups did secure a meeting with Forest Minister Doug Donaldson last October to discuss Crown lands; however, the land acquisition fund for private lands is primarily within the mandate of Environment Minister Heyman. Green Party MLAs also met with the Ancient Forest Alliance last summer, shortly after the provincial election, and expressed support for the organization’s various proposals.

“The NDP’s failure thus far to commit even a few dollars in their $55 billion budget to a provincial land acquisition fund and the silence we’re being met with by the Environment Minister are not good signs,” said Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “Let’s hope this government doesn’t think they can take the conservation movement for granted and can ignore our calls for long overdue, major policy changes to protect old-growth forests and threatened ecosystems.”

“It’s increasingly clear we now need to significantly mobilize public opinion – even under an NDP government. Otherwise, they may attempt to keep us in the margins,” said Andrea Inness, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner. “Over 3,000 messages have already been sent to the BC government from our supporters, asking them to create a provincial land acquisition fund, enact policies to protect old-growth forests on Crown land, and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry…yet the NDP government seems unmoved at this point. We need to redouble our efforts, meaning more British Columbians will be speaking up for a land acquisition fund and old-growth forest protection by emailing, phoning, and meeting with their MLA and demanding this issue be made a priority.”

As part of their proposal for forestry reforms, the Ancient Forest Alliance and several other major conservation groups are requesting the BC government implement a series of policy and legislative changes to protect endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs. Besides a land acquisition fund for private lands, these policies also include a science-based plan to protect old-growth forests on Crown lands, financial support for First Nation sustainable economic development and diversification in lieu of old-growth logging, and incentives and regulations to ensure a value-added, sustainable, second-growth forest industry. While these long-term solutions are developed, more immediate steps can be taken, including converting “non-legal” Old-Growth Management Areas – those that exist only on paper – into legally-binding protections, implementing the Big Tree Legal Order currently under development by Ministry of Forests staff for the past six years to potentially protect the biggest trees on the coast with buffer zones, and discontinuing issuance of old-growth cut-blocks by BC Timber Sales, the province’s logging agency.

Background Information

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to establish an annual $40 million provincial land acquisition fund to purchase and protect private lands in BC. The proposed fund would rise to an annual $100 million by 2024 through $10 million increases each year and would enable the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.

Such lands could include contentious old-growth forests located on Cortes Island, Horne Mt near the iconic Cathedral Grove, Cameron Valley Firebreak and McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni, and eastern Vancouver Island, as well as endangered grasslands, wetlands, and ecosystems throughout BC on private lands.

Many regional districts in BC have land or “park” acquisition funds, including the Capital Regional District of Greater Victoria (CRD). The CRD’s fund generates about $3.7 million each year and, with its partners, has spent over $35 million to purchase over 4,500 hectares of land since its establishment in the year 2000, ensuring the protection of such iconic natural areas as the Sooke Hills and Potholes, Jordan River surf lands, Mount Maxwell on Saltspring Island, and lands between Thetis Lake and Mount Work. Like the CRD’s land acquisition fund, the proposed $40 million provincial fund could be used as leverage to raise additional funds from private land trusts, environmental groups and private donors.

In 2015, the Ancient Forest Alliance commissioned a report by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre, entitled Finding the Money to Buy and Protect Natural Lands, which detailed over a dozen mechanisms used in jurisdictions across North America to raise funds for protecting land (found online here).

Of these potential revenue streams, the Pop for Parks program is the most readily available funding source in BC. Under this program, the annual $5 to $15 million in unredeemed container deposits that currently go to beverage companies in BC could be readily redirected to protect green spaces for British Columbians to enjoy. According to a report released last year by environmental lawyer Erin Grey, supported by West Coast Environmental Law's Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund, Pop for Parks: How to Fund B.C.’s Urgent Need for Land Conservation and Encourage the Beverage Industry to Improve its Recycling Rates, there are no legal or financial barriers to implementing the Pop for Parks program in BC – only a lack of political will. (See the report online here).

So far, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC), numerous municipal councils and the Islands Trust, and 19 environmental and recreation organizations, including the Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club of BC, Wilderness Committee, BC Spaces for Nature, CPAWS BC, and BC Federation of Mountain Clubs, have pledged their support for a provincial land acquisition fund to be funded by the Pop for Parks mechanism.  

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt stands among towering old-growth Douglas-fir trees in Metchosin.

ACTION ALERT: Support Expanded Protection of the Endangered Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem in British Columbia!

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Please take just a couple minutes to WRITE to the BC government, telling them you support their proposal to expand protections in the endangered Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem on Vancouver Island and in the Gulf Islands!

The BC government is seeking the public’s input on their proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem protected on public (Crown) lands on Vancouver Island’s southeast coast and in the southern Gulf Islands.

The Coastal Douglas-Fir (CDF) ecosystem is home to the highest number of species at risk in BC, including Garry oak trees, sharp-tailed snakes, alligator lizards, and Vancouver Island screech owl and pygmy owl subspecies. With less than four percent of the region’s ecosystems currently protected by the province, the proposed protection measures are greatly needed and are a significant step forward, although by themselves are not sufficient to halt the loss of biodiversity from the region.

The BC government is proposing to protect 21 parcels of public land in Bowser, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Galiano Island, and Saltspring Island. The proposed new protected areas total 1,125 hectares and expands upon a similar process in 2010 that resulted in the issuance similar land use orders, which protected 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.
See: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/TASB/SLRP/southisland/CDFAmendment.html

Please write to the BC government until Monday, January 15th 2018, to express your support for this proposal and for greater protection of the Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem.

Email your written comments to CDFOrderAmendment2017@gov.bc.ca and Cc Forest Minister Doug Donaldson at FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca and Environment Minister George Heyman at env.minister@gov.bc.ca.

