Editor:
Across the Elphinstone Forest slopes, I come across new mountain trails in various stages of completion – initial route flagging, ground brushing, small scale earth-moving, banking, jumps, and pits left behind from excavating dirt to level the track. These new trails are all found in natural, primary forests. I’ve yet to see a mountain biker rush out to a new clearcut, rejoice and start doing the above labour-intensive work for a new trail. Goes to show that mountain bikers prefer a trail that glides under the canopy of a lush forest vs. one crossing through the ruins of a clearcut. The forest canopy protects a trail from the full force of incoming rains, making maintenance of it a whole lot easier. Some trails get abandoned or are scary to ride on after they get logged through because the route turns into a water channel. The lower Sunshine Coast has a world-class mountain bike system that rivals anything in the world. It must be managed along with the ecological integrity of the sensitive Elphinstone Forests since it’s a blue-listed, forest-plant ecosystem. It’s time for logging to cease in this core area so that a sustainable tourism industry that holds a mix of biking, hiking, camping and nature appreciation with a First Nation component can be set in place for the long term.
Ross Muirhead, Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF)
