The following letter was sent to Tom Jensen, assistant deputy minister Forest, Lands and Resource Operations, and copied to Coast Reporter.
We are writing to express our extreme concern regarding the possible sale of BC Timber Sales cutblock #A87124 in the Wilson Creek watershed.
It is located on the southern edge of the 2007 CNI clear-cut, and if logging is allowed to proceed, it will be one of the largest clear-cuts in the region.
This cutblock is an important part of the proposed 1,500ha Mount Elphinstone Park. This area contains some of the last low elevation natural forest on the Sunshine Coast. BC Parks describes the existing small park, which is similar to these blocks, as "mixed old growth and second growth forest with very diverse and rich fungi populations associated with the forest." They also note that "all three of the park sites are relatively small and could be impacted by adjacent development or forest activities." In other words the park needs to be bigger.
While this cutblock may not be age class nine, it has many old-growth-like characteristics regenerating after selective hand logging in the late 1800s -similar to the forests in the three small parks.
BCTS manages 6,000ha of forested public lands across the face of Mount Elphinstone and "harvests" an average of 27ha annually. We have complete faith that BCTS staff can find 27ha of previously logged forest in the approximately 4,500ha remaining if a moratorium is placed on sales in the proposed 1,500ha park area.
The Roberts Creek Community Association urgently requests an immediate deferral of the sale of block #A87124 and a moratorium of any further logging within the proposed expanded Mount Elphinstone Park.
Steve Henry, president
Roberts Creek Community Association
