BC's Chief Forester Cuts Logging On Haida Gwaii, But Only By 16%; Old-Growth Logging To Continue
B.C.’s chief forester has cut back logging limits on Haida Gwaii, protecting goshawk nesting habitat and cedar for Indigenous cultural use, but critics are calling for a moratorium on harvesting some of the world’s most carbon-rich forests. The archipelago of more than 150 islands off B.C.’s northwest coast is home to ancient cedar, spruce and hemlock forests and many plants and animals not found anywhere else. Its incredible biodiversity has earned it the moniker “the Galapagos of the North.”
Decades of intensive logging on the archipelago decimated those forests and led to conflicts that ultimately resulted in the 1988 establishment of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, a protected area of nearly 1,500 square kilometres. But beyond the boundaries of the conservation area and other protected areas on the islands, clearcut logging continues.
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Last month’s decision by B.C.’s chief forester set the total annual allowable cut for the three main commercial logging areas on Haida Gwaii at 776,000 cubic metres, enough to fill 20,000 logging trucks. Those trees will come from 15 per cent of the archipelago and most of them will come from old-growth forests. The majority of the trees cut on Haida Gwaii are shipped by barge to mills on the Lower Mainland or directly overseas.
At least every 10 years, the chief forester must determine the annual allowable cut in all of the province’s timber supply areas and tree farm licences. The new limit on Haida Gwaii is 16 per cent less than what it was in 2012, the last time a limit was set for the region, and 56 per cent less than what it was a decade ago. No one from the Haida Gwaii Management Council was able to speak with The Narwhal about the decision prior to publication. The Ministry of Forests said it can’t provide comment until the final results of the election are determined.
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imard said one of the underlying problems with the timber supply review — and forestry in general — is it assumes logging is economically and environmentally sustainable because replanted stands grow big enough to replace old-growth within 80 years. But Simard said it can take centuries to replace old-growth on Haida Gwaii, which is home to a perfect combination of muskeg and old-growth forests that stores more carbon than most forest ecosystems. “Haida Gwaii has some of the richest carbon stores in the world.” Simard explained that young cedars rely on mature trees because they need shade to grow, so planting them in open cutblocks doesn’t allow them to meet their ecological needs. “They’re pretty much doomed for failure,” she said.
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https://thenarwhal.ca/haida-gwaii-bc-logging-limits-2020/