Environmental groups already riled by the pace of protections for ancient forests in B.C. were further provoked after the province failed to announce any new old-growth logging deferrals in its new vision for forestry Tuesday. “If Premier John Horgan’s intention is to make the conflict raging around old-growth forests even worse, this is the perfect plan to do that,” said Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee. …The plan — which won’t be complete until 2023 at the earliest — includes worthy goals such as reconciliation and co-operation with First Nations, ensuring more communities benefit from forestry, and diversifying access to tenure and timber supply, Coste noted. But the NDP government’s vision will do nothing to quell the immediate wildfire of public discord about the lack of protection for big trees and the at-risk ecosystems that support them, he said.

As soon as the British Columbia government released what Premier John Horgan said was a new vision for forestry in the province, critics panned it as a status quo document that fails to protect any more old growth.  “I don’t know what they’re thinking, frankly,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee advocacy group. “They don’t want to take meaningful action because they’re worried about the consequences of it.”  The 28-page paper “Modernizing Forest Policy in British Columbia: Setting the Intention and Leading the Forest Sector Transition” sets out 20 “policy intentions,” many of which have been talked about for decades.  …Coste said that on a first read there’s little to object to in the government’s policy intentions themselves. …They are not, however, what’s needed at a time when public trust in the government’s forest policy is fragile and many are outraged by the continuing logging of old-growth forests, he said.

After weeks of arrests and attempts to block old growth logging on Vancouver Island, the province’s anticipated forestry announcement proved to be a disappointment Tuesday to protesters and environmentalists. …While the province said the plan is to include more Indigenous Nations, forest communities and small operators in forestry agreements, critics say the move does little to address the need to preserve old growth forests that are actively being logged, including trees inside lots at the Fairy Creek Watershed.  “It was heartbreaking,” said Jens Wieting, forest and climate campaigner with the environmental group Sierra Club B.C. …It’s a sentiment echoed by Sonia Furstenau, leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Cowichan Valley.  “This really shows a lack of leadership and a lack of understanding of the moment we’re in,” she told CBC News. “British Columbians want to see the last of this land protected.”

The B.C. government has set out its vision for a forestry sector that is more diverse, competitive, focused on sustainability and puts people and communities first. …Government’s vision to modernize forest policy and protect old growth will take time to fully implement. It is focused on three guiding principles: increased sector participation, enhanced stewardship and sustainability, and a strengthened social contract to give government more control over management of the sector. …The proposed changes to forest policy as outlined in a new intentions paper include a compensatory framework to redistribute forest tenures to Indigenous Nations, forest communities and small operators. In addition, the paper includes the continued commitment to act on the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review in collaboration with Indigenous leaders, local governments, labour, industry and environmental groups. This work must balance the need to support and protect workers with the need for additional old-growth protection.

A province wide bat count will monitor the number of Little Brown Myotis bats. While the bat species is one of the most familiar in buildings and bat boxes, the Little Brown Myotis is endangered in Canada. In British Columbia, almost half of the province’s 15 bat species are at risk. The bat is an essential part of the province’s ecology, consuming many insects each night. The B.C. Annual Bat Count program is asking for colony reports and volunteer assistance in counting bats at local root sites in June. …In 2020, the bat count collected baseline data on bat populations at 362 sites across the province and hopes to monitor these sites and more for 2021. The count data helps bat biologists understand bat distribution and normal variation in colony sizes before our bats face impacts from a devastating bat disease called White-nose Syndrome.

VICTORIA – The BC government has released a paper that lays out far-ranging “policy intentions,” including diversifying the ownership of forest tenures, or harvesting rights, and establishing a framework for compensation in the event those rights are redistributed. About half of the province’s forest tenures are currently held by five major companies, and the new plan includes the goal to increase the tenures for Indigenous Peoples, forest communities and smaller operators. Premier John Horgan said the existing tenure system is not meeting the needs of forestry communities, workers or “other players in the sector who want access to more fibre to create more jobs, more value-added products.” …The province aims to increase access to wood fibre for value-added domestic manufacturers and begin an audit process of the fee-in-lieu it charges companies when unprocessed logs are exported out of B.C., the intention paper says.

Susan Yurkovich

The forest industry has been foundational to the economy and quality of life in the province for generations. That’s why it’s important that the Government of B.C. has outlined its vision and intentions with respect to modernizing B.C.’s forest policy. After nearly 20 years, we agree that it is time to recognize the challenges and opportunities we face along with the dynamic nature of forests and the forest industry. We appreciate the Province’s desire to work collaboratively to ensure healthy forests, create more opportunities for Indigenous people and communities, sustain good jobs for British Columbians and deliver low carbon forest products to the world. We also appreciate the government’s acknowledgment that having a sustainable and competitive forest products industry here in B.C. will help us achieve all those objectives.

The provincial government is promising to boost Indigenous engagement in forestry as it sets out on the largest series of policy updates for the sector since the early 2000s. Victoria’s plans would see it double the amount of replaceable forest tenure held by Indigenous nations from the current levels of 10%, according to the strategy unveiled on Tuesday. …John French, chief of the Takla First Nation, said… “It is an important step in ensuring that we First Nations people take a rightful place as partners in the forestry sector,” he said. …Other policy intentions include: further define timber tenure transfer requirements; enhance revenue oversight for log exports; more flexibility in how the minister of forests allocates timber; and increased timber access for higher value domestic manufacturers. 

John Horgan

VICTORIA — When Premier John Horgan was pressed about the bitter standoff over old-growth logging, he deflected the questions with a “wait and see” about a coming announcement. …The premier’s intentions for forests policy — all 20 of them — were made public on Tuesday. … Any settlement would likely entail compensation for the First Nation and for the private forest company that holds the cutting rights to the trees. The cost would be prohibitive if the province were to impose an immediate and outright ban on all old-growth logging. …“ I do believe that we can move away from such a heavy dependence on harvesting and processing, particularly in the old growth profile, but it needs to be a managed transition.” One of the foremost of those intentions is doubling the annual allowable cut in the hands of First Nations. …The government has an internal estimate of the cost of the shift.

The BC government announced plans to update its forestry policy to redistribute forest tenures to Indigenous Nations and small operators. The province says it wants a more diverse and competitive sector that “puts people and communities first.” Currently, five large companies hold roughly half of the forest tenures in the province. …The province says it will establish a framework that will lay out under what circumstances tenure-holders will receive compensation for lost harvesting rights. It says it will be flexible… to take into account the pressures on small operators or Indigenous or community operators. It also announced that it is committed to implementing the 14 recommendations from the independent old growth review by 2023. …The premier was asked why Tuesday’s announcement does not include immediate action to prevent logging of old growth trees. …”The critical recommendation that’s in play at Fairy Creek is consulting with the title holders,” said Horgan.