Retraction regarding cutting some old growth on Quadra Island

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Last week I published a story about some old growth trees cut down on Quadra Island, then almost immediately became aware there was much more to the story and took it down.

There is no question about old growth trees being cut down on woodlot licence W2031.

Nor is there any question about the legality of the woodlot licensees action. They have not broken any laws.

As one of the licensees emailed, “With regards to your questions about old growth and riparian management, these complaints were brought forward in 2020 to the Ministry of Forests (Campbell River District) and again in 2021 to the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP). Both bodies investigated the facts and determined that the complaints were without merit.” 

There were questions about the woodlot owners following the ‘Management Plan for areas within the Georgia Straits Provincial Plan.’

I was told they are violating this plan, but have come to disagree.

Firstly, this 21 page document does not appear to be a binding agreement, but rather a historical document from 1993. It deals with parts of the island south of the woodlot in question. Among other things, it also proposes the creation of what became Main Lake Provincial Park (in 1996).

This plan was drawn up by the now long defunct Quadra Island Forest Resources Committee, but, according to a recent Discovery Islander article, “many Woodlot Licensees have committed to complying with the Quadra Plan in their Woodlot Licence Plans.”

Secondly, contrary to what I was told, woodlot licence W2031 actually embraces the key tenant it is supposedly violating: “preservation of existing old-growth and the need to grow more.” 

That is a goal.

In the plan for woodlot licence W2031, there are provisions for cutting down old growth trees to build roads, for safety reasons, or if the trees are infested by insects.

The licensees informed Cortes Currents that the old growth they removed were individual trees outside of the preservation areas set up on their woodlot.

Four stands of trees 250 years old and older have been established as wildlife tree retention areas. A large body of the second growth trees around these stands have been designated ‘recruitment areas’ to grow more old growth.

The licensees also emailed some numbers to Cortes Currents. The most pertinent is probably that 98% of the trees they have felled are second growth.

This pertains to how the woodlot owner intends to reach the goal of increasing the number of old growth trees.

I am told that many Quadra Island woodlot licensees go further and do not cut any old growth trees, but this is a personal choice.

In both cases the licensee’s stated intention is to increase the total number of old growth trees in their tenders.

Top image credit: One of the paths in Main Lake Provincial Park - Photo by Loneshieling via Wikimedia (CC BY SA, 4.0 License)