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160+ organizations call on BC to follow through on old-growth commitments

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Groups announce Feb. 25 rally at provincial legislature, issue declaration calling on the province to accelerate action for threatened forests

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 10, 2022

UNCEDED LEKWUNGEN TERRITORIES/VICTORIA – 168 organizations across British Columbia have issued a declaration called United We Stand for Old-Growth Forests, calling on Premier David Eby and his government to fulfill their commitments on old-growth.

Signatories of the declaration, including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the Climate Caucus network of municipal elected leaders, and B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU), are urging Eby to follow through on his October 2022 promise to “accelerate” action to protect old-growth forests within 100 days, and implement a paradigm-shift in forest stewardship to safeguard biodiversity.

The organizers announced plans for a mass mobilization to hold the province accountable, with a march and rally scheduled for February 25, Eby’s 100th day.

“The government’s continued negligence and stonewalling on truly protecting old-growth and elder trees is endemic in its approach to climate change and the stewardship of our environment,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. “This feigned ignorance of what is happening to our forests by government and industry will be our downfall, and the impacts of this inaction will prevent us from leaving our future generations with a rich legacy of vibrant, healthy and productive forest lands.” Phillip added. “We must do everything in our power to protect these ancient giants and we cannot stop putting pressure on our governments to do their jobs: to protect us and the environment, not act as timber barons whose only concern is this year’s financial statements.”

Despite promising to implement all 14 recommendations from the Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR) in 2020, the B.C. government has permitted the destruction of thousands of hectares of the most at-risk old-growth stands in B.C. The 2020 recommendations were tied to a three-year framework with the goal to have all implemented in 2023 — to date, not a single recommendation has been fulfilled. 

Premier Eby pledged to accelerate action upon becoming leader of the B.C. NDP, and called on Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen to “begin implementation of recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review” in his mandate letter. However, the most at-risk old-growth forests are still being clearcut while B.C. stalls on enforcing logging deferrals. The deferrals are the bare minimum and most urgent recommendation of the 2020 OGSR.

“We must continue to hold our governments accountable for their contributions to the climate crisis that we are suffering through, and this environmental negligence and corporate greed must be stopped,” said Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, Secretary-Treasurer of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. “Our future generations are dependent on the actions we take today, and we are at a critical point in time for direct action to protect forest ecosystems. For too long we have allowed governments to tear down our ancient elders, who are our relatives, but no more. We are standing up to protect them.” 

Protecting the last stands of old-growth is as much an issue for human rights, labour, education, and healthcare as it is for environmental groups. Organizers say this is a movement for all people, which is reflected in the list of declaration signatories, and are inviting all individuals and groups to participate in the United for Old-Growth march and rally at the B.C. Legislature on February 25.

The signatories are calling on the province to align all forest management with the principles of free, prior and informed consent for First Nations. The declaration draws on Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Resolution 2022-32, affirmed by Chiefs in June 2022, and calls for full financial support to enable logging deferrals, and fulsome funding for First Nations-led conservation initiatives. 

Organizers say the declaration is open to additional signatories, and are inviting new groups join and demonstrate the broad support for old-growth protection in the lead up to February’s mass mobilization.

“Whether it’s youth yearning for a liveable climate, working families seeking sustainable jobs in their communities, doctors and nurses speaking up for a healthy planet, Indigenous people defending what’s theirs, or faith, environmental and community groups standing up for irreplaceable ecosystems, protecting old-growth is a movement for everyone,” said Jackie Larkin, organizer with Elders for Ancient Trees, a founding signatory on the United We Stand declaration. “From elders to the youngest children, everyone belongs and all are welcome — we invