Let's do it in a way that is honest; not through manipulation and sensationalization

Since the first days of settlement at what is now Vancouver, British Columbia, much of the area, including portions of Stanley Park were clear-cut logged at least 3 times.

 

I heard that from Patrick Moore himself (an early member of Greenpeace) at a meeting I attended in Clearwater many years ago.  As I recall from his talk, much of the area was totally logged off to build the homes, businesses, etc; nothing selective in those days.

 

Also, I feel certain this is not an actual photo, but instead a drawing. I grew up in the Cariboo and can recall what clear-cuts looked like. There is not on scrap of brush, broken branches & limbs, drag marks from the tree's being moved, or even smaller growth of trees that would have been left because they had no value.

There is nothing in this picture that represents what an actual logging cut like this should look like.

 

 

If this is indeed an actual photograph (which I highly doubt) I'd be interested in knowing when and where it was taken.  What these enviro people would say is that its is likely a … ‘picture meant to be an example, not a real, or actual location.’

 

And yet our province is attacked as horrible polluters -- and using the worst of mining / logging practices --by enviro-groups (some not all) that are funded by the war chests (so-called make the world a better place foundations) of the 3rd and 4th generations of families of corporate USA ... as well as by all ages of European society, all whom sport the latest fads in clothing, electronics, footwear, etc (and all needing the resources of the land).  

Will there be more for the next generation, of people in these communities, other than low and minimum pay tourism jobs?

For many living in northern BC … in particular the Burns Lake and Prince George areas, a story in today’s Province newspaper has to remind them of the vulnerability of living and working in small and rural BC communities.

I just returned, on the weekend, from an annual motorcycle trip I take each year with my brother.  Part of the trip took us along the northern coast of Washington State.  Sadly … I saw MANY sawmills in small communities that were shuttered and closed.

In some the equipment was totally removed; while some, long-neglected, remarkably still  had the equipment in them.

We've already seen many sawmills closed here in BC as well.

So the question becomes, “How can we keep jobs available for our small rural communities, and yet still ensure that we do not over harvest?”

Perhaps we have sadly become so efficient in our saw-milling processes that 'small town' BC is only going to be needed, to log the resources, to send them to an ever shrinking number of mega-sawmills.

Even then however, those logging jobs are ever shrinking through on-going mechanization that has been underway for decades.

Is there a balance to be found? … can we retain the jobs needed so that small northern, and interior, communities are able to survive and grown? … will there be more for the next generation, of people in these communities, other than low and minimum pay tourism jobs?

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. 

Meantime, here’s the story that ran, as I mentioned, in today’s edition of the Province newspaper, “MLAs aren't facing the truth: B.C. forests are tapped out”

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … with the questions of one conservative. 


RESPONSE ... well I did ask for your thoughts and comments, and I did receive one from Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad.  Here is what he had to say:

This article makes a number of assumptions that are plain and simply wrong. First, marginally economic stands: in Williams Lake, companies are operating in stands with volume as low as 85 cubic metres per hectare. In the Lakes TSA that number is 140. If we partition off volume between 100 and 140, the Lakes TSA can sustain an additional cut of 380,000 cubic metres annually.

Companies can do this in other areas so why not in the lakes? In addition, by partitioning this volume, companies would actually have to operate in this type of wood to gain the volume. They can't use it to leverage taking additional wood from better quality stands.

Second, fertilization is something we're already doing in BC. Other jurisdictions have been very successful with their programs and the committee's recommendations is to look at this and beef up a program in BC. Growing more fibre and capturing more value from it is the key to our forestry future.

Finally, many supply areas treat old growth management areas as NON-SPATIAL. In the Lakes TSA, they are defined spatially which is what creates the reduction in the supply. So if a spatial OGMA gets hit by a fire, pest or another issue, does it still have OLD GROWTH values?

These types of stands are now called DOGMAs or Dead OGMAs. Non-spatial OGMAs allow for the targets and goals of these areas to be met over a supply area rather than a specific spot. But keep in mind that the committee isn't recommending doing this. Rather, do a scientific review and then provide that information to the local LRMP group for their review and recommendation.

The committee's report tried to provide a sign-post towards a shift in forest management. This shift works towards higher levels of silviculture investments, growing more fibre and growing more value. It's the right direction to go which is also why it was unanimously supported.

... only the first step … then they need to implement those ideas

I am sure that many of you who are reading this, are not aware of the vast distance and geography of the 3 ridings that make up Kamloops South Thompson, Kamloops North Thompson, and the Fraser Nicola. I certainly wasn't until a short time ago.

Kamloops of course is the largest city in the 3 ridings however there are dozens of smaller communities stretching from Manning Park near Hope in the South … over towards Pemberton in the West … up and over to Clinton and then to Blue River in the North ... and east out to Chase.

The greatest revenue driver to BC’s economy is the heartland where forestry and logging … ranching and agriculture … mining, gas, and other natural resources all rein supreme.  While some of them are in a downturn at the moment, we all know there are cycles that industry goes through and over the long haul our BC economy benefits from all of them. 

These are not the minimum paying jobs that seem to be the majority of what’s being created these days – they are the kinds of jobs that allow men and woman to renovate or build new homes, purchase new vehicles, create new businesses, send children to colleges and university, and more.