Industry response to curtailing old growth logging

Roy L Hales/ CKTZ News - An article in the Spring 2021 edition of the Truck Loggers Association magazine, gives an industry perspective of the movement to protect Old Growth forests.

The author, Ian MacNeill, points to what he believes is a glaring omission in the province’s Old Growth Strategic Review. It does not “talk much about” the social economic impact that further curtailments would have on communities that rely on forestry “and where old growth timber makes up a significant part of the harvesting basket.” MacNeill writes that the authors assume that communities will transition to other activities, but do not suggest what these activities might be.

The 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% of the province and more than 97% of the old growth on these sites is logged off.

The report does not suggest that any actions be taken in the 80% of forests classified as ‘old growth,’ where the trees are small.

MacNeill does not mention this distinction, but writes that the communities further curtailment would impact are already financially squeezed.

With three of Mackenzie’s four mills currently in curtailment, the job count has dropped from 650 to 275.

Mayor Gabby Wickstrom of Port McNeill pointed out that taking old growth out of the equation would mean a 50% decrease in the cut. She also takes issue with the idea that old growth are threatened in northern Vancouver Island.

“On the North Island, 76% of the old growth is outside the timber harvesting land base,” says Wickstrom.

Dallas Smith, President of the Nanwakolas Council on Vancouver Island, points out that industry would be crippled if it could not log old growth.

Smith says, the Provincial report ”paints a picture we had known existed for a long time, but it does not discuss long term solutions.”