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December 9, 2005: Logging active despite FPB report

B.C.

COMOX VALLEY RECORD

Island Briefs

Dec 09 2005

Logging active despite FPB report

If logging isn't stopped on Southeast Vancouver Island in order to support Forest Practices Board recommendations to protect red-listed plant species, one environmental group will be stepping up their protest.

The news comes in response to recommendations by the FPB passed down in August of this year.

The report and recommendations were completed after complaints by the Carmanah Forest Society that amendments to the B.C. Timber Sales Program would eliminate the endangered plant communities of the coastal Douglas fir ecosystems.

The ministries of environment and forests and range had until Oct. 31 to report back on the recommendations and, in an interview with The News recently, say they have moved forward with the initial steps of a conservation protocol.

"In order to deal with this situation, it's going to take involvement of many parties," says Rod Davis, director of ecosystems branch of the environment ministry.

The situation is one where only around seven per cent of the endangered ecosystems are still found on Crown land. While those will be easier to protect, says Davis, it's the protection of those on private land that will be challenging.

"We're not going to provide the full level of protection that might be needed solely on Crown land."

Staff from the South Island Forest District in the Ministry of Environment are assessing areas for red-listed communities.

Once that is complete they will look at methods to protect them with companies who own land that includes these ecosystems.

Minister of Forests and Range Rich Coleman says they will move forward with the others' recommendations as well, as they are able.

In the meantime, they will not halt logging approvals in the area, he adds.

Carmanah Forest Society president, Syd Haskell, says there's still only surface steps being taken towards protecting these areas.

"They're still in the act of approving these logging areas," says Haskell.

While he says meetings with the ministry of environment have been constructive, they can't be terribly effective if the forests and range ministry allows logging.

If that doesn't succeed, Haskell says the CFS will contact companies buying the timber about the moral issue around buying wood from companies and a government that isn't properly protecting the environment.

- Parksville

Qualicum News

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/portals-c...