It has been an “exhausting” balancing act but scientists are close to completing a detailed forestry analysis they hope will aid the timber industry and government – and please environmentalists and communities – as part of plans to increase protection for some of the world’s most unique forest.
The scientists are part of a vast cast of independent experts poring over almost 1 million ha of forest running along the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, also known as the Great Bear Rainforest. They are assessing 20 large “candidate” areas of forestland shortlisted for protected status by the provincial government, as well as several optional areas. Assuming the majority of them are eventually protected next year, it is likely to increase BC’s area of protected forestland to 13%. And until a decision has been made, timber companies are banned from commercially logging the region – hence the importance of the research to the overseas market place as well as to British Columbians.
This process is key because it will dictate how much timber can be taken from the forests on the Coast in future, a region where traditionally around 20% of all timber in British Columbia is harvested and where labour costs are far higher than the Interior of BC due to the challenging mountainous terrain. While the majority of timber is shipped to the US, large quantities of high value timber such as western red cedar are exported to the UK for decking and other exterior uses due to the wood’s colour and durability.
Creating a blueprint
The complexity of the analysis by the scientists – collectively known as the Coast Information Team – is primarily due to BC’s desire to create a blueprint of ecosystem-based forest management. This desire is driven not only by the need to harvest timber in a sustainable manner, but also because of the unique importance of the Central Coast to tourism and the traditional, spiritual needs of First Nations communities.
Getting everyone around the table to discuss the issue was the big first hurdle planners overcame.
Stan Hagen, BC’s sustainable resource management minister, said: “When I was sworn in two years ago, Central Coast land use planning looked like a huge can of worms. I started talking to the groups that had bought into the plan, but many remained at the discussions that had not – and the idea of starting over again was not really an option because the people at the table were exhausted from the exercise.
“So I put a shorter time limit on the project and focused people on what was expected to be achieved. To finalise the Central Coast plan, all we are waiting for is the scientific analysis from the independent team providing information upon which we will make our decision on the protected areas.
“We have a responsibility to the market place to show that while we are a resource-based economy we are also very environmentally conscious” |
Stan Hagen, BC’s sustainable resource management minister |
“There is no direct commitment to increase the area of protected forests to 13% but it will probably happen. The report will recommend more, rather than less, when it comes to the protected areas. We have a responsibility to the market place to show that while we are a resource-based economy we are also very environmentally conscious and we want to telegraph to the world that we have a great tourism industry and do care about environmental protection.”
Commercial logging ban
This summer, the BC government extended an order in council to prevent commercial logging in 20 candidate protection areas and 17 options areas along the Central Coast. The one-year extension expires on June 30 next year, and has given negotiators on all sides a deadline for talks to be completed. The Central Coast forestland covers about 4.8 million ha and includes temperate rainforests, important watersheds, shorelines and steep mountainous terrain. It is also home to more than 4,400 people, mainly First Nations. Furthermore, it is an important destination for the thousands of British tourists who visit and pass the region on cruise ships en route to Alaska. After Americans, British tourists are among the most numerous foreign visitors to BC.
The planning process on the Central Coast has aroused so much curiosity not only because the region is a key test-bed for ecosystem-based land management, but because it is one of three separate government-led land use planning processes – part of an overall sustainability strategy it is understood will help define future forest management in BC.
Ken Baker is co-chair of the Coast Information Team. He said the lion’s share of the work was concluded at the end of October, with some remaining scientific issues still to be solved by this month. Indeed, he said the work has been stepped up in order to meet the strict end-of-year deadline, with the Team feeding data on an ongoing basis to the Central Coast Completion Table, which meets twice a month to examine new material. The Table will review the data and make final recommendations to the provincial government prior to talks with First Nations, with the outcome of those talks due in the spring. The Team is funded by the province but is independent of government control, and includes members of non-governmental organisations, First Nations representatives, the forest industry and the local communities.
Jim Lornie, chair of the Completion Table, said: “The forest sector has been involved in the Central Coast area for decades and of course a number of communities and workers have become dependent on the forest sector.” He added that, although the resource is abundant, as more forestland becomes protected it does have some impact on the availability of raw material for the timber industry.
If the Table recommends that almost all of the candidate areas should receive protection, this will increase the overall volume of protected forestland in British Columbia to 13%. Stan Hagen said: “I have a very philosophical view on the percentage of protected land. Thirteen per cent is a useful guide but it is not a magic number. Certainly there are challenges from a First Nations point of view because some of these candidate areas are very special for them.”
It is understood the Table will take these concerns into consideration before making its final recommendations. It will seek extensive viewpoints from First Nations bands in order to minimise the number of potential differences when First Nations discuss the plans with the provincial government next year.