An additional 14,750 hectares of old growth management area (OGMA) has been added to the Sunshine Coast forest district, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced July 21.
The Sunshine Coast forest district stretches from West Howe Sound to Bute Inlet, covering an area more than 1.5 million hectares.
"These old growth management areas were established under the Land Act, following public consultation and discussions with First Nations, forestry companies and local stakeholders," the announcement read.
Locally, almost 2,900 hectares formed part of a package "on the west side of Howe Sound and several islands within Howe Sound." The rest of the newly designated OGMAs fell outside the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD).
Other areas where land was added to the OGMA supply included parcels along Bute and Jervis inlets, as well as more than 4,000 hectares on islands in Desolation Sound.
"These ecosystems provide plant and animal habitats, are excluded from commercial timber harvesting and may also provide recreational opportunities," the announcement added.
According to the Ministry, the province currently retains some 55,000 OGMAs, covering an area of approximately 3.9 million hectares.
Minister Steve Thomson was unavailable for comment, but Ministry spokesman Brennan Clarke responded that "the majority of these areas had not been previously announced as being protected in an OGMA.
"Mostareas are under completely new protection; however,others may have received limited protection under different legislation covering wildlife," he said.
OGMAs do not provide the same protection as parks. Industrial logging is not permitted within the areas, but they are open to such things as trail building and limited harvesting.
"OGMAs may also be amended to accommodate activities such as road access, clean energy projects and other land tenures that may occur over time," Clarke added.
A proposal for limited harvesting would be subject to a review of the forest district and must be approved by the Ministry. Any significant alterations to the status of an OGMA are subject to First Nations and public review.
Local conservation advocates Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) praised the move, but called for more attention at lower elevations.
"Protecting old growth forests is always a good environmental strategy," said the group's president, Ross Muirhead. "OGMAs, however, tend to be small and fragmented from each other, so there is not adequate connectivity between them."
ELF's latest campaign had targeted a BC Timber Sales (BCTS) cutblock in the proximity of tributary streams feeding into Roberts Creek.
Norm Kempe, planning forester with Minis-try of Forests, appeared as part of a delegation before the SCRD July 19 to respond to concerns related to the proposed BCTS cutblocks.
According to him, some 700 hectares of land with similar ecosystems had previously been set aside from logging.
The definition of old growth generally used by the Ministry and BCTS is age class nine, or 250 years and over. Areas untouched by fires and logging might exceed that in multiples.
Areas selected as OGMA additions are not necessarily classified as old growth, Kempe added. In regions like valleys where old growth forests are unavailable, the strategy involves patience.
"What they're doing is recruiting old growth, so as these areas grow up, eventually they'll be old growth," he explained.
According to the Ministry, the recently announced Sunshine Coast OGMAs had not been previously harvested.
While areas recently affected by forest fires are not excluded from the selection process, the Ministry also confirmed that the announced OGMAs were not located "in recently burned forests [as of 2011]."
