Teal Cedar is seeking approval for Cut Block 56684 8027 in Pacheedaht territory, an old growth clearcut just 30 metres from the Fairy Creek ridgeline, along with the construction of a new logging road into ancient forests. This proposal threatens to log millennia-old yellow cedars, fragment one of the largest remaining unprotected old-growth forestson southern Vancouver Island, and destroy critical habitat for Marbled Murrelets and Old Growth Specklebelly Lichen.
The Ministry of Forests is accepting public comments until February 22.
Please submit a public comment using this link. Click “Submit Comment” and select 56684 8027.
We also encourage you to email your comment to Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests: FOR.Minister@gov.bc.
The BC NDP government promised a paradigm shift in forest management, making biodiversity a priority. Instead, continued status-quo logging has left communities and First Nations caught in avoidable conflict.
Sierra Club BC respects the sovereignty and decision-making authority of the Pacheedaht First Nation and all Indigenous Rights and Title holders. We are clear: it is the responsibility of the provincial government to deliver on its commitments to protect old growth and to fund a forestry transition from old-growth logging to ecologically sustainable second growth and value-added industries.
In your comments, you can urge the government to:
- Fund Indigenous-led conservation and land-use planning, with emergency interim protections for at-risk ecosystems
- Protect the entire Fairy Creek–Braden–Renfrew old-growth forest complex
- Deliver a just transition away from old growth logging to ecologically sustainable second-growth and value-added industries, so workers and communities are not pitted against ancient forests
You don’t need to be an expert! Personal messages matter most and you can include some of the points below:
- Cut Block 56684 8027 would log some of the oldest trees on Southern Vancouver Island, fragmenting a 1,910-hectare contiguous old-growth ecosystem spanning Fairy, Braden, and Renfrew Creeks.
- Cut Block 56684 8027 targets 7 hectares of the highest-quality ancient yellow cedar in BC and would clearcut old growth within 30 meters of the Fairy Creek ridgeline, increasing windthrow, edge effects, and harm to old growth-dependent species like the Marbled Murrelet.
- Old-growth forests store globally significant amounts of carbon and hold major cultural, social, tourism, and climate value for residents of BC and beyond.
- The area qualifies as ancient forest (400+ years old), with signs of over a millennium of ecological continuity. Scientists have recommended that ancient forests be prioritized for protection, especially climate-resilient yellow cedar.
- Cut Block 56684 8027 would further fragment one of BC’s largest known populations of Old growth Specklebelly Lichen, contrary to federal species management goals to maintain all known populations.
- This cut block overlaps a proposed Wildlife Habitat Area under active consideration to protect Marbled Murrelet nesting sites. Logging now would undermine that process and permanently damage endangered habitat.
Take action by February 22!
Please take a few minutes today to submit a comment and copy it to Minister Parmar and Premier Eby to demand that the province uphold its promises to protect old growth.
There are no second chances on old growth. When it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
Your voice matters! Thank you for taking the time.