The provincial election is an opportunity for candidates to say what they will do to improve B.C. forestry — our most important public asset.
Logging has declined by 25 per cent from its peak in 1988. On the coast, since 1987, 50 of 80 mills have permanently closed — a decline of 62 per cent.
Approved rates of logging are coming down throughout B.C. by as much as 50 per cent because of overcutting the good timber. Meanwhile, log exports have increased to one log in 10 overall, and one log in three on the coast.
Log exports are a symptom of weak forest economies. The weaker the economy, the more logs exported.
To create conditions for forestry success, B.C. must:
• Place forestry above politics, like the auditor general. A non-political permanent forest commission was recommended by Chief Justice Gordon Sloan in 1945, but never implemented.
• Adapt to climate change by establishing science-management partnerships. Combine forest science with local knowledge of land. Restore the Forest Research Branch, terminated in 2011.
• Grow high-quality wood to increase the value of our timber. Without a high-quality timber supply there is no foundation to attract investment.
• Decentralize operational responsibility to regions. B.C. is too large and too diverse for one size to fit all.
Improving standards of care to sustain the many benefits from our vast public forests will require leadership, long-term commitment and foresight. If we don’t control our own destiny, someone else will.
Ray Travers
Victoria
