Monday night concerned citizens of this area, including representatives from the Ancient Forest Alliance, gathered with Scott Fraser, the MLA for our district, to discuss the clearcutting of McLaughlin Ridge, one of our last old growth forests, now being aggressively logged.
The liberal government removed this forest from Tree Farm licensing status, and sold it to Island Timberlands, a few years back. As it is now privately owned, it can be logged without any regulations or guidelines.
The Ancient Forest Alliance works towards the goal of inventorying and protecting the few old growth forests left, critical habitat for wildlife, which should be preserved for future generations.
As it stands, 80% of logging done on the Island is second growth. Very little old growth is left. It seems crazy to me that these beautiful old trees, the last of their kind, are being clearcut and trucked away, devastation left behind that the logging companies are not even required to clean up.
It is crazy that in 2012, we still are not logging sustainably, and not keeping the lumber at home to provide employment for locals. When the last of these giants are gone from the earth, then what? How will we breathe, when all the trees are gone?
A logger spoke, at the meeting, about how rapacious and unsustainable logging practices are eliminating logging jobs, along with the precious old growth.
Scott Fraser will petition the legislature to buy back and protect this land, but legislature has been canceled, so it will be spring before he can even bring his constituents' concerns to the table.
We are a horribly - and dangerously - unenlightened species.
You can find out more from the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Friends of Clayoquot Sound.
You can send an email to Scott Fraser, to let him know your thoughts about preserving what little old growth is left at Scott.Fraser.MLA@leg.bc.ca.
You can click here to sign the online petition to protect BC's old growth, the little that is left.
Or email Steve Thomson, the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources, c/o brennan.clarke@gov.bc.ca Let your voice be heard.
