Call for change on the ground for old-growth forests

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We are at a turning point. The biodiversity crisis has resulted in over 1,900 species on the brink in B.C. and our communities are facing increasingly extreme climate impacts. Protecting old-growth forests and reforming forestry practices is one of our best hopes if we want to protect biodiversity, maintain natural carbon sinks and reduce climate impacts. 

The B.C. government’s May 2024 old growth update and action plan does not offer a clear path to protecting these intact ecosystems. The province has an opportunity to speed up progress by supporting First Nations that are opting to defer old-growth logging on their territories and finalizing the draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health (BEH) Framework, including interim conservation measures until a biodiversity law co-developed with First Nations is enacted.  

The shift described in the Old-Growth Strategic Review, especially the importance of introducing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health legislation, as well as the tripartite Nature Agreement and associated funding, are key elements that could make safeguarding the most at-risk old growth in B.C. a reality. But these mechanisms won’t produce real change on the ground unless all levels of government and ministries work together towards the same goal in their policies and decision-making.

We need the provincial government to get the message from concerned communities across B.C. that we must work together and with urgency to ensure the survival of old-growth forests and other at-risk ecosystems. To do so, the next steps are crucial:

• Enable an immediate halt to logging in the most at-risk old-growth forests recommended for deferral, as well as any additional areas identified by First Nations, by making funding accessible.  
• Provide full financial support to First Nations for long-term Indigenous-led conservation solutions, including compensation for lost revenues and employment. This is imperative to take the pressure off First Nations, who often depend on logging revenue and should be supported in developing new economic opportunities. 
• Ensure accessible and transparent information about the state of the forests, logging and conservation progress, based on science-based targets to ensure the most at-risk forests and species are protected. 

The latest data shows old growth is logged at an alarming rate of 160 soccer fields a day in B.C. We need a clear plan with targets and milestones to ensure at-risk old growth will be protected before it’s too late. Without these steps, we will all continue to pay a growing price for delays as the climate and biodiversity crises intensify.  

Please add your voice today to make sure the B.C. government accelerates action to protect old-growth forests.