PRIVATE LAND LOGGING ON THE BEAUFORTS

The slopes of the Beaufort Range on both sides are private land. They were part of the huge land grant, 20 percent of Vancouver Island, which was given to the E and N Railway Co. (owned by the CPR) in the late 1800’s in return for building the railway from Victoria to Courtenay.

These private lands, which stretched from Goldstream almost to Campbell River and at places 50 miles inland, have changed hands many times and been broken into separate lands holdings consisting of thousands of hectares. We are not talking about small private land holdings here but of many many thousands of hectares of privately-managed forest lands where there are no laws concerning the way logging must be managed. The Forest Practices Code does not apply to privately-managed forest land unless it is in a TFL.

Under the Forest Practices Code, many different types of studies have to take place before logging plans are approved. Timberwest’s logging plans do not have to meet government approval and if they do submit plans to the Ministry of Forests or to the community, they can be changed with no further consultation if market conditions shift. Among the studies required by the Forest Practices Code are: terrain stability assessment (very important on slopes where there are visible landslides), snowpack assessment, wildlife assessment, creek classifications with riparian zone designations, biodiversity assessment for rare plants and endangered species, viewscape assessment where visual quality objectives must be met and a silviculture prescription. Has Timberwest done such studies and will they be available to reassure the public concerning the Company’s commitment to careful logging?

Hydrology studies are vital if precious fish habitat is to be protected. Water flow rates need to be determined in order to ensure historical levels are maintained. Prevention of soil erosion will be very important to maintain water quality. Many fish spawn and rear in the ditches, creeks and streams at the foot of the mountains on the valley floor.

Water licence holders for domestic and agricultural water supplies have good reason to be apprehensive about the quantity, quality and flow patterns which could be impacted by road building and logging in the watersheds above their properties.

Given the lack of Forest Practices Code regulations, we can only hope that Timberwest will log with care.