Coast-based groups and individuals have contacted BC Timber Sales (BCTS) with concerns about the agency's plans within the Sunshine Coast business area over the next three years. Those who have not yet submitted comments have until May 4 to do so.
A public BCTS notice provides links to mapping and details on proposed cutblocks, tree retention areas and road sections. Just over 1,200 hectares are slated to be included in 64 cutblocks within BCTS's map area 1214 (which includes areas on the upper and lower Sunshine Coast) from May 2024 to May 2027.
What we've heard so far
The Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society, the Roberts Creek Official Community Plan Committee (RCOCPC) and Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) as well as individual residents have told Coast Reporter that they have alerted BCTS to concerns regarding its proposed plans and about the public comment process.
"Six cutblocks are planned in the Roberts Creek headwaters in 2025 and 2026," Streamkeepers pointed out in an email shared with Coast Reporter. In that group’s opinion, “logging the Roberts Creek headwaters will change the natural hydrology of the ecosystem of both the forest and the numerous upper main tributaries."
"By changing the upper watershed, this will cause flooding that will deposit silt, mud, and large rocks on the fragile salmon’s spawning grounds at the creek’s lower levels," the group said in the email, pointing as well to the shade and vegetation cover needed to keep a healthy riparian area. “There are so many other reasons to oppose clear cutting in the era of Climate Emergency, but the main one for us now, is the survival of wild salmon in Roberts Creek. They have been here for millennia. We counted over 1,500 salmon in the fall of 2023.”
ELF said that the commenting process was confusing, a concern echoed by Simon Haiduk, RCOCPC chairperson. "It was very difficult for me to find out how to make comments… This is really frustrating and makes it appear to be obfuscated,” Haiduk said in an email to Coast Reporter.
When asked about a call by the local Streamkeepers group for an on-Coast public meeting to discuss issues related to the future BCTS Roberts Creek cutblocks, Sunshine Coast Regional District director for the area, Kelly Backs stated that “any additional public engagement would be very welcome." Speaking with Coast Reporter on April 24, he said he would go through the “proper channels” as a local elected representative, if he were to make any such request, noting that with the public comment closure date coming up in less than a week, “it might be a bit late."