Tell them:

  1. You support the BC government’s full proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-Fir (CDF) ecosystem protected on Crown lands through their proposed Land Use Orders.
  2. In addition, you also support the creation of a provincial land acquisition fund, which would allow the BC government to purchase and protect private lands of high conservation or recreational values to establish new protect areas in the CDF ecosystem and across BC. Because private lands constitute the vast majority of the region, this fund is needed to ensure the sufficient protection of the CDF ecosystem.
  3. You recommend they read the report Finding the Money to Buy and Protect Natural Lands by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre, which details over a dozen mechanisms used in jurisdictions across North America to raise funds for protecting land (found online here: https://www.elc.uvic.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/FindingMoneyForParks-2015-02-08-web.pdf).
  4. You would like the province to consider a third phase of similar land use order protections on additional Crown lands in the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem.

*Be sure to include your full name and address so that they know you are a real person.

More details:
The BC government is proposing to protect 21 parcels of public land covering 1,125 hectares in Bowser, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Galiano Island, and Saltspring Island. The protection measures expand upon a similar process undertaken in 2010, where land use orders were issued to protect 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.

The Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem, the smallest of BC’s 16 distinctive biogeoclimatic zones (classified according to their climatic and ecological features), is among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada.

The CDF ecosystem encompasses about 260,000 hectares on southeast Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands south of Cortes Island, and a small area of the Sunshine Coast. About 50 percent of the entire ecosystem has been converted to human uses such as agriculture and urbanization. About one percent of the region’s original old-growth forest remains.

Only nine percent of the land base is provincial Crown land, so the purchase and protection of additional private land is also critical to help safeguard conservation values and species at risk.

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to establish an annual $40 million provincial land acquisition fund to purchase and protect private lands in BC, including in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone, which has the highest percentage of private land in the province of any biogeoclimatic zone in BC.

The proposed fund would rise to an annual $100 million by 2024 through $10 million increases each year and would enable the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.

Many regional districts in BC have land or “park” acquisition funds, including the Capital Regional District of Greater Victoria (CRD). The CRD’s fund generates about $3.7 million each year and, with its partners, has spent over $35 million to purchase over 4,500 hectares of land since its establishment in the year 2000, ensuring the protection of such iconic natural areas as the Sooke Hills and Potholes, Mount Maxwell on Saltspring Island, and lands between Thetis Lake and Mount Work. Like the CRD’s land acquisition fund, the proposed $40 million provincial fund could be used as leverage to raise additional funds from private land trusts, environmental groups and private donors.

See the Ancient Forest Alliance’s media release about the proposed expansion of Coastal Douglas-Fir zone protections at: https://16.52.162.165/news-item.php?ID=1162

Old-Growth Coastal Douglas Fir forest in Metchosin

Ancient Forest Alliance supports BC government’s proposal to expand Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem protection

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For immediate release
December 22, 2017

Ancient Forest Alliance supports BC government’s proposal to expand Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem protection

The group applauds the province’s move to protect threatened Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) ecosystems on Crown land.

Victoria, BC – The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) commends the BC government and Ministry of Forests on their proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem protected on public (Crown) lands on Vancouver Island’s southeast coast and the southern Gulf Islands.

The proposed new protected areas total 1,125 hectares and expand upon a similar process in 2010 that resulted in the issuance of land use orders which protected 2,024 hectares of public lands on southeast Vancouver Island the Sunshine Coast.

The BC government is proposing to protect 21 parcels of public land in Bowser, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Gabriola Island, Ladysmith, Galiano Island, and Saltspring Island.


“The AFA is pleased to see the NDP government recognize the need to expand protections in this unique and extremely endangered ecosystem,” said Ken Wu, executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance. “The Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem is home to the highest number of species at risk in BC and, with less than four percent of the region’s ecosystems protected by the province, the proposed protection measures are greatly needed.”

The Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem, the smallest of BC’s 16 distinctive biogeoclimatic zones (classified according to their climatic and ecological features), is among the top four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, along with the Tallgrass Prairie in Manitoba, the Carolinian Forest in southern Ontario, and the “Pocket Desert“ near Osoyoos in southern BC.

Species at risk within the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) zone include Garry oak trees, sharp-tailed snakes, alligator lizards, and Vancouver Island screech owl and pygmy owl subspecies.

The CDF zone encompasses about 260,000 hectares on southeast Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands south of Cortes Island, and a small area of the Sunshine Coast. About 50 percent of the entire ecosystem has been converted to human uses such as agriculture and urbanization. About one percent of the region’s original old-growth forest remains.

Most of the Coastal Douglas-fir zone was privatized through the E&N Land Grant over a hundred years ago. Only twenty percent of the area is Crown land and almost all of it is unceded First Nations territory.

“We welcome the NDP’s plan to protect more public land in this endangered ecosystem. This is a major step forward for the Coastal Douglas-Fir region. We believe the BC government must also commit funding to the purchase and protection of private lands, which constitute the vast majority of the CDF zone and encompass at-risk ecosystems that, otherwise, remain vulnerable to development or degradation” said Andrea Inness, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner.

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to establish an annual $40 million provincial land acquisition fund to purchase and protect private lands in BC, including in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone, which has the highest percentage of private land in the province of any biogeoclimatic zone in BC.

The proposed fund would rise to an annual $100 million by 2024 through $10 million increases each year and would enable the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.

“In an area where only nine percent of the land base is provincial Crown land, the purchase and protection of private land is critical if we want to avoid biodiversity loss in the long-term,” said Inness. “The protected area target set out for nations under the UN Convention of Biological Diversity is 17 percent. A land acquisition fund is a vital way to ensure enough large areas are protected to reach that 17 percent target in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone.”

The AFA is also encouraging the BC government to consider a third phase of land use order protections on additional Crown lands in the CDF zone to ensure this unique ecosystem is adequately conserved and can be enjoyed by BC residents and visitors for generations.

The BC government is inviting the public to submit their comments on the proposal to increase the amount of Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem protections from now until Jan. 15, 2018.

Written comments may be sent to CDFOrderAmendment2017@gov.bc.ca.

