B.C. defers Fairy Creek old-growth logging for two years

PORT RENFREW (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s premier says old growth in the Fairy Creek watershed and central Walbran area will not take place for at least two years.

John Horgan announced Wednesday his government will honour the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ request for a deferral.

Protestors have been in the area for months, in an effort to stop crews from cutting down old-growth trees. Dozens of them have been arrested for breaching a B.C. court injunction, ordering the removal of blockades aimed at preventing old-growth logging in the area.

The injunction was to allow workers with the Teal-Jones Group to resume logging in that area and in the Fairy Creek watershed to the south.

Horgan says this two-year deferral does not mean all forestry in the area will stop.

“All three Nations have logging interests — second growth — that they’ll continue to harvest, but the central Walbran and Fairy Creek, those deferrals have been requested by the title holders and we’ve deferred old-growth logging in those territories,” Horgan said.

“There will be logging taking place on southern Vancouver Island and that’s why … the job impacts are not as significant as they would be otherwise,” he added.

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Horgan says the deferral is “non-compensable.”

“But over time, there will be costs through moving in this direction,” he said. “Those those are going to be dollars well-spent to ensure that we can distribute tenures in a more effective way to get more jobs out of the land base. We’re changing the way we do business on the land and that is hard work.”

Wednesday’s announcement affects more than 2,000 hectares of trees, as part of other deferrals impacting nearly 200,000 hectares of old-growth in other areas.

The Huu-ay-aht, Pacheedaht, Ditidaht First Nations say they welcome the decision from the provincial government.

“We will work with the Government of British Columbia and the licensees to monitor all forestry activity outside of the deferral areas to ensure that continuing forest activity does not impact the old-growth timber within the Central Walbran and Fairy Creek protected areas,” they said in a joint statement.

“We expect to work with the B.C. government on how to manage any negative impacts that arise because of these deferrals,” they added.

While this essential work is being carried out, we expect everyone to allow forestry operations approved by our Nations and the Government of British Columbia in other parts of our territories to continue without interruption. Please respect that our citizens have a constitutionally protected right to benefit economically from our lands, waters, and resources.”

The hereditary chiefs of the three Nations said Monday they’re taking back decision-making responsibilities over their traditional territories, adding their Nations are the last to benefit from what is taken out of the territory and the last to be asked what must be put back.

Q other FN have requested old growth logging deferrals – will they also get swift response – without protests & arrests.@jjhorgan says moving as fast as they can – "this is a positive day" – #bcpoli @NEWS1130 #FairyCreek pic.twitter.com/ArJ1vCyXjp

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) June 9, 2021

“Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and protecting the environment are top priorities for our government, We believe they must go hand in hand,” Horgan said Wednesday.

“The first step in protecting old-growth must be respecting Indigenous peoples’ land-management rights in their territories,” he added.

Activists say very little of the best old-growth forest remains in B.C. They say Fairy Creek is the last unprotected, intact old-growth valley on southern Vancouver Island.

Teal-Jones has said it plans to harvest about 20 hectares at the north ridge of the 1,200-hectare watershed out of 200 available for harvest.

– With files from The Canadian Press