Reed Road Forest in Elphinstone won’t be logged until a plan is in place for managing the area.
“They are not going to do anything until there’s more conversation,” Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) chair Lori Pratt told Coast Reporter after she received a letter from Forestry Minister Doug Donaldson on March 29.
The letter states that BC Timber Sales (BCTS) will “hold off” on advertising the sale of Forest licence A91376, also known as DL1313, until “a balanced management approach has been developed for the area.”
The long-awaited letter comes after months of correspondence with the ministry, with the SCRD pushing for the cut block to be removed from BCTS’ auction list. The forest is designated as park in the Elphinstone Official Community Plan, and the only designated parkland above the Sunshine Coast Highway in the electoral area. Local environmentalists have argued forest ecology in the area should be protected as they push for the extension of nearby Mount Elphinstone Provincial Park. In December, the SCRD requested an immediate Cabinet Order to suspend the auction.
Donaldson acknowledged community interests in keeping the forest intact. “I understand the area is desirable for future public use and that these are concerns about the contribution of the area to ecological integrity, visual quality, surface and groundwater management, and fire management,” wrote Donaldson, who confirmed that more meetings between SCRD and BCTS are expected to address these concerns and that in the meantime, “BCTS will shift development to other timber sales licenses that are largely outside the current proposed park expansion area for Mount Elphinstone.”
Donna McMahon, director for Elphinstone, called Donaldson’s letter “a stay of execution.”
An additional factor weighing on the decision whether to permanently remove the cut block from the auction list is the provincial government’s ongoing work with the shíshálh Nation to devise a “modernized land use plan” (MLUP).
While DL1313 is located on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh territory, Donaldson raised the MLUP as a factor. “While it is uncertain whether the MLUP will influence management of this area, BCTS will continue to work with the SCRD to address these values to the extent possible,” he wrote.
Donaldson also asked that the SCRD “continue to work closely with ministry staff and appropriate First Nations communities.”
Pratt confirmed that Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation is “certainly aware” of DL1313 and “there is definitely a keen interest to discuss it and decide how they want to move forward, but we’ve got a lot of steps to get to before we get to land use planning with them,” she said. “They know we are keen to meet with them and they are keen to meet with us, so it’s a matter of making it happen.”
Pratt said she would be forwarding the letter to Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation.