Background Information

The Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem has the mildest climate in Canada, resulting in an almost Mediterranean environment with hot dry summers, mild winters, and moderate precipitation, creating natural meadow environments. Today the area features largely second-growth forests with some pockets of old-growth veteran trees, and includes sensitive ecosystems with rocky outcroppings, arbutus trees, and Garry oak meadows.

Many regional districts in BC, such as the Capital, Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, Strathcona, and Powell River Regional Districts, have land – or “park” – acquisition funds, some of which are augmented by the fundraising efforts of private citizens and land trusts. The Land Acquisition Fund of the Capital Regional District of Greater Victoria (CRD) has been foundational in helping to protect endangered ecosystems and lands of high recreational and scenic value.

The CRD’s fund generates about $3.7 million each year and has spent over $35 million to purchase over 4,500 hectares of land around Victoria with its partners since its establishment in the year 2000, and has helped to protect such iconic natural areas as the Sooke Hills and Potholes, Mount Maxwell on Saltspring Island, and lands between Thetis Lake and Mount Work. Like the Capital Regional District’s land acquisition fund, the proposed $40 million provincial fund could be used as leverage to raise additional funds from private land trusts, environmental groups and private donors.

One of several funding mechanisms available to the BC government for a land acquisition fund is a “Pop for Parks” initiative, where unredeemed bottle deposit funds are redirected to the protection of lands with high conservation values. While the annual $10 to $15 million Pop for Parks program would make up only part of the recommended annual $40 million fund, a report by environmental lawyer Erin Grey, produced earlier this year for the AFA, showed there are no legal or financial barriers to implementing the program in BC – only a lack of political will.

 

 

 

 

 

Port Alberni Watershed Forest-Alliance's Jane Morden stands with giant Douglas-fir trees on McLaughlin Ridge

BC Government Must Protect Old-Growth Forests in Port Alberni’s Drinking Watershed

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For Immediate Release
March 31, 2015

Conservationists:  BC Government Must Protect Old-Growth Forests in Port Alberni’s Drinking Watershed

Conservationists call on BC Government to help purchase endangered old-growth forests on Island Timberlands’ deregulated lands, including McLaughlin Ridge in Port Alberni’s drinking watershed,  following BC Teachers Federation motion, Port Alberni city council resolution, and now Island Timberlands’ potential interest in selling McLaughlin Ridge.

Conservationists are ramping-up the pressure on the BC government to purchase and protect endangered old-growth forests owned by Island Timberlands around Port Alberni, including McLaughlin Ridge in the city’s drinking watershed, following rapidly evolving developments. Recently, Island Timberlands has stated that they are potentially interested in selling McLaughlin Ridge, greatly sought by conservation interests, and that they have no plans to log the ridge in 2015. The company’s new stance follows the Port Alberni city council’s support for protecting the old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge and the BC Teacher’s Federation’s motion last month calling on Island Timberlands to divest itself of McLaughlin Ridge so that it can be purchased and protected and to upgrade the company’s forestry practices to the higher, more environmental standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme.The BC Liberal government deregulated McLaughlin Ridge and thousands of hectares of other old-growth forests around Port Alberni in 2004 by removing them from their Tree Farm Licence, opening them up to logging. Public forums, rallies, and letter-writing events are currently being planned by conservationists to help the BC government overcome their reluctance to take responsibility for and to show leadership on this issue.

Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Port Alberni Watershed Forest Alliance are calling on the BC Liberal government to help fund the protection of these old-growth forests – which they deregulated in 2004 by removing them from their Tree Farm Licence (TFL 44), thus removing planned environmental protections for old-growth forests, endangered species, deer and elk wintering habitat, and exposing these lands to clearcut logging.  The conservation organizations are also actively looking at various land trusts and private donors to also contribute to funding the protection of these endangered old-growth forests, including Mclaughlin Ridge, the Cameron Valley Firebreak, Katlum Creek, and Horne Mountain above the world-famous Cathedral Grove.Island Timberlands is owned in large part by the BC Investment Management Corporation or BCIMC which includes the pension funds of public employees including teachers.

“With Island Timberlands indicating that they have some interest in a conservation solution for McLaughlin Ridge, and with the support of the Port Alberni mayor and city council and the BC Teachers Federation for this, it’s time that the BC government also step forward and become part of the solution,” stated Ken Wu of the Ancient Forest Alliance. “After all, they originally deregulated these forest lands, causing this whole mess – and now they must fix it. They need to commit to funding or helping to fund the purchase and protection of McLaughlin Ridge and other remaining old-growth forests on these deregulated lands.”

“After years of campaigning, we’ve now reached a juncture that most of the critical parties are in agreement that we need a win-win solution to keep our drinking watershed and key old-growth forests intact by Port Alberni. We’re not there yet, but the BC government can push this into a final solution very quickly if they have the political will,” stated Jane Morden, coordinator of the Port Alberni Watershed Forest Alliance.

Conservation groups will be requesting meetings with Vancouver Island MLA’s (Members of the Legislative Assembly) with the ruling BC Liberal party, and holding letter-writing and public awareness events to ensure the protection of these lands if provincial government intransigence persists.

In addition, forest activists are actively searching for options among private land trusts and other donors who may take an interest in helping to purchase McLaughlin Ridge and other lands. Island Timberlands recently worked with local Cortes Island residents to ensure the purchase and protection of the mature and older forests at the Whaletown Commons.

BACKGROUND INFO

Island Timberlands is the second largest private landowner in BC, owning about 250,000 hectares of private forest lands in the province. This includes extremely scarce old-growth Douglas-fir forest, high quality ungulate (deer) winter range, and endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk habitat at McLaughlin Ridge, which the company has previously partially cut, although much of the core area remains intact.

