Editor:
There has been discussion about Mount Elphinstone lately, including the spread of misinformation that requires clarification and correction.
First, I wish to reassure your readers that this government is committed to sustainable forest management. Under the Forest and Range Practices Act and regulations, we manage our Crown forests for different resource values that include recreation, soils, sustainable timber supply, wildlife, water, fish, biodiversity, visual landscapes and cultural resources. In addition, BC Timber Sales (BCTS) has achieved independent, sustainable forest management certification on its Sunshine Coast operating areas, including for Mount Elphinstone.
To imply that there has been a lack of community consultation is disingenuous. When it comes to community consultation, BCTS shares its five-year harvest plans annually and meets regularly with First Nations, local governments and community groups. BCTS has consistently worked with local stakeholders to meet community concerns, including buffering trails of importance to the local community, removing four cutblocks from its plans, incorporating specific measures to protect riparian and aquatic areas, only harvesting at half the rate that the area can support, and the addition of new old-growth management areas.
Additionally, the three-unit, 141-hectare Mount Elphinstone Provincial Park was established in 2000 as part of the Lower Mainland Protected Areas Strategy – the same process that established the 6,000-hectare Tetrahedron Provincial Park nearby that protects the headwaters of Chapman Creek – which involved extensive community consultation, including with local governments and stakeholder groups. Overall, parks and recreation areas in the Sunshine Coast Regional District total 15,400 hectares and more than 2,900 hectares of old-growth management areas.
There are no plans to expand the existing park since the current land use designations balance environmental, social and economic forest values for the area.
The current timber sale licence area is second-growth forest, and specific measures incorporated into the design of the cutblocks include retaining veteran Douglas fir trees that survived historical fire and logging, buffering a popular mountain bike trail from harvest and placing additional setbacks on streams. Changes were made to address concerns raised through consultation with local government and other interested parties.
By law, all areas harvested on public land in B.C. must be reforested. Reforestation ensures the opportunity to sustainably manage B.C.’s forests for generations to come and the newly planted trees help our fight against climate change by fixing carbon as they grow. In fact, the carbon stored in wood products made from B.C. forests can remain sequestered for 100 years and beyond.
As part of a BCTS auction, the licensee won the right to log the cutblocks according to legal terms within their licence. However, they have been confronted with physical blockades, damage to equipment and encampments. While all Canadians have the right to protest, they should do so safely and responsibly. Some protesters are endangering themselves and others by not taking the necessary safety precautions in a working forest.
Continued discussion in the right forums and understanding of each other’s points of view are the best ways to work together.
Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
