BC government gets failing grades on old-growth
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Two years after promising to save at-risk forests, BC NDP hasn’t stopped their destruction
Hi Paov,
Two years ago this Sunday, the BC NDP government promised to take swift, meaningful action to ensure the most threatened old-growth forests in the province are protected. So far, they are failing.
The release of the findings of the Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR) on Sept. 11, 2020, was received with excitement. For the first time, a government review acknowledged status quo logging in BC is unsustainable and a ‘paradigm shift' in the forest is required. The OGSR report made clear recommendations with a specific three-year timeline for action.
Two-thirds of the way through that mandate, we’ve worked with ally organizations to assess how the NDP government is doing. The grades aren’t good.
We marked the government in five subjects related to the recommendations of the OGSR:
- Immediate action (D)
- Funding (D)
- A change of course in forest management (F)
- A three-year timeline in line with the report’s recommendations (F)
- Transparency and communication (D-)
While there has been some progress, including the first-ever science-based inventory of forests in BC, and the temporary deferral of logging in more than one million hectares of at-risk old-growth, the government hasn’t done enough to start the transition to a sustainable forest industry and ensure most endangered forests survive in the meantime. The BC NDP is in the process of breaking its promises on old-growth.
Giant old-growth clearcut in a proposed deferral area
Standing on an old-growth stump in a clearcut in a proposed deferral area
There’s still time for this government to do the right thing, and that’s where you come in
Thousands of you have written to your MLAs, demanding they push Premier John Horgan and his cabinet to act with the urgency required. This advocacy is what has forced the NDP government to take the action it has so far.
Right now is a critical time to keep that pressure up. Let decision-makers know they can’t walk away from their commitments. Please take a few minutes to send a message today and let the provincial government know they are running out of time.
Can you help us continue this work?
We won’t stop holding the BC NDP government to account on old-growth — we spent the summer in the woods, documenting old-growth logging and threatened forests and building trails in partnership with First Nations and community groups. We’ll continue to work with allies and mobilize the public for the protection of these irreplaceable ecosystems.Support us
The BC government has all the information it needs to make changes in the woods and ensure the last old-growth forests remain for future generations. Together, we can give them the sense of urgency to act, before it’s too late.For the old-growth forests,
Torrance Coste
National Campaign Director
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