  • See recent photos of the logging at McLaughlin Ridge in early July (media are free to reprint, credit to “TJ Watt” if possible): https://on.fb.me/1qeaXhn
  • See older photos of the intact forest and earlier logging in 2011 at McLaughlin Ridge (media are free to reprint all photos, credit to “TJ Watt” if possible): www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=10

McLaughlin Ridge has been recognized by the provincial government’s own biologists as one of the most ecologically important forests. See: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/battle-revealed-over-use-of-sensitive-island-forest-near-port-alberni-1.10365

McLaughlin Ridge is part of 78,000 hectares of land (originally owned by Weyerhaeuser, followed by Island Timberlands) that were removed from Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island in 2004, thereby removing the planned environmental policies and/or regulations intended to protect species at risk (Wildlife Habitat Areas or WHA’s), old-growth forests, deer and elk winter ranges (Ungulate Winter Ranges or UWR’s), and riparian areas; to control the rate of cut; and to restrict raw log exports to protect local mills. The removal of the lands from TFL 44 included the stipulation from the BC government that a follow-up agreement be developed between the company and the government to ensure the protection of McLaughlin Ridge and other intended UWR’s and WHA’s – however, both parties failed to pursue the agreement, and the lands were subsequently partially being logged until Island Timberlands halted operations recently.

In total, about 2400 hectares of endangered old-growth forests originally intended for protection by the BC government as Ungulate Winter Ranges and Wildlife Habitat Areas in TFL 44 are now endangered. These lands also include Horne Mountain above the world-famous Cathedral Grove, the Cameron Valley Firebreak, Katlum Creek, and other areas – about three-fourths of which are estimated to have been logged by now (ie. only about 600 to 700 hectares are estimated to still remain). Most of these areas are within the traditional territory of the Hupacasth, Tseshaht, and/or K’omoks First Nations bands.

Over the past several years conservationists have been asking the BC government to purchase and protect endangered private lands – which the government did at Jordan River for example in 2010 at a popular surfing area at risk due to similar circumstances involving TFL deregulation of Western Forest Product’s private forest lands. Ideally, these purchases would occur as part of a larger, dedicated “park acquisition fund” of millions of dollars each year for this purpose. At this urgent time, simply protecting the last few hundred hectares of the old-growth forests that remain at McLaughlin Ridge, Horne Mountain (above Cathedral Grove), Cameron Firebreak, Katlum Creek, etc. would be the immediate priority.

Protecting these areas would protect vital habitat for endangered species, as well as Roosevelt elk, deer, and other wildlife; ensure clean and abundant water for fish and drinking watersheds; protect hiking, hunting, fishing, and recreational areas; and would provide huge potential for eco-tourism ventures in the area.

 

 

 

 

Ancient Forest Alliance

SRD buys valuable piece of real estate

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The Strathcona Regional District has agreed to purchase a hotly debated piece of property for nearly $1 million.

After five years of negotiations with Island Timberlands, the owner of the 70-acre greenspace on Cortes Island, the property is expected to soon belong to the regional district.

Island Timberlands accepted an offer of $839,000 for the property, known as Whaletown Commons, which is appraised at $826,000 ($475,000 for the timber and $351,000 for the land).

The Whaletown Commons Society, a non-profit which has been trying to secure the land for more than 20 years, is partnering with the regional district and has agreed to chip in roughly $73,000 towards the purchase with its share raised through local donations.

Cortes Director Noba Anderson told her constituents in a newsletter in June that the regional district has more than $571,000 in community parks reserve funds that it’s prepared to contribute towards the purchase.

Anderson said she’s pleased the regional district was able to secure the land for Cortes residents to enjoy for years to come.

“I am beyond delighted that this long-standing community park priority has finally become a reality,” Anderson said in a news release. “The purchase of Whaletown Commons is a rare opportunity to secure 70 acres of green-space in the centre of a neighbourhood, and I am honoured to be part of making this happen.”

The Whaletown Commons Society, which was formed with the sole purpose of keeping the greenspace as parkland, wants to use the property to create a community park in Whaletown and to provide a spot for potential re-location of some of the community’s public assembly buildings.

The greenspace is a valuable piece of land because of its high forest and riparian values, salmon-bearing Burnside Creek, and it provides a natural habitat for wolves and other animals.

It also connects three Whaletown sub-neighbourhoods and is set to become the first formal and permanent park in the Whaletown/Gorge area.

Anderson assured Cortes Islanders last month that the regional district has no interest in developing the property.

“It is important to underline that this park would be purchased as a green space – and a green space only,” Anderson wrote on Cortes’ online site, Tideline, in June. “What becomes of it in the future will be up to the community and the limitations of the covenant (on the land).”

Recent old-growth logging by Island Timberlands on McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni.

Major Environmental, Labour, and Community Organizations call on Island Timberlands and the BC Government to Halt the Destruction of one of BC’s Finest Old-Growth Forests at McLaughlin Ridge

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For Immediate Release

July 21, 2014

Major Environmental, Labour, and Community Organizations call on Island Timberlands and the BC Government to Halt the Destruction of one of BC’s Finest Old-Growth Forests at McLaughlin Ridge on Vancouver Island

Diverse organizations, including a major forestry workers union, BC’s largest environmental organizations, and community organizations, have signed a statement calling on Island Timberlands to immediately cease and desist from logging the endangered old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge, one Canada’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and for the BC Liberal government show leadership and ensure the forest’s protection – before it’s too late.

Organizations that have signed on include the: Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance, Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union, ForestEthics, Canopy, Greenpeace Canada, Sierra Club of BC, Canadian Parks And Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Wilderness Committee, Island Stance, Alberni Environmental Coalition, Arrowsmith Parks and Land-use Council, Port Alberni Council of Canadians, Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Save the Day, & Valhalla Wilderness Society.

