Editor:
Are the “tree huggers” on the B&K road a nuisance or a sign of an important land use issue?
The SCRD has asked the BC Forest Service to delay further logging above Roberts Creek until we sort out park plans for the lower slopes of Mount Elphinstone. No luck.
Our requests and concerns are directed to the offices of BC Timber Sales, whose job it is to sell trees for cash, period. We have asked for an area-wide planning study such has been done in other jurisdictions. Denied! Why? In the words of a BC Timber Sales employee, we are polarized and not cooperative. Perhaps a simpler reason is that our gain is their loss.
What will we lose? The walking and bicycle trails accessible from the B&K road are equal in attractiveness to those of Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park. We have Douglas firs that are more than 600 years old. Volunteers create and maintain the trails in the old forest where there are few erosion problems and undergrowth is minimal.
What will we gain by logging? Revenue once every 80 years. Not much may come our way.
Not everyone will walk or cycle these trails, but for those who will, the mid-elevation forests of Mount Elphinstone are “Supernatural BC.” Whistler now takes in more revenue during summer months than winter and bicycling is one of the most prominent attractions. Our mountain biking trail network is just the beginning of what could be a large revenue source for our community. It would be a shame to lose an opportunity to increase tourism.
BC Timber Sales will take out the highest value trees first, starting now. We need to be a part of the planning process.
Maybe the protesters have a point.
Dougald MacDonald, Gibsons
