B.C. charts new path for old-growth forests with 2.6M hectare logging deferral

Victoria -

B.C. is unveiling a plan to pause logging in at-risk and highly sensitive old-growth forests as it charts a new path forward.

Forests Minister Katrine Conroy presented a proposal Tuesday to defer harvesting on 2.6 million hectares of rare and ancient forests while the province consults with First Nations.

"We're building a new vision for forest care to better share all the benefits of our forests for generations and generations to come," she said at a news conference.

Conroy noted the biodiversity and ecosystems of old-growth forests and how they store carbon, which can be released after the trees are cut down, contributing to climate change. At an international conference focused on tackling global warming, more than 100 world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are vowing to end and reverse deforestation. It's a promise that's been made before.

After protests in Fairy Creek over concerns that old-growth trees were being logged, B.C. deferred the harvesting of 200,000 hectares of old growth land. An independent review is now recommending further protections.

Garry Merkel is a member of the independent Old Growth Technical panel. He said the group focused on what is most urgent.

"Deferrals are targeted at ecosystems that are most at risk of irreversible loss at this moment in time, and they're temporary pauses," he explained.

Nation have 30 days to say if they support the deferrals. Charlene Higgins, the CEO of the First Nations Forestry Council said she's disappointed that input is only now being asked for. She told CTV News she received several calls last week from leaders who had received letters and maps from the province and didn't know what to do with them.

"They need to be the ones determining those areas, not 'Well, we've done this for you with our experts, you know, now we want to involve you.' That's after the fact," she added.

Environmentalists applauded the province for acknowledging old-growth forests face an emergency, but said they hoped the protections would go into effect much faster.

“While we’re encouraged by the government’s intention, we aren’t going to pop the champagne until the trees stop falling,” Tzeporah Berman, international program director for Stand.earth, said in a statement.

Jens Wieting, senior forest and climate campaigner at Sierra Club B.C. added that while the province has a lot to contribute in terms of reducing deforestation, the government's roadmap isn't clear.

"What's missing is some of the details to understand how quickly they will defer logging in these areas and how much funding First Nations and other communities can count on to support the needed transition," he told CTV News.

If the proposed deferrals go through, the minister says 4,500 people could be out of work. She insists comprehensive supports are coming.

Yet that number is already being disputed.

In a statement on its website, the BC Council of Forest Industries said 18,000 jobs and more than a dozen mills are at risk.

Teal Jones, the company operating in Fairy Creek, told CTV News it was still reviewing the government's plan. "We are concerned this significant change is being made with little or no consultation with the industry, First Nations, unions, and forestry communities," the company said in a statement.

The opposition BC Liberals are also worried about the impact of the new forestry policy. Old-growth trees are often used for shingles, and are highly desirable because they have fewer knots in the wood. During question period, the MLA for Abbotsford-West, Mike de Jong, raised the issue.

"Is there a worse time in the history of this province to layer on uncertainty for families and British Columbians?" he asked.

Conroy said supports will be made available and no one will be left behind as the province moves to "modernize" its old-growth policy.