Ancient red cedar cut down by Interfor in the Klaskish Valley, next to East Creek. Photo credit: Joe Foy
So-called variable "retention logging" by Weyerhaeuser is simply clearcutting leaving a smattering of standing trees. Photo credit: Jeremy Sean Williams
The beautiful Emerald Pool in the Upper Walbran. Photo credit: Jeremy Sean Williams
Upper Walbran Rally - 500 people rallied in a Weyerhaeuser clearcut in Oct. 2004 to protect the Upper Walbran. Photo credit: Shel Neufeld
The BC Government’s "Working Forest" is a "Corporate Forest"
During their previous term in office, the BC Liberal government attempted to turn ALL of BC’s unprotected public forests into a so-called "Working Forest". A massive public uproar caused the government to back down from legally-implementing the initiative in July 2004. The Working Forest Initiative would have legally obstructed the establishment of new protected areas and also would have further streamlined the sell-off of public (Crown) lands to real estate developers.
In the place of the defeated initiative, the BC government announced a vague "Working Forest Policy" that currently has no legal teeth - it is essentially just an empty name. However, they could still attempt to revive parts of the Working Forest Initiative in the future, as they still defend its "concept" or "principle". In particular, they are keeping the door open to potentially establish the Working Forest’s guaranteed logging zones, known as "Timber Targets", which would be made legally-binding through future Cabinet orders-in-councils. We cannot allow any obstructions against new protected areas or initiatives that facilitate the privatization of public forests if we are to establish a comprehensive protected areas system for Vancouver Island.
Upper Walbran Valley
The 13,000 hectare Walbran Valley lies on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island by the world-famous West Coast Trail and the protected Carmanah Valley. With record-sized red cedars, Douglas fir, and Sitka spruce trees, the Walbran is among the world’s most spectacular remaining ancient rainforests. Cougars, wolves, black bears, and Roosevelt elk roam the valley, as do ‘species at risk’ including marbled murrelet, Queen Charlotte goshawks, Vaux’s swifts, Keen’s and Townsend’s long-eared myotis (bats), red-legged frogs, and threatened runs of steelhead trout and coho salmon. The Walbran is in the territory of the Pacheedaht and Ditidaht First Nations.
Since 1989, the Walbran Valley has been a focus of environmental concern. Due to intense public pressure, in 1994 the BC government protected the 5,500 hectare Lower Walbran Valley. However, they left the 7,500 hectare Upper Walbran Valley - with the most spectacular red cedar and Douglas fir forests - open to logging, with giant clearcuts now scarring several parts of the valley. Currently, Teal Jones Co. is moving rapidly to log the beautiful forests in close proximity to the world class Castle Grove, the "Cathedral Grove of Red Cedars". Weyerhaeuser is moving to finalize a sale of their logging rights to Toronto-based Brascan, who have indicated they plan to sell their Crown land logging rights to Western Forest Products.
Monster-size Douglas fir cut down by Weyerhaeuser in the Upper Walbran, 2004. Photo credit: Jeremy Sean Williams
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee has been working hard for almost a decade to educate and mobilize the BC public to speak up for this most important wilderness area. About 40% of the Upper Walbran has already been logged, while the remaining 60% contains some of BC’s most magnificent ancient forest. Traditionally, campaigns for wilderness preservation have focused on intact, pristine valleys. However, with 87% of southern Vancouver Island’s ancient forests already lost to logging and no pristine valleys remaining south of Barkley Sound, all of what remains in the Upper Walbran is precious!
