Editor:
Last week’s article reporting that the BC Supreme Court has extended the injunction over logging in the Chanterelle Forest (EW28) made mention of the western white pine growing in the area of the proposed logging. The photo caption of the tree says: “ELF claims [it] is the fifth largest in B.C.” I’d like to point out that it’s not a “claim” (as if unsubstantiated) of its ranking as the fifth largest western white pine in the province, because it’s based on the record keeping of this tree species at the UBC Faculty of Forestry’s Big Tree Registry. A second western white pine that turns out to be even larger was recently measured in Block EW23, currently being logged by the Community Forest (SCCF). Due to these pines being yellow-listed on the provincial endangered species list, SCCF leaves them behind as single trees in clearcuts, however, with no surrounding protection. The lack of a buffer means that the majority of these now rare trees will blow down over time. Requests to provide buffers for these pines have fallen on deaf ears by the SCCF planner.
The article also goes on to say that ELF members are sometimes argumentative with SCCF. The only opportunity for the public to discuss SCCF operations is at their annual AGMs where we’re given five minutes to address sometimes complex issues. If we present an alternative point of view that the company does not wish to entertain, they shut us down after the allotted five minutes is up. If healthy debate is defined as argumentative then they should accept the notion that free speech is a right of every individual and provide a healthy context for discussion to occur on important forest ecology issues. The allegation that ELF members are “disruptive” and “abusive” is simply hyperbole.
When this current District of Sechelt council was first elected, the mayor agreed to look into reinstating the former public advisory committee, allowing a transparent discussion of SCCF’s future plans – but to date, that committee remains a skeleton in their closet.
Ross Muirhead, Elphinstone Logging Focus
