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1300 People Rally in Victoria to Protect Forests
by WCWC Media •
Monday March 31, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Victoria, BC – Today over 1300 people attended BCs largest environmental protest in 15
years (since the 1993 Clayoquot protests), the "1000 Strong for Ancient Forests" rally in Victoria. The ralliers called
on the BC government to protect the remaining old-growth forests in the Southwest Mainland and Vancouver Island and to ban
raw log exports. After speeches from notable environmentalists and legislators, the ralliers joined hands and encircled the
Legislature more than two times around...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Biggest Environmental Protest in BC in 15 years: 1300 People Rally in Victoria to Protect Ancient Forests and to Ban Raw Log Exports
SPEAKERS included:
- Carole James (BC NDP Leader),
- Jane Sterk (BC Green Party Leader),
- Arnold Bercov (Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada, Forestry Officer),
- Roger Wiles (Youbou TimberLess Society, Director),
- Valerie Langer (Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Board Member, and ForestEthics, Forest Campaigner),
- Ken Wu (WCWC Victoria Campaign Director),
and others...
Today over 1300 people attended BCs largest environmental
protest in 15 years (since the 1993 Clayoquot protests), the
"1000 Strong for Ancient Forests" rally in Victoria. The
ralliers called on the BC government to protect the
remaining old-growth forests in the Southwest Mainland and
Vancouver Island and to ban raw log exports. After the
speeches, the ralliers joined hands and encircled the
Legislature more than two times around.
"Today we sent an undeniably strong and decisive message to
the BC Liberal government only one year before a provincial
election that the fate of our ancient forests and forestry
jobs can bring out more determined advocates onto the
streets than any other issue right now," states Ken Wu,
Campaign Director for the Western Canada Wilderness
Committee in Victoria, BC.
Sometime soon BCs Ministry of Forests and Range has
indicated they will be releasing new forestry plans for
various coastal logging tenures (starting with the
Strathcona Timber Supply Area - TSA, on Vancouver Island,
and moving on to other coastal TSAs and Tree Farm
Licenses - TFLs), which is an opportunity for the BC
government to transition logging away from our scarce
old-growth forests on the southern coast towards
second-growth forests. However, Forests Minister Rich
Coleman has stated that "old-growth forests are in no danger
of disappearing", has made no commitments to fully ending
old-growth logging anywhere, and has made no indications of
enacting any concrete, legislated timelines for a
transition.
Environmental ralliers were also joined by an unexpected
ally - a large contingent of millworkers with the Pulp,
Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) from the Crofton
and Nanaimo (Harmac) mills. Previous environmental rallies
in Victoria have including speakers from forestry unions,
while forestry union rallies have included environmentalist
speakers. However, previous environmental rallies have not
included any significant participation by forestry workers
among the general crowd.
"I am very happy that the PPWC brought out so many
supporters to this rally. Ive always believed that we need
to move forward together with forestry workers for a
solution that works for both our ancient forests and for the
thousands of timber workers on the coast. We can protect
Vancouver Islands remaining old-growth forests and forestry
jobs at the same time if the BC government banned raw log
exports and became pro-active in helping retool sawmills to
handle smaller-diameter second-growth logs, instead of
simply letting all the manufacturing facilities shut down,"
states Ken Wu, Campaign Director of the Wilderness Committee
in Victoria.
The BC governments Coastal Forest Action Plan released last
October places no new restrictions on the logging of
old-growth forests and instead simply increases the rate of
cut of second-growth forests, reducing the harvest rotation
age on Crown lands from 70-75 years down to 50-55 years. As
a result, logging companies will continue to high-grade log
the largest, high-value old-growth species - the giant
western redcedars, Sitka spruce, and Douglas firs which are
at the center of the controversy - while also logging
second-growth forests at breakneck speeds.
The Coastal Forest Action Plan also increases the tax on raw
log exports coming from Crown lands, which the Minister of
Forests Rich Coleman estimates will reduce Crown land
exports by half, but does nothing to stem the export of raw
log exports from private lands which account for two thirds
of raw log exports.
The Wilderness Committee is calling on the BC Liberal
government to:
1. Enact legislated timelines to quickly phase-out
old-growth logging on Vancouver Island and the Lower
Mainland. 75% of the productive old-growth forests on
Vancouver Island have already been logged, including 90% of
the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow, according
to satellite photos (see www.viforest.org and
www.wcwcvictoria.org ). Currently, only 6 to 8% of the
original, productive old-growth forests on Vancouver Island
and the Lower Mainland are protected in parks.
2. Ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests,
which now constitute the majority of forest lands on the
southern coast. A transition away from old-growth and into
second-growth forestry is inevitable and already underway as
the old-growth forests run out - the Wilderness Committee is
simply calling for an end to old-growth logging BEFORE the
last of the unprotected ancient forests are logged on
Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
3. Ban raw log exports, of which over four million cubic
meters are exported annually from BC, two-thirds of which
come from private forest lands. The BC government should
also assist in the development of second-growth mills and
manufacturing facilities to handle smaller diameter logs by
providing tax breaks for investments in sustainable
second-growth processing facilities and by directly
investing funds taken from taxing timber companies.
"Its a given now to the vast majority of people in BC that
we need to save what remains of our scarce old-growth
forests on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland and to
log the second-growth forests instead in a sustainable
fashion," states Wu. "We need to do this for the climate,
for endangered species, for forestry jobs, for the coastal
tourism industry, for our salmon streams, and for our
quality of lives. Lets hope the Campbell government sees the
light soon, during this coming electoral period."
For more info, maps, and stats visit: www.wcwcvictoria.org and www.viforest.org
Contact: Ken Wu, Campaign Director, WCWC Victoria office
250-388-9292
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