Media Release
Sept. 11, 2020
BC Government’s Old-Growth Plan:
Some important progress and potential, while missing the “ecological heart of old-growth forests” which remain in danger (no moratoria on the grandest and most endangered old-growth ecosystems), plus more heel dragging (“re-elect us and we’ll do it sometime after”).
BC’s Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel releases its powerful and game-changing recommendations. BC Government responds with some important interim old-growth protections while missing critical forest types (ie. high productivity forests with the biggest trees and the rarest forest types as recommended by the Panel) and committing no funding for First Nations Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas/land use plans to protect old-growth.
The BC government has announced its plans around new policies to manage old-growth forests in the province, after reviewing the recommendations of the BC Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel (based on public and stakeholder consultations between November 2019 to January 2020) which were released today.
The panel makes 14 recommendations, largely rational, powerful and compelling for upholding conservation, forestry jobs, and First Nations consultation, with a 36 month timeline to implement their recommendations. If implemented, their recommendations would largely see the protection of most remaining moderate to high productivity old-growth forests in BC with a transition to a value-added second-growth forest industry. In their press release, the BC government has not committed to implementing all 14 recommendations, with critical glaring gaps in the immediate term recommendations - nor have they committed to the 36 month time frame.
As a whole, the government’s plan shows some promise but misses the mark on critically important elements in protecting old-growth forests – loopholes “big enough to drive thousands of logging trucks through for years”.
On the positive side, the government plans to enact logging deferrals on about 200,000 hectares of the province’s 13 million hectares of old-growth forests in 9 areas across the province for 2 years, with an additional 153,000 hectares of second-growth, clearcut or non-forested (alpine, rock face, etc) landscapes (ie. the figure is not 353,000 hectares of old-growth, as stated in their press release, and note that only a minority fraction of the old-growth is moderate to high productivity). These deferral areas include the spectacular McKelvie Valley (in Mowachaht/ Muchalaht territory near Tahsis) and Clayoquot Sound (in Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, and Hesquiaht territory by Tofino) ancient forests on Vancouver Island, and the Incomappleux Valley (in Ktunaxa territory) in the BC Inland Rainforest. Other deferral areas are expected to be added over time. This is an important step forward, though the deferrals logically should last until the process is complete for a minimum of 3 years.
They also plan to increase protection for BC’s biggest trees with 1000 to 1500 of the province’s largest specimens among a dozen or so species surrounded by 1 hectare groves - a significant increase from the existing 54 listed trees/groves. This would protect about 1000 to 1500 hectares of the scarcest, highest productivity old-growth forests, largely on site productivity areas where trees grow 25 meters+ over 50 years, of which 35,000 hectares remain in BC. While still highly inadequate, this is an important step up in helping to protect the most endangered and biologically richest forest site productivity class and largest trees – while keeping in mind all such forests should be under immediate logging moratorium.
See key statistics on how much old-growth forests remain in BC.
On the negative side, the provincial government has failed to commit any moratoria right now on the most endangered old-growth forest types, ie. the “high-productivity stands” with the biggest trees sought most by industry and that are also richest in biodiversity (the 3% that is the ecological heart of the remaining old-growth forests, most heavily impacted by over a century of industrial logging), old-growth in endangered forest types (based on ecosystem classification categories), and in most “hot spot” areas that are larger and more intact (though their deferrals do include 10 such areas, out of hundreds across the province) – they have essentially ignored this ecologically critical set of recommendations from BC’s Old-Growth Strategic Review panel. Of the province's 13 million hectares of old-growth forests, only 3% or 415,000 hectares (380,000 hectares with a site index of 20-25 meters, and 35,000 hectares with a site index of 25 meters+) remain on the high-productivity sites where the classic "forest giants" grow.
In addition, they have not committed any critical funding for First Nations old-growth forest protection and for private land acquisition. To protect old-growth forests, funding is needed to support First Nations efforts to establish new Indigenous Protected Areas and land use plans. Financing land use planning, community engagement, management and stewardship programs such as Indigenous Guardians programs, and sustainable economic development like cultural and eco-tourism, clean energy, and non-timber forest products linked to ancient forest protection is needed so that First Nations have an economic alternative to old-growth logging revenues and jobs should they choose to pursue the path of keeping the old-growth forests standing.