“We’re excited that the ecological significance of McLaughlin Ridge and the environmental emergency caused by Island Timberlands’ logging of this magnificent ancient forest has been recognized by so many diverse organizations. This includes the province’s most powerful environmental organizations that have succeeded in protecting significant tracts of ancient forests in BC; local ‘kitchen table’ environmental groups of citizens who hold meetings in their homes, engaged in similar struggles against Island Timberlands in their neck of the woods; one of the largest forestry workers unions in BC; and other important community groups. The company and the BC government really need to heed the call of so many diverse organizations, otherwise the controversy will only continue to grow,” stated Jane Morden, coordinator of the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance, which is spearheading the campaign to protect old-growth forests around Port Alberni, including McLaughlin Ridge.

Island Timberland is the second largest private landowner in British Columbia, with over 258,000 hectares of private forest lands in BC. The controversial logging corporation’s rapid cutting of extremely scarce old-growth Douglas-fir forests, high quality ungulate (deer) winter range, and endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk habitat at McLaughlin Ridge risks escalating a wider conflict in the War in the Woods.

See older photos of the intact forest and earlier logging in 2011 at McLaughlin Ridge (media are free to reprint all photos, credit to “TJ Watt” if possible): https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/mclaughlin-ridge/

Conservationists raised the alarm recently when they discovered earlier this month that Island Timberlands has begun a road-building and logging spree into the heart of McLaughlin Ridge. The company had logged a 100 meter wide or greater swath of old-growth trees, traversing almost the entire span of the previously intact section of McLaughlin Ridge’s old-growth forest.

McLaughlin Ridge is part of 78,000 hectares of land that were removed from Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island in 2004, thereby removing the planned environmental policies and/or regulations intended to protect species at risk, old-growth forests, ungulate winter ranges, and to control the rate of cut; as well as those designated to protect riparian areas and restrict raw log exports to protect local mills.

“By all measures, McLaughlin Ridge is of the highest conservation priority – as ungulate winter range, for species at risk, for scarce old-growth Douglas-fir groves, and as part of Port Alberni’s drinking watershed. McLaughlin Ridge was supposed to be protected as part of the agreement to remove the lands from the Tree Farm Licence in 2004, but the BC government and Island Timberlands dropped the ball on the subsequent negotiations. We need Island Timberlands to cease and desist immediately from their old-growth logging operations, and for the BC government to ensure a conservation solution for this endangered ancient forest,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner.

“Island Timberlands is a corporation that is constantly wading into controversy – more than any other BC logging company it seems. They are charging forward to log their most contentious, environmentally significant old-growth forests and socially-valued lands, despite the fact that these hot spots constitute a minuscule fraction of their 250,000 hectares of private forest lands in BC. This is a bad business model in this province, and I’d recommend they take a new approach. The current situation will be a lose-lose for everyone. But there are solutions, including some possible creative ones, that can be developed. However, it will require that the company immediately halt its logging operations at McLaughlin Ridge so this whole thing doesn’t become a moot point soon, and for the BC government to show their willingness to be leaders to implement a solution. But time is short and options for McLaughlin Ridge will run out soon if the corporation continues to cut out the heart of its ancient forest,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

MORE BACKGROUND INFO

McLaughlin Ridge has been recognized by the provincial government’s own biologists as one of the most important habitats for the red-listed Queen Charlotte Goshawk (an endangered bird of prey) and as one of the finest ungulate wintering ranges for coastal black-tailed deer on Vancouver Island. See: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/battle-revealed-over-use-of-sensitive-island-forest-near-port-alberni-1.10365

The area was originally intended for protection by the provincial government as an Ungulate Winter Range (UWR) and Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA), until the province’s plans changed when it removed the lands from Tree Farm Licence 44. The removal of the lands from TFL 44 in 2004 included the stipulation from the BC government that a follow-up agreement be developed between the company and the government to ensure the protection of McLaughlin Ridge and other intended UWR’s and WHA’s – however, both parties failed to pursue the agreement, and the lands are now being logged.

In total, about 2400 hectares of endangered old-growth forests originally intended for protection by the BC government as Ungulate Winter Ranges and Wildlife Habitat Areas in TFL 44 are now endangered. These lands also include Horne Mountain above the world-famous Cathedral Grove, the Cameron Valley Firebreak, Katlum Creek, and other areas – of which, about two-thirds of the total area are estimated to have now been logged. Much of the lands are within the traditional territory of the Hupacasath band. At the current pace of falling, much of McLaughlin Ridge could be logged within a few weeks.

Despite the company’s recent logging incursion into the heart of McLaughlin Ridge, a few hundred hectares of extremely endangered old-growth forests and mature second-growth forests still stand on the slope – for now. This includes major stands of old-growth Douglas-fir trees, the overwhelming majority of which have been logged on BC’s coast.

Over the past several years conservationists have been asking the BC government to purchase and protect endangered private lands – which the government did at Jordan River for example in 2010 at a popular surfing area at risk due to similar circumstances involving the removal of Western Forest Product’s private forest lands from their TFL’s. Ideally, these purchases would occur as part of a larger, dedicated “park acquisition fund” of millions of dollars each year for this purpose. At this urgent time, simply protecting the last few hundred hectares of the old-growth forests that remain at McLaughlin Ridge, Horne Mountain (above Cathedral Grove), Cameron Firebreak, Katlum Creek, etc. would be the immediate priority.

Protecting these areas would protect vital habitat for endangered species and Roosevelt elk, deer, and other wildlife; ensure clean and abundant water for fish and drinking watersheds; protect hiking, hunting, fishing, and recreational areas; and would provide huge potential for eco-tourism ventures in the area.

In addition, forest activists will start looking at options among private land trusts who may take an interest in helping to purchase McLaughlin Ridge and similar lands. Island Timberlands has recently been in conversation with local Cortes Island residents and the Strathcona Regional District about potentially selling some of its contentious forest lands on Cortes: https://www.campbellrivermirror.com

Island Timberlands logs old-growth forests near Port Alberni

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Conservationists expressed alarm over a logging company’s logging of rare old-growth Douglas Fir trees near Port Alberni. Island Timberlands had reportedly logged a hundred-metre wide section of old-growth trees in the previously intact part of McLaughlin Ridge’s forest.

The Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance and Ancient Forest Alliance have urged the BC government — which deregulated the land in 2004 — to work toward conservation of McLaughlin Ridge and other endangered old-growth forests jeopardized by Island Timberlands.

“This magnificent old growth forest is being reduced to stumps, logs and huge amounts of waste that will most likely end up in massive burn piles,” said Port Alberni Watershed Forest Alliance coordinator Jane Morden.

“Anyone who sees this area now will never be able to imagine the centuries old forest that once stood here, nor will the forest ever grow back the same. It is a tragic loss for not only the wildlife that depended on it, but also for future generations…What’s going on right now is a first rate environmental emergency in this province.”

Logging by Island Timberlands was also at the centre of controversy on Cortes Island, where protesters tried to block loggers’ access to the island’s forests.

“By all measures, McLaughlin Ridge is of the highest conservation priority…McLaughlin Ridge was supposed to be protected as part of the agreement to remove the lands from the Tree Farm Licence in 2004, but the BC government and Island Timberlands dropped the ball on the subsequent negotiations,” said TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner. “We need Island Timberlands to cease and desist immediately from their old-growth logging operations, and for the BC government to ensure a conservation solution for this endangered ancient forest.”

A few hundred hectares of endangered old growth forests and mature second-growth forests remain in the area, but activists worry they, too, may soon be cut down. McLaughlin Ridge has been recognized by the provincial government’s own biologists as one of the most important habitats for the red-listed Queen Charlotte Goshawk (an endangered bird of prey) and as one of the finest ungulate wintering ranges for coastal black-tailed deer on Vancouver Island.

Recent old-growth logging by Island Timberlands on McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni.

Island Timberlands Rips into the Heart of one of British Columbia’s Finest Old-Growth Forests

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For Immediate Release
July 16, 2014

Island Timberlands Rips into the Heart of one of British Columbia’s Finest Old-Growth Forests

Controversial logging corporation’s rapid cutting of extremely scarce old-growth Douglas-fir forest, high quality ungulate (deer) winter range, and endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk habitat at McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni risks escalating wider conflict in the War in the Woods

  • See recent photos of the logging at McLaughlin Ridge in early July (media are free to reprint, credit to “TJ Watt”).
  • See older photos of the intact forest and earlier logging in 2011 at McLaughlin Ridge (media are free to reprint all photos, credit to “TJ Watt”).

Port Alberni, Vancouver Island – Conservationists are raising the alarm as Island Timberlands has rapidly undertaken a road-building and logging spree into the heart of one of BC’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests at McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. Last week conservationists were greatly dismayed to discover that the company had logged a hundred or more metre wide swath of old-growth trees, traversing almost the entire span of the previously intact section of McLaughlin Ridge’s old-growth forest.

The Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance and the Ancient Forest Alliance are calling on Island Timberlands to immediately cease and desist from logging this high conservation value forest, and for the BC Liberal government – who largely deregulated the land in 2004 – to show leadership by working to ensure a conservation solution for McLaughlin Ridge and other endangered old-growth forests jeopardized by Island Timberlands.

“This is one of the most devastating sights I’ve ever seen. This magnificent old growth forest is being reduced to stumps, logs and huge amounts of waste that will most likely end up in massive burn piles. Anyone who sees this area now will never be able to imagine the centuries old forest that once stood here, nor will the forest ever grow back the same. It is a tragic loss for not only the wildlife that depended on it, but also for future generations. It was recognized by the province’s own biologists as one of the most important old-growth wildlife habitats on Vancouver Island.” stated Jane Morden, coordinator of the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance. “What’s going on right now is a first rate environmental emergency in this province.”

“By all measures, McLaughlin Ridge is of the highest conservation priority – as ungulate winter range, for species at risk, for scarce old-growth Douglas-fir groves, and as part of Port Alberni’s drinking watershed. McLaughlin Ridge was supposed to be protected as part of the agreement to remove the lands from the Tree Farm Licence in 2004, but the BC government and Island Timberlands dropped the ball on the subsequent negotiations,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner. “We need Island Timberlands to cease and desist immediately from their old-growth logging operations, and for the BC government to ensure a conservation solution for this endangered ancient forest.”

Despite the company’s recent logging incursion into the heart of McLaughlin Ridge, a few hundred hectares of extremely endangered old-growth forests and mature second-growth forests still stand on the slope – for now. This includes major stands of old-growth Douglas-fir trees, the overwhelming majority of which have been logged on BC’s coast. McLaughlin Ridge has been recognized by the provincial government’s own biologists as one of the most important habitats for the red-listed Queen Charlotte Goshawk (an endangered bird of prey) and as one of the finest ungulate wintering ranges for coastal black-tailed deer on Vancouver Island. See: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/battle-revealed-over-use-of-sensitive-island-forest-near-port-alberni-1.10365

McLaughlin Ridge is part of 78,000 hectares of land that were removed from Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island in 2004, thereby removing the planned environmental policies and/or regulations intended to protect species at risk, old-growth forests, ungulate winter ranges, and riparian areas; to control the rate of cut; and to restrict raw log exports to protect local mills.

McLaughlin Ridge was intended for protection by the provincial government as an Ungulate Winter Range (UWR) and Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA), until the province’s plans changed when it removed the lands from Tree Farm Licence 44. The removal of the lands from TFL 44 included the stipulation from the BC government that a follow-up agreement be developed between the company and the government to ensure the protection of McLaughlin Ridge and other intended UWR’s and WHA’s – however, both parties failed to pursue the agreement, and the lands are now being logged.

In total, about 2400 hectares of endangered old-growth forests originally intended for protection by the BC government as Ungulate Winter Ranges and Wildlife Habitat Areas in TFL 44 are now endangered. These lands also include Horne Mountain above the world-famous Cathedral Grove, the Cameron Valley Firebreak, Katlum Creek, and other areas – about two-thirds of which are estimated to have been logged by now. Most of these areas are within the traditional territory of the Hupacasth band. At the current pace of falling, much of McLaughlin Ridge could be logged within a few weeks.

