Editor:
Re: “Changes coming as Community Forest directors resign,” June 22.
Our organization, Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF), looks forward to a restart on this community forest licence and supports Sechelt council taking these necessary steps to improve oversight of its logging company, the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF). As the name implies, it’s also about managing the “forests” – not just clearcutting the timber.
Under the former president, SCCF disbanded the Public Advisory Committee where operations could be discussed in an open context and cancelled the Walk in the Woods program which allowed the public to view proposed cutblocks and offer input. These two public processes were disbanded without consultation with the district.
Limiting terms that board members serve could help foster a more diverse range of inputs, hopefully leading to progressive approaches in forestry management like eco-forestry, selective harvesting and protection of more sensitive, at-risk ecosystems.
Unfortunately, the areas that the province granted to SCCF to log are low to mid-elevation forests containing high biodiversity levels where other values overlap such as wildlife habitat and recreation. ELF and many residents would not take issue if SCCF’s logging were restricted to previously cut areas (i.e.: tree farms) rather than cleaning out our last natural community forests.
Ross Muirhead, Elphinstone Logging Focus
