Re: "Beetle puts forestry's future at risk," Aug. 16.
Reductions in timber supply are not new. Fall-down is inherent in B.C.'s forest planning model - that schedules the logging transition from larger old-growth trees to smaller second growth.
What is different now in the Central Interior is the significant area impacted by the pine beetle (20 per cent of B.C.'s forests) and large, short-term increases in annual cut to salvage dead pine trees before they become unsellable.
There are no easy fixes, as trees grow slowly. What we can do is manage the forest to maintain it in a more healthy condition with reduced vulnerability to beetles (reduce our losses). We can also provide short-term increased timber supply, while growing high-quality wood (increase our gains).
Well-conducted commercial thinning can do this.
On July 9, I brought to the attention of the government's Special Committee on Timber Supply that Sweden's spruce and pine forests produce about 21 million cubic metres (30 per cent of their timber) annually from commercial thinning. In B.C., it's less than one per cent.
The shortfall in timber supply in B.C.'s Central Interior is estimated at 10 million cubic metres. Thinning could reduce this regional shortfall by four million cubic metres.
The merits of commercial thinning should be carefully considered in the updated timber supply plan the Ministry is preparing for central B.C. It can mean more short-term timber (and jobs) for mills, more resilient forests and a betterquality future timber supply.
Ray Travers
Registered professional forester Victoria