The BC government has facilitated an economic path dependency on old-growth logging for many First Nations across BC via revenue-sharing, joint-venture, employment, and tenure agreements in contentious old-growth forests, and now have an obligation to finance and facilitate the ability of First Nations to choose an economically equivalent alternative that keeps the forests standing. The federal government has committed several hundred million dollars of the $1.3 billion Canada Nature Fund to support Indigenous Protected Areas, and the province needs to do its part too – including such funds earmarked for the protection of old-growth forests.
On eastern Vancouver Island, the few remaining old-growth stands are on private lands, and a land acquisition fund is required to protect these stands - often in some of the most endangered forest types in BC (egs. the Coastal Douglas-fir and Very Dry Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock zones).
In addition, the province has not indicated in their media release if they will implement the BC Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel’s over the 3 year time frame – but have added they will continue to consult with stakeholders about the panel’s recommendations in order to further develop the BC government old-growth policies, ie. “consultations about the consultations”. They also stated that they will consult with First Nations band councils in this regards, and to develop a socio-economic analysis on possible old-growth protection policies - which both should have been done starting over 3 years ago when the BC government committed in their pre-election platform to “manage BC’s old-growth forests based on the Ecosystem-Based Management approach used in the Great Bear Rainforest” – which resulted in protection of most of the remaining old-growth forests on the Central and North Coast based on science. They have since failed to mention this pre-election promise and have dragged out the entire process resulting in essentially the same promise across almost their entire electoral term (especially if they call a fall election this year).
Thus the willful blindness of the province to implementing the critical components of developing an “ecosystem-based management approach to managing old-growth” – First Nations consultation, conservation financing for First Nations protected areas and economic alternatives, comprehensive moratoria on critical areas of ecological importance, socio-economic analyses – after the 2017 election despite their promise (that they ignored), has delayed any major old-growth solution now until mainly after the next election.
In short, BC’s old-growth strategy looks to be primarily a “re-elect us and we’ll do it afterwards”, “consultation about the consultations” and largely a “talk and log” approach – with some important positive steps forward, and with potential to go farther under massive broad-based political pressure.
QUOTES:
“I would summarize the BC government’s old-growth policy direction as including some important steps forward thus far, for which they should be commended, but also lacking critical elements needed to safeguard the most endangered old-growth forests right now. Namely, it lacks logging deferrals of the grandest and most endangered old-growth forest types, drags out the process via more ‘consultations about the consultations’ with many of the same stakeholders of the last public review panel, lacks critical financing for First Nations protected areas that is central to protecting old-growth forests, and is largely a ‘re-elect us and we’ll do it sometime afterwards’ approach that could drag this out for many years yet while the biggest trees fall – unless the massive, broad-based public pressure continues,” stated Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance executive director. “As a whole then it continues much of the status quo ‘talk and log’ approach of BC forest politics, while offering a framework and key elements to potentially move beyond that, thanks to the Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel report. It’s late in the day for the last big-tree ancient forests of BC, and as such the BC NDP government’s old-growth policies could perhaps be characterized as a low-achieving slacker who shows some potential.”
“I commend the Old Growth Strategic Review panel (Al Gorley and Gary Merkel) on their thoughtful and detailed report. The provincial government seems to have embraced some of their recommendations, and ignored others. It would be helpful if the BC government explained their rationale for selective adoption of the panel’s recommendations. Of particular importance in the short term is selection of areas for 2-year deferral: it would be helpful to have some explanation of how these were selected, and why the detailed recommendations of the panel with respect to short-term deferrals weren’t followed,” Andy MacKinnon, forest ecologist and Endangered Ecosystems Alliance science advisor.
“Today, arguing that logging Canada’s last old-growth forests is vital for jobs and the economy is like arguing that harpooning great whales is vital for jobs and the economy,” Wu stated “There are alternatives. The vast majority of the productive forests in BC and in Canada are now second-growth, where logging can be done sustainably. Protecting old-growth forests actually boosts the economy by attracting and fostering diverse industries, it supports First Nations cultures, and it counteracts the extinction and climate crises. Time is short and the province must protect these endangered old-growth forests quickly, with immediate moratoria on high productivity, endangered ecosystems, and more intact hotspot old-growth forests, while supporting incentives and regulations to ensure a value-added, second-growth forest industry.”
More Background Information:
B.C.’s old-growth, temperate rainforests are among the grandest forests on earth next to the U.S. redwoods.
Old-growth forests are vital for endangered species, First Nations cultures, clean water, wild salmon, carbon storage, and tourism and recreation.
In BC, the unique features of old-growth temperate rainforests take centuries to develop — in a province where the forests are re-logged every 50 to 80. As a result, old-growth forests are not a renewable resource under B.C.’s system of forestry and are not replicated by tree-planting.
