Forestry

The issue of forestry management in British Columbia, especially on Vancouver Island, is very complex and beyond the scope of a guidebook. In British Columbia, where a couple of mega-companies control an industry worth $17 billion annually to the local economy, many forestry decisions have as much to do with politics as they do with good management of the natural resource. The most talked-about issue is clear-cutting, where entire forests are stripped down to bare earth, with the practice in old-growth forests especially contentious. The effect of this type of logging goes beyond just the removal of ancient trees; often salmon-bearing streams are affected. Clayoquot Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is synonymous with the environmentalists’ fight against the logging industry. The sound is home to the world’s largest remaining coastal temperate forest. Environmentally friendly options are practiced, with companies such as the Eco-Lumber Co-op selling wood that is certified as being from responsibly managed forests.

You will see the logging throughout British Columbia when you arrive, but to see just how extensive the clear-cutting is, visit Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and click on the Satellite link. Then zoom in on British Columbia—northern Vancouver Island is a good example.

Contacts

For more information on any of these issues, contact the following local environmental organizations: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (www.cpaws.org), Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.ca), Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (www.spec.bc.ca), and Valhalla Wilderness Society (www.vws.org).

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition