VANCOUVER — A government-commissioned review of forestry in British Columbia is calling for the system to be razed and rebuilt with a focus on trust and transparency about the state of the province’s forests, shifting away “from managing harvest volumes to managing lands.” …The authors of the report, including industry representatives and academics, pitch a model that would change who makes decisions about lumber allotment, taking that power away from the provincial government and shifting it to regional bodies that manage defined areas. …Shannon Janzen a co-chair of the advisory council, and former chief forester, said the use of area-based land management is not a new idea and is already in use in places like Ontario and Alberta. …Forest Minister Ravi Parmar would not commit to implementing the report’s recommendations, telling reporters that he has to consult with other ministries. …A statement from the BC Council of Forest Industries said it would be reviewing the recommendations with its members. …Brian Menzies, the executive director of the Independent Wood Processors Association of B.C., said there’s little detail in the report about how its members would access more fibre.

Additional coverage:

• Truck Loggers Association of BC: Statement on Provincial Forestry Advisory Council’s Report: The TLA supports the overall direction of the report and its recommendations, including the shift from volume- to area-based management, adopting regional forest management areas, increased community engagement, First Nations co-management, and improved focus and alignment across the sector.
• Ancient Forest Alliance: The Ancient Forest Alliance and the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance strongly criticize the report for failing to put forward the essential recommendations needed to protect endangered old-growth forests and modernize BC’s forest industry.
• Black Press, by Mark Page Media: Forestry council recommends B.C. shift to regional land stewardship, de-emphasize targets
• Castanet, by Josh Dawson: Ministry to examine B.C. forestry review recommendations, opposition says it misses the mark Kamloops-North Thompson B.C. Conservative MLA and Opposition forests critic Ward Stamer, said the report “doesn’t address the fundamental challenges” facing the logging industry — mainly costing issues and fibre access he said have made it “uncompetitive.”
• Chek News, by Rob Shaw: B.C. forest sector must dramatically transform to survive, says new report: Shannon Janzen said the current struggles of the forest sector, including mill closures and job losses, is “decades in the making” stemming back to the original forestry laws of 1912. “We have a system that is built on an era that no longer exists,” said Janzen.
• BC Greens, Emily Lowan: BC Greens back PFAC’s call for major reform in BC forest management