Today a big step towards saving old-growth forests in BC was announced - with a significant way yet to go. An area about the size of Jasper National Park, about 1.05 million hectares of the priority, unprotected, most at-risk old-growth forests (the grandest, oldest and rarest stands), have now been placed under deferral from logging - with First Nations and the province having added 480,000 hectares recently, announced today.
Along with 570,000 hectares of such lands in BC Timber Sales operating areas, this brings the total to 1.05 million hectares or about 40% of the 2.6 million hectare of unprotected, priority old-growth stands (ie. Still about 60% to go) identified by the independent science panel or Technical Advisory Panel.
An additional 619,000 hectares of other old-growth forests (often areas with smaller trees on lower productivity sites) have also been placed under deferral by First Nations, for a total of about 1.7 million hectares of old-growth in BC under logging deferral now.
Permanent, legislated protection for most of these stands will take a couple years at least while First Nations develop land use plans (a complex process) to determine which areas get permanently protected via new Indigenous Protected Areas and forest reserves.
The province's $185 million allocated in the recent budget for workers, contractors and First Nations support through this transition is a decent step forward. However, it still comes up several hundred million dollars short for First Nations conservation financing support to ensure the legal protection of these areas, by supporting sustainable economic alternatives in tourism, clean energy, sustainable seafood, and non-timber forest products industries as an alternative to old-growth logging jobs and revenues in First Nations communities.
The federal government is moving forward with several hundred million dollars to expand protected areas in BC and the BC government needs to fully embrace this funding to help power along new protected areas and the associated sustainable economic alternatives in these communities.
We have a major way to go still - but step by step, on an unprecedented scale in BC's history, we are seeing major movement from the provincial government as they lay down the key policy pieces needed towards the large-scale systematic protection of old-growth forests in BC - thanks to the hard work of First Nations and voices of millions of British Columbians and Canadians (ie. Pressure is key).
We'll write more on the announcement next week.
Photos:
(Left) An ancient western redcedar in Clayoquot Sound west of Port Alberni in Tlaoquiaht territory.
(Right) A generation of Sitka spruce growing on a decomposing stump in an old-growth forest in the Gordon River Valley near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory.