Editor:
The fate of the Wilson Creek forest will be, to a large extent, determined by a report being prepared by two hydrologists appointed by Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) and an advisory committee.
The first hydrology report commissioned by SCCF concluded that additional logging in the Wilson Creek watershed posed no risk to slope and bank stability or to downstream fisheries. That report did not consider the large (private CNI) 160Ha clear-cut that compromised the ability of the watershed to absorb, filter and reduce peak water flows. The current study (thankfully) does look at the CNI lands and their negative effects on a number of hydrological issues.
A current BC Timber Sales cutblock originally had its falling boundaries within the Wilson Creek watershed; however, their planners acknowledged that the watershed had exceeded cut levels and pulled back the western boundary. In total there are three SCCF cutblocks planned for the Wilson Creek watershed, which will lead to more forest and vegetation cover loss and, from a hydrological point of view, should raise several red flags. If readers go to the website: loggingfocus.org, they can view Google Earth images of the watershed and see the massive clearcuts and many smaller ones that have decimated the original intact forests.
Wilson Creek watershed needs to recover to ensure that sediment levels do not continue to rise over downstream salmon beds. All future logging should be cancelled for the sake of higher values, such as the Sunshine Coast's historic salmon runs.
If logging is allowed to continue, then as the old-timers would say: "They're taking out the guts and feathers of the valley" - a situation that would be intolerable considering the level of scientific knowledge we have on protecting downstream fisheries.
Ross Muirhead
Elphinstone Logging Focus