Over the past several years conservationists have been asking the BC government to purchase and protect endangered private lands – which the government did at Jordan River for example in 2010 at a popular surfing area at risk due to similar circumstances involving TFL deregulation of Western Forest Product’s private forest lands. Ideally, these purchases would occur as part of a larger, dedicated “park acquisition fund” of millions of dollars each year for this purpose. At this urgent time, simply protecting the last few hundred hectares of the old-growth forests that remain at McLaughlin Ridge, Horne Mountain (above Cathedral Grove), Cameron Firebreak, Katlum Creek, etc. would be the immediate priority.

Protecting these areas would protect vital habitat for endangered species and Roosevelt elk, deer, and other wildlife; ensure clean and abundant water for fish and drinking watersheds; protect hiking, hunting, fishing, and recreational areas; and would provide huge potential for eco-tourism ventures in the area.

In addition, forest activists will start looking at options among private land trusts who may take an interest in helping to purchase McLaughlin Ridge and similar lands. Island Timberlands has recently been in conversation with local Cortes Island residents who are working to raise funds and the Strathcona Regional District about potentially selling some of its contentious forest lands on Cortes Island.

“Island Timberlands is a corporation that is constantly wading into controversy – more than any other BC logging company it seems. They are charging forward to log their most contentious, environmentally significant old-growth forests and socially-valued lands, despite the fact that these hotspots constitute a minuscule fraction of their 250,000 hectares of private forest lands in BC. This is a bad business model in this province, and I’d recommend they take a new approach. The current situation will be a lose-lose for everyone. But there are solutions, including some possible creative ones that can be developed. However, it will require that the company immediately halt its logging operations at McLaughlin Ridge so this whole thing doesn’t become a moot point soon, and for the BC government to show their willingness to be leaders to implement a solution. But time is short and options for McLaughlin Ridge will run out soon if the corporation continues to cut out the heart of its ancient forest,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

Earth Day Conservation Vision: Conservationists Propose Expanded Protection around World-Famous Cathedral Grove as Island Timberlands Poised to Log Mountainside Above Park

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Conservationists call on BC government to expand protection around Cathedral Grove, including Mount Horne, the scenic Cameron Lake, the Alberni Summit Highway, and the Cameron River Canyon, as Island Timberlands is poised to log Mount Horne above the world-famous old-growth forest.

Port Alberni, Vancouver Island – Conservationists are calling on the BC government to expand protection around MacMillan Provincial Park to fully encompass the forests above and adjacent to the world-famous Cathedral Grove. Cathedral Grove is Canada’s most popular old-growth forest on Vancouver Island, visited by millions of tourists each year, and is found in the 301 hectare MacMillan Provincial Park. Island Timberlands has built a road through old-growth forests on Mt. Horne, the mountainside above Cathedral Grove, and could potentially commence logging soon of a new cutblock that could come as close as 300 meters away from the park boundary.

The preliminary conservation vision, that must still undergo consultation and refinement, would expand protection around the currently protected lands of 740 hectares (301 hectares in Macmillan Provincial Park and the adjoining 440 hectare Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park) by an additional 2900 hectares. See a map of the vision at: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/

The proposed expansion through a new provincial conservancy would include the old-growth forests, mature second-growth forests, and some recovering clearcuts around the parks, including:

– Cathedral Grove’s surrounding forests: These are the forests on the mountainsides above MacMillan Park and the main highway, including Mount Horne which is threatened by Island Timberlands. See images of the Mount Horne forest at: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/cathedral-grove-canyon/

– Highway Scenic Buffer: Forests west of the existing park that currently buffer the main highway (Highway 4) up to the Port Alberni Summit (locally nick-named “The Hump”) to preserve the scenic viewshed of the drive from Cathedral Grove to Port Alberni (including the view for millions of tourists heading towards Tofino).

A year ago, local Port Alberni residents fought Island Timberlands from expanding a massive clearcut that would’ve marred the view along the highway, forcing the company to back off (see https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/island-timberlands-logging-of-alberni-summit-could-denude-the-hump-1.50473). Now it’s time to secure final protection for the highway’s forested buffer.

– Cathedral Grove Canyon: The spectacular old-growth forests and geological features of the area also known as the Cameron River Canyon, which should be a national treasure, were previously flagged for logging by Island Timberlands until a public outcry raised large-scale awareness. See photos at: https://16.52.162.165/protecting-old-growth-rainforests-to-the-economic-benefit-of-tourism-based-communities/4

– Cameron Lake: Cameron Lake is a highly scenic lake that millions of tourists drive alongside on Highway 4 before reaching Cathedral Grove. The Crown lands on the north side of the lake should be protected, as only a narrow strip along the south side of the lake is currently protected.

The lands would be a combination of unprotected Crown lands (about 1000 hectares) and private lands owned by Island Timberlands (about 1900 hectares) that would require funds from the BC government, other levels of government, and possibly private land trusts for their purchase.

Logging the mountainside above the park would cause increased erosion and siltation into the park, destroy vital old-growth forest wildlife habitat, and ruin scenery and recreational opportunities on the Mount Horne Trail. See a map of the cutblock at www.SaveCathedralGrove.com

“The Horne Mountain block above Cathedral Grove is an area that the BC government’s own scientists consider to be of high conservation value. They worked for years trying to have protections placed on it. Despite environmental concern and public interest, professional foresters of Island Timberlands seem to be moving ahead with their harvesting plans – roads have now been constructed through this intact old growth forest and logging could start soon. Unfortunately, it is hard to imagine that logging on Mt. Horne's steep slopes above Cathedral Grove will have no negative effect on this iconic forest's health and longevity,” stated Jane Morden, coordinator of the Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance.

