On Sunday, the Times Colonist published Judith Lavoie’s piece about old-growth logging on Vancouver Island. It was first published in The Narwhal a few weeks back.
The response from the public was powerful. Working the BC Greens booth at the Saanich Fair, I connected with a lot of people from across the Capital Region.
“What are you doing to stop this government from cutting old-growth?” This was a common question on Sunday. It was almost always followed by, “those pictures in the paper today are really devastating.”
Of course I’m paraphrasing, distilling the comments of dozens of people into a couple of examples. Nevertheless, this is the sentiment. People filled pages with their signatures and contact information while sharing their disappointment, disillusionment and dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Fixated on pricing
Even while the Amazon burns and the criticism of the Brazilian government’s destructive deforestation of the rainforest is front and centre, it’s mind-boggling to hear how our provincial government justifies destroying some of the oldest creatures on the planet.
A B.C. Timber Sales spokesperson said,
“Forestry practices are rooted in the precautionary principle and failing to auction off 20 per cent of the allowable annual cut would “put the integrity of the timber pricing system at risk.”
So let me get this straight, in British Columbia the precautionary principle is based on protecting the integrity of the pricing system? Please tell me this is a misquote. What is so sacred about our pricing system that we need to hack oxygen-producing, water-purifying ancients out of our pristine valleys?
The short-term thinking of government is magnified in the final paragraphs of the article as the B.C. Timber Sales spokesperson turns the attention on the jobs. It’s a common refrain that we heard on playback from the Minister last Spring: we have to protect bio-diversity while also protecting jobs.
This is an extractive industry and soon enough there will be nothing left to extract. The jobs they protect today will cease to exist. This exhausted narrative barely holds any credibility any longer. This is just an admission that the current BC NDP government has nothing else for these communities, just like the BC Liberal government before them. Business as usual.
Restoration of community and ecosystems
Rather than working with forestry-dependent communities to diversify their economies, the government is just holding on to the status quo, hoping to make it to the next electoral judgement day.
What we need more now than ever is a restorative economy. Following generations of neglect and destruction, there is a massive opportunity to invest in rebuilding, regenerating and rehabilitating nature. More on this in a future post!
We have scarred and wounded our landscape enough. It’s time for an era of healing our forests, creeks and streams. From what I saw and heard at the Saanich Fair this past weekend, there is a lot of support for that. However, it’s not just urban British Columbia that wants things to be different. As I have toured and listened to people across our province, I believe we all want the same thing: we want liveable communities with a healthy environment and animal population. It’s time for government to get on the same page!
That is an “economic” precautionary principle? The precautionary principle is “when you don’t know your arse from a hole in the ground, it is probably better to do nothing”.
Adam, I would like the NDP and Greens to bring in a requirement for reforestation as a requirement to get cutting permits. Whether it is second growth or old growth, there will be no future for logging (and us) unless the clear cutting and abandonment of bare forest floors stops. When you fly up the spine of Vancouver Island, you can see the legacy of not requiring the forest products companies to invest in their own future. There’s their “precautionary principle”.
Ok so you agree with the sentiment, but you didn’t answer the question you paraphrased at the opening… “What are you doing to stop this government from cutting old-growth?”
Are you doing anything or can you do anything? You’ve just given us words here, no promise or even an inkling of action or potential action.
Is the Green Caucus powerless due to limitations within your original agreement with the NDP? The general frustration with the Greens is building. As a former Green Party EDA president believe me I’m on your side, can’t you give us more?
I hope someone checks the context for BC Timbersales spokes person quote, the assumptions offered does not seem to be a fair representation of BC Timbersales bid process or environmental assessment standards set out in bid package.
It would be interesting to identify where picture for this article and J. Lavoie’s article came from. They clearly appear to be second growth stands not old growth and slash looks burnt which is extremely rare other than accidental forest fire.
Restoration economy, no job loss and “investment in New forestry were all part of Clayoquot promises. When cameras were turned off, NGO’s left and government changed you could not find any interest in real meaningful change to forest management. Lowest bidder and log exports became reality.
The lesson is simple. No more political double speak. One option to “get serious” is graduated taxes on development that permanently dismantles forest ecosystems like highways, subdivisions, monoculture farming and shopping malls. Direct those funds to research and development to maximize fibre value and to support communities adjacent to resources so they can actually afford to practise long term goals of sustainable ecosystem management.