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Dear Mr. Jensen, (Assistant, Deputy Minister of Forests)
Last Tuesday evening, Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) held an Emergency Meeting at the Roberts Creek Hall. At 7:15 about 20 people were seated, by 7:45 the hall was standing room only. We had Coast Cable filming the meeting which will be aired 5X throughout the week - even had the Community Forests Manager videoing taping the proceedings. The level of outrage over logging TrailFest-Wagon Forest (A87124) was very real. I presented an overview of why our group was formed (lack of adequate public input into local forest management), Laurie gave a moving presentation on the need for an expanded park and Hans provided an overview of the meeting he had with you and others earlier in the day on the urgent need to cancel BCTS Block A87124 in the TralFest-Wagon Forest.
The last person to speak during the Q & A, was a retired insurance salesman (early 70's) who began to speak slowly, then through his integrity of thought on the subject, got the audience into a revival state. To paraphrase this gentleman on the subject of more logging on the Elphinstone slopes, he said: "If this doesn't get your blood boiling - I don't what will". Independently of us, members of the audience stated that they're quite prepared to organize a road blockage should push come to shove. We will support them in anyway we can, however to be clear the ELF Board is opposed to breaking of the law in pursuit of our efforts to have a larger amount of the Elphinstone Forests protected. We support a progressive, eco-forestry approach (as stated in the Roberts Creek OCP) to preserve ecosystem integrity & banning of raw logs to support BC forestry jobs.
I don't think 'officials' sitting in Victoria, Campbell River or Powell River quite understand the level of frustration people on the lower Sunshine Coast have about more logging on the Elphinstone slopes. The shared emotion, is that we're done with centralized planning of our local forest and being told what is to be cut and what is not. Since the LRUP was taken away from us in the mid-1990's, residents have watched the Elphinstone intact forests slowly but surely disappearing to be replaced with tree farms. 99.9% of the people living in Roberts Creek and surrounds do not work in the forest industry. We contribute to the provincial economy by being small business owners, working in the the arts, and we are Vancouver commuters working in the high-tech industry. We have a strong environmental bent, and want to see more than 3% of the Sunshine Coast Forest District lands protected.
We still re-call the horror of having 160Ha of upland forests clearcut by CNI - as if it was the 1950s all over again with continuous clearcuts rolling over valley after valley. We see it every time time we drive to Dakota Ridge Cross-ski area. Now we're being told that opening up the border to this huge clearcut with another clearcut is fine and dandy - that the land can handle more industrial scale logging.
From our meeting, the community for sure isn't buying that logging A87124 is sound land use planning. if tyhe pubnlci should have any say in how Crown lands manage, then please heed this call. I was surprised by the number of people at the meeting who stated that they use the trails throughout TrailFest-Wagon Forest. As we have been saying, "This area is a de-facto park" due to its high prior usage. Don't take it away from us.
To summarize, ELF (again) requests that BCTS and Ministry of Forests defer or cancel this block. Look for 27Ha outside of the proposed, expanded Mt Elphinstone Prov. Park boundaries. The community is mobilizing to do what it takes to stop this block. We have attempted to reach an agreement with BCTS on this issue, however they don't acknowledge that we have any valid points. Sure, BCTS met with Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) on the matter after they demanded that BCTS present their case for this logging. In all due respect to our SCRD officials, they (except for one member) didn't show an understanding of the issue and or an environmental consciousness that even meets a minimal standard.
Please take a moment and visit our web site, and view the Google Earth images that clearly shows over-logging behind Roberts Creek.
http://www.loggingfocus.org/campaigns/forestry-watch/google-earth-cutblocks-sunshine-coast/ - scroll down to view: CNI Logging on road to Dakota Ridge to get a sense of the damage done.
We assert that the CNI lands have not recovered both visually and hydrologically to support the enlargement of the existing clearcut area through the logging of the Trailfest-Wagon Forest. Please cancel it and at look for other solutions.
Best Regards, Elphinstone Logging Focus Board of Directors
The five Principal Arguments for Saving Ancient Forests
1. They are simply ecologically unreproducable.
2. They contain a myriad of life-forms that no second growth forest can support.
3. Second growth forests can easily yield an annual allowable cut of today’s levels without the need to encroach any further into ancient forests.
4. Less than two percent of all productive forest land in the Sunshine Coast Forest District is protected.
5. We need at least 30 percent for biodiversity to be preserved.
There is no such thing as managing an ancient forest or having a certified forest that meets ecological standards. Ancient forests must be left alone, without any interference by man.
Source: Paul Jones – International Forestry Consultant -ret., Co-founder Friends of Caren, Ancient Forests Authority, Caren Range Ancient Forests Authority, Marbled Murrelet Authority – discoverer of the first active nest of the species on the Caren Range that led in 1999 to part of the Caren Range being set aside as a Class A Provincial Park.