Conservationists call for revamped forest policy
Posted March 15, 2013 11:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Environmentalists say BC’s forests and thousands forestry jobs are on the line. That’s why they want the future of BC’s timber stands to be on the agenda in the run up to the provincial election.
Ken Wu with the Ancient Forest Alliance says 30,000 forestry jobs have been lost and 70 mills have shut down over the last decade, largely because of poor government policy.
He says it’s time to reconsider the export of so many raw logs.
“We’re pushing for sustainable policies that will keep the logs here in BC for valued-added manufacturing, to ensure we use second-growth forests and that we protect our last old-growth forests,” he notes.
“We are one of the last jurisdictions that still stay it’s okay to log 500-year-old trees. No politician in this province deserves votes if they can’t commit to ending old-growth logging where those forests are scarce.”
He’s expecting about a thousand people to attend a pro-forest rally in Victoria on Saturday afternoon.
