What’s wrong with how forestry is practised in BC today?
Why are old growth forests so precious?
What are the solutions and implementation timelines?
Join Kathy Code, of the Ecoforestry Institute Society, and Jonathan O’Riordan, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, as they talk about the current model of forestry and the need to build a new approach to sustaining our forests, from the ground up.
The environmental health of our remaining old growth forests and communities is in serious jeopardy if we continue cutting our forests at the current rate.
This new forest framework calls for broadening the value of forests from a multitude of perspectives: from Indigenous reconciliation to creating good, long term jobs in value added harvesting and tourism, increasing carbon storage, ensuring clean drinking water, plus sustaining salmon and wildlife habitat.
The election of a new government provides a unique opportunity for a shift towards this new forest framework. This program will explore how we get there the urgency to make this shift.
The Wildwood/Ecoforest Institute Society team expands on their approach to nature-based forestry and how it, not only protects and restores ecosystem health, but can increase employment and community engagement. This webinar comes at a critical time for the forest management in British Columbia where protecting old growth is such a critical issue.
Links:
BC’s Old Growth Forest: A Last Stand for Biodiversity, by Holt, Price and Daust
Forestry Doesn’t Pay the Bills, Folks, Dave Broadland
Additional Q&A
Q. Can biodiversity be introduced into plantations?
A. Kathy: I should also add that OG ecosystems can never be replicated — OG is not a renewable resource. Once a forest has been clearcut, natural regeneration can occur, but over hundreds and thousands of years. However, plantations are designed to eliminate everything but the commercially desired trees. Nature can slowly reclaim if allowed to, but in these times of climate change this becomes more difficult, as water systems will have been lost and regeneration is more difficult in times of drought. The original systems of complexity and biodiversity cannot be replicated.
Q. What is your take on the World Empress Splendour tree, the fastest growing hardwood tree in the world? Matures in 10 years. They are being touted as a great solution for carbon sequestration and a source of wood. Are there downsides to introducting this species here?
A. Kathy: It’s the opinion of EIS that only native trees should be integrated into our ecosystems. Any species that is planted “plantation-style” means that the landscape loses its natural ecosystems, biodiversity and climate resilience. The best way to grow natural and diverse ecosystems that will battle climate change is to allow Mother Nature to do the job. Only she can build the complex web of life systems that support an entire ecosystem. There are more studies now saying that natural regeneration outperforms attempts of deliberate plantings. Further reading.
Q. Bill 21 legislation for changes to FRPA was passed in May 2019 but the Regulations to support those changes has not yet been passed. A couple of those FRPA changes were to address FSP requirements and to make Site Plans more accessible to the public. Do you know the status of the Regs and or how we can push for those Regs to be passed soon?
A. Jonathan: I am not sure of the status of the regulations as they were caught in the election. I suspect there will be a review of forest policy following the election based on both the original changes to FRPA and additional changes as a result of the government’s commitment to consult with indigenous peoples and key stakeholders on the Old Growth report by Gary Merkle and Al Gorley.
Q. The elephant is the room seems to be that there are too many people asking for wood products……what can be reduced the human population?
A. Jonathan: The current government has a policy to use wood in construction where practical to reduce the use of carbon producing concrete.
Kathy: Wood is a practical and long lasting building material that reduces the use of concrete, as Jonathan says.
Q. Jon’s assertion of the value of forest being twenty fold greater than the industrial value of the trees is stunning, and welcome, news. Source?
Jonathan: The comment was based on a recent report titled Valuing Conservation prepared by McKinsey and Company. The sub title is :A methodology for quantifying the benefits of protecting the planet’s natural capital’
The values are based on direct and indirect impacts of deforestation. Intact and healthy forests provide a range of ecosystem functions- soils formation; carbon storage; cleaning water; mitigating floods and droughts etc. They also provide a range of indirect benefits – deforestation accounts for 14% or global carbon emissions; ecosystem fragmentation has led to 66% loss of habitats for wildlife over the past 30 years; remaining wildlife comes into closer contact with humans thus creating conditions for pandemics.
Scientists have called for the permanent conservation of at least 30% of the planet’s terrestrial and marine waters which is double the current protection level.