Three days left to keep BC's forests public!
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- Published on Tuesday, 27 May 2014 17:20
- Written by editor
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Three days left to keep BC's forests public!
Hi PAOV,
As you may have heard, the BC government has renewed its efforts to overhaul the Forest Act and give even more control to private logging companies operating on public land.
Provincial decision-makers are currently accepting comments from the public about this change, but time is running out for you to submit your feedback! The comment period is open until this Friday, May 30th at noon.
Click here to write your letter now >>
Converting volume-based tenures to area-based tenures or Tree Farm Licences (TFLs) would reward many of the same companies who have been overharvesting BC’s forests for decades. Handing corporations more control will also make it harder to protect forests to sequester carbon, provide access to resources for First Nations, ensure clean drinking water and protect habitat for endangered species.
Both myself and National Campaign Director Joe Foy presented during the province’s review hearings about this issue last week, arguing that BC’s forests must be managed in the public interest and that more TFLs are simply not the way to go. A summary of my arguments was published in a recent op-ed in The Tyee.
So far, the majority of submissions from the public and stakeholders have strongly rejected the expansion of area-based tenures in BC. It’s critical that the Ministry of Forests receives one last flood of emails to drive home the simple message that environmentalists, First Nations, forest policy experts, unions, and citizens across the province agree on: more TFLs are not the answer for BC’s forests.
The BC government tried to make similar changes last spring, but the loud public outcry – including hundreds of letters from Wilderness Committee supporters like you – forced them to back down.
Right now we can raise our voices together again for BC’s forests, and put an end to these short-sighted plans once and for all!
r0
