Representatives of the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) are trying to clear up concerns over a logging cutblock on Mount Elphinstone that SCCF has been given the rights to log by the Ministry of Forests.
In late February, the Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF), a local forestry watchdog group, issued a press release claiming the SCCF was slated to begin work in a rare old-growth forest.
"The site is located between two important Ministry of Forests old growth management areas, and thus, this logging will create a clearcut gap between these protective areas," said Ross Muirhead, spokesperson for ELF.
"Community Forests' logging company should stay out of this old-growth forest and do the region a big favour and protect some of the last, low elevation old growth forest eco-systems on the Coast."
SCCF chair and president John Henderson said the SCCF prides itself on its community engagement work and wants to continue that trend so concerns can be addressed honestly and fairly.
"It was unfortunate that this press release was issued without even giving us a chance to comment," said Henderson. "We're in the midst of finalizing a response to Mr. Muirhead because it is full of inaccuracies and things that are factually incorrect. There is nothing wrong with opinions, but state those as opinions.
"I guess the first and big one is old-growth in science is defined as anything over 250 years. Well, all of Elphinstone was burned in the late 1800s. If there was something more than 250 years old, we wouldn't take those trees anyway."
SCCF operations manager Kevin Davie said ELF's definition of old-growth just doesn't hold water in this case.
"The cutblock in question is 110 to 120 years old. There is old-growth in the area which they have identified and we have identified," said Davie. "Any old-growth that is defined in any block anywhere we retain, because they are old trees, and quite frankly, there is not a lot of value in them in terms of lumber. It's other values, wildlife values and such."
Davie said the SCCF and its forestry people continue to work with First Nations to identify trees that could be culturally significant and have marked some of those identified trees in the area for retention.
"We have done a lot to protect the values that are there, the Sechelt Indian Band's cultural requirements, and will continue to do so," Davie said.
Muirhead added that ELF continues to take the position that all operators should be pulling back from their activities until an accumulative impact study is completed for Mount Elphinstone and a land use plan is completed for the same area.