The first major, province-wide analysis on the status of old-growth forests in BC has just been released by an independent science team - and the results are dire.
Read the full, independent research from Dr. Rachel Holt, Dr. Karen Price, and Dave Daust at Veridian Ecological.
Key points of the report include:
1. There is now a miniscule fraction (2.7%) of the original high productivity old-growth forests in BC where the biggest trees grow (and with the greatest biodiversity levels and most endangered species).
2. The province's old-growth protection levels are grossly inadequate, jeopardizing forest ecosystems across most of BC (ie. placing them at "high risk" of species loss and losing ecological integrity) due to their insufficient scale of protection.
3. BC's accounting system for how much old-growth remains lacks critical distinctions in forest productivity (thus opting to protect sites with small trees instead of big trees) and ecosystem types, resulting in flawed policies with loopholes in forest reserve selection.
4. Most of the small amounts of remaining high productivity old-growth forests are slated for logging - over 75%.
5. We need an immediate logging moratorium of all high productivity old-growth forests, endangered forest ecosystem types (based on BEC zones), major more intact areas (known as “hot spots”), exceptionally old forests, and landscape units (clusters of watersheds) where scant old-growth levels place them at "high risk" of losing species and ecological integrity, while developing science-based regulations to protect old-growth forests systematically.
The BC government is expected to announce its plans around new policies to manage old-growth forests late this summer or this fall. They will do so at the same time announcing the recommendations of the BC Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel which were submitted to the province last April after gathering public input from November, 2019 to January, 2020. Conservationists are frustrated at how long the BC government has been dragging-out any action on protecting old-growth forests (while at the same time providing all manner of excuses, rationales, and PR-spin to defend continued large scale, industrial old-growth logging), despite having campaigned prior to the 2017 provincial election that they would manage BC’s old-growth forests based on the Ecosystem-Based Management model of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement (where 85% of all forests are now protected).
Conservationists expect that the province’s old-growth policy must include:
1. A commitment to end the logging of endangered old-growth forest types (most of them now) through developing science-based legislation and policies.
2. Financing of First Nations land use plans and Indigenous Protected Areas to protect old-growth forests on Crown and unceded Indigenous lands, as well as a land acquisition funding to buy old-growth on private lands.
3. An immediate moratorium on old-growth logging in exceptional areas, such as remaining high productivity stands, endangered ecosystems, and in old-growth “hotspot” areas where larger, more intact tracts of old-growth forests remain.
4. Incentives and regulations to support value-added, second-growth forestry jobs, such as rebates or relief on the PST for investment in value-added, second-growth manufacturing facilities, and restrictions to ultimately end the export of raw, unprocessed logs from BC to foreign mills.
55,000 hectares of old-growth forests are logged on average each year in BC, including about 9,000 hectares on Vancouver Island in a typical year.
The BC government must also enact incentives and regulations to develop a value-added, second-growth forest industry to support thousands of BC's forestry workers. Second-growth forests now constitute the vast majority of the forests of BC (97% of the high productivity sites with the best growing conditions).
Numerous studies show that protected areas, including protecting old-growth forests, typically results in greater net positive impacts on the economy than the traditional resource extraction industries, when factoring in recreation and tourism, enhanced real estate values near protected areas, clean water and fisheries values (commercial and recreational), non-timber forest products, carbon offsets, and attracting skilled labour (including high tech workers) who relocated to areas with a higher environmental quality of life.
Financial and legal support for First Nations land use plans and Indigenous Protected Areas including Tribal Parks is the key game-changer for actual protection of old-growth forests on the ground in BC. Across much of the province, First Nations whose unceded lands these are have a significant stake in old-growth logging, in the form of revenue-sharing, employment and joint venture agreements with major companies, as well as through their own logging tenures. Timber companies and both the current and previous BC governments have worked to increase the economic dependence of First Nations communities on logging old-growth forests through these policies and agreements. Given the lack of economic alternatives in most of these communities, the protection of old-growth forests is fundamentally dependent on funding from governments and environmental-groups to enable Indigenous communities to have a viable choice to build conservation-based economies, such as the $120 million in conservation financing ($60 million from environmental groups, $30 million from the federal government, $30 million from the province) to finance Indigenous tourism ventures, non-timber forest products industries, and clean energy projects that formed part of the basis of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement.
For more info contact:
Ken Wu of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance
info@EndangeredEcosystemsAlliance.org