Ward Stamer

Not enough timber and fibre is being made available for B.C. mills, says Conservative Forestry critic and Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer, who on Friday pressured Forests Minister Ravi Parmar to change how timber and fibre is accessed in the province. The province set a goal of harvesting 45 million cubic metres of fibre annually, but the Conservatives say they are on track to harvest just 30 million. “That’s not enough fibre to keep the province’s sawmills running, and likely why we have to import wood chips from the U.S. to keep our pulp mills running,” Stamer said in an Oct. 31 press release. “We need significant changes in how we access fibre, not just address backlogs after logging has taken place.” Stamer said B.C. needs to start harvesting fire-damaged timber immediately… He said BC Timber Sales needs to deliver 20 per cent of the annual allowable cut, “not a fraction of that.”