“Of all places where the BC government needs to show environmental leadership it’s in Canada’s most famous old-growth forest, Cathedral Grove,” stated Annette Tanner, Chairwoman of the Mid-Island Chapter of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. “The public shouldn’t bear the endless responsibility of safeguarding the park’s ecological integrity from the repeated onslaught of logging threats on adjacent mountainsides above Cathedral Grove. Will the BC government step forward and show leadership to safeguard the ecological integrity for this world-famous ancient forest and expand protection around it?”

“After the redwoods of California, Cathedral Grove is the best known old-growth forest on Earth. It should be a first rate priority for the BC government to stop any logging plans that threaten the park’s ecological integrity and ancient forest that millions of people visit,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “The BC government deregulated the environmental protections on this land in 2004 and failed to follow-through on an agreement that was supposed to protect the old-growth forests on those lands. They broke it, now they have a responsibility to fix it. The expansion of protected areas around Cathedral Grove, the scenic highway, Cameron Lake, and the Cathedral Grove Canyon will make this a world-class protected area, both ecologically and for tourism.”

“We need the BC government to re-establish a BC Park Acquisition Fund to purchase and protect endangered old-growth forests on private lands, starting with Cathedral Grove – or re-regulate them. In the meantime, Island Timberlands needs to back off if they have any environmental and community conscience,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer.

More Background Info

Cathedral Grove is within the 301 hectare MacMillan Provincial Park, an area smaller than Vancouver’s Stanley Park, located along the Cameron River at the base of Mount Horne where the planned logging would occur. In 1997 the postage-stamp-sized park saw roughly 10% of its largest trees blow down in a winter storm, exacerbated by clearcutting near the park’s edge.

The protected areas expansion is a preliminary vision, still in development, being proposed by the Ancient Forest Alliance and local conservationists.

The new roads and planned logging will have numerous detrimental effects, including: fragmenting the continuous forest cover and wildlife habitat on the slope above Cathedral Grove; destroying some of the last remaining 1% of BC’s old-growth Douglas-fir trees on BC's coast; destroying the wintering habitat of black-tailed deer in an area previously proposed for protection by BC government scientists to sustain them; likely increasing siltation into the Cameron River (which runs through Cathedral Grove) during the heavy winter rains as soil washes down from a new clearcut and logging road; and destroying part of the Mount Horne Loop Trail, a popular hiking and mushroom-picking trail that the cutblock overlaps.

• See the Times Colonist article (March, 2013) on the discovery of the company’s logging plans: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/old-growth-near-cathedral-grove-set-for-imminent-logging-activists-1.90194

• See the CHEK TV clip (March 2013) about the original cutblock discovery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exaYAqSrzw

Until recently many of these threatened areas were regulated to the stronger standards found on public lands. However, in 2004, the BC Liberal government removed 88,000 hectares of Weyerhaeuser’s private forest lands, now owned by Island Timberlands, from their Tree Farm Licences, thereby not implementing the planned old-growth, scenic, wildlife, and endangered species habitat protections on those lands, and removing the existing riparian protections and restrictions on raw log exports. A follow-up agreement with the corporate landowners was supposed to see the protection of many of the deregulated old-growth forests (ie. proposed Ungulate Winter Ranges for elk and deer, and species-at-risk Wildlife Habitat Areas), but Island Timberlands and the BC Liberal government broke off negotiations several years ago and have failed to continue pursuing a solution. Alberni-Pacific Rim Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Scott Fraser has repeatedly worked to hold the BC government to account to remedy the situation by getting Island Timberlands to hold-off from logging these hotspots until a political solution can be implemented.

The flagged cutblock on Mount Horne by Island Timberlands is estimated to be about 40 hectares and lies on the southwest facing slope of the mountain on the ridge above the park and highway that millions of tourists visit annually. The logging would take place in an area formerly intended by BC government biologists to become an Ungulate Winter Range to protect the old-growth winter habitat of black-tailed deer – a designation that never came to fruition when the BC Liberal government deregulated the lands in 2004 by removing them from their Tree Farm Licence. Mt. Horne and the Cathedral Grove area is in the territorial boundaries of the Hupacasath and Qualicum peoples.

Island Timberlands is currently engaged in multiple logging incursions into other highly endangered old-growth forests besides Mount Horne. This includes recent logging and/or road-building in Kwakiutl First Nations territory near Port Hardy; on McLaughlin Ridge, Juniper Ridge, Labour Day Lake, and the Cameron Valley Firebreak in the Port Alberni area (see: https://16.52.162.165/news-item.php?ID=678); plans to log the Stillwater Bluffs near Powell River and the Day Road Forest near Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast; and plans to log old-growth forests near Basil Creek and the Green Valley on Cortes Island. See spectacular PHOTOS of most of these forests at: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/

Island Timberlands (IT) is the second largest private land owner in BC, owning 258,000 hectares of private land mainly on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and Haida Gwaii. Conservationists are calling on Island Timberlands to immediately back-off from its logging plans in old-growth and high conservation value forests until these lands can be protected either through purchase or through regulation.

Conservationists are also calling for a provincial plan to protect the province’s old-growth forests, to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry, and to end the export of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills. For private lands, conservationists are calling on the BC Liberal government to re-establish and bolster the former BC park acquisition fund (eliminated after the 2008 provincial budget). A dedicated provincial fund of $40 million per year (about 0.1% of the $40 billion annual provincial budget), raising $400 million over 10 years, would go a long way towards purchasing and protecting old-growth forests and other endangered ecosystems on private lands across the province. The fund would be similar to the existing park acquisition funds of various regional districts in BC, such as the $3 million/year Land Acquisition Fund of the Capital Regional District around Greater Victoria, which are augmented by the fundraising efforts of private citizens and land trusts.

BC’s old-growth forests are vital to support endangered species, tourism, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures whose unceded lands these are. About 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged on BC’s southern coast, including over 90% of the valley-bottom ancient forests where the largest trees grow, and 99% of the old-growth Douglas fir trees on BC's coast. See maps and stats at: https://16.52.162.165/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/