Minister of forests defends plan to postpone the felling of mature trees

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Forestry Minister Katrine Conroy rejects allegations that she undermined the future of forest communities in British Columbia by relying on the recommendations of a biased technical panel packed with environmentalists.

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On Tuesday, Conroy announced a plan to defer logging on more than 26,000 square kilometers of land that contains the province’s highest-risk primary forests, subject to the consent of 204 First Nations.

Some First Nations, including Huu-ay-aht, said they cannot meet a 30-day deadline to agree to a pause in cutting down old trees in those areas, while the union representing forest workers said it feels “betrayed and abandoned” by the government. .

“I think politically they see urban centers and their voters as their future and have made a calculated decision to make the changes that those urban voters want at the expense of the rural people who work in this industry,” said Brian Butler, president of the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937.

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Butler and other union leaders representing 12,000 forest workers in British Columbia say they have been excluded from the process to reform the industry. They believe there should have been industry foresters on the technical panel recommending where the felling of old trees should stop.

“Four of the five panel members have ties to the Sierra Club,” Butler said. “The government basically ceded forest policy to the Sierra Club.”

Conroy said the panel’s experts are respected in their fields and, while they have worked for environmental groups, each has also worked for governments and First Nations.

“I don’t think it matters which experts we would have included on the technical advisory panel. We would have obtained the same results, ”he said.

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The minister said the two-year postponements are the first step in reforming forest policies to put biodiversity and reconciliation with indigenous nations before the financial value of felled trees.

“During the postponement, we will talk to indigenous nations about what they want in their traditional territories, working with them on a comprehensive landscape management plan. This gives them time to make the plan they want to do, ”explained Conroy.

But First Nations, including Huu-ay-aht, whose territory borders Fairy Creek, which is the site of protests against cutting down ancient trees, say 30 days is not enough time to decide whether to accept the postponements and $ 12 , 7 million. The dollar fund to help nations conduct the analysis is not adequate.

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“As the original stewards of our lands, we take very seriously our responsibility to decide what is best for the land and for present and future generations,” said Huu-ay-aht Senior Advisor Robert Dennis. “Accordingly, we will take the time to carefully review the proposed deferrals, but more importantly, we will conduct our own Huu-ay-aht analysis. We will then inform the British Columbia government of our decisions. “

Dennis said his nation will respond to the province in mid-January. It is recommending that other nations that may not be as advanced in forest planning and management request extensions rather than immediately accepting deferrals.

“I hope the province complies with that request,” he said.

The minister has not said whether logging will continue in areas where First Nations have not agreed to postponements. However, the plan includes up to 22,000 square kilometers of old growth that will remain available for logging, even if all deferrals are approved.

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“Not all harvests have been closed,” Conroy said. “There are still licensees that have existing licenses that will continue to do the harvest that needs to be done.”

Butler of the Steelworkers calls the plan “a serious mistake” based on false information.

“The environmental movement has been inventing data for years and with social media, people are being misled into believing that the forest industry is not sustainable,” he said.

Conroy argues that the industry is not sustainable the way it works now.

The government analysis concluded that up to 4,500 forestry jobs could be lost if all the postponements are approved, but the minister has promised support for affected workers and assistance to communities to adapt to the change.

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Butler isn’t convinced the communities will survive, pointing to an analysis by the Forest Industries Council that predicts up to 18,000 jobs will be lost and up to 18 sawmills and two pulp mills will be closed.

“For the government to offer some early retirement packages or retrain, I ask ‘what are they training me for when I live in Port Alice or Port Hardy? Reeducated for what? Now I am going to sell my house at a loss in my rural community, move to a more expensive community in the city for a minimum wage job, ”he said.

But Conroy insists that future transition plans will generate comparable, well-paying jobs in forest-dependent communities.

“That is our goal and I have said it many times.”

The minister, who is also the Kootenay-West MLA, said she has worked in the forestry industry and has a vested interest in its future.

“I have nine grandchildren and the youngest is five years old and I want to make sure that if she wants to work in the forest industry like her father does, that she can and in a well-sustained and well-managed forest industry and if she wants to walk in an old forest, that she also has that opportunity and I don’t think it’s one or the other. We can do both and I’m not being pollyannaish here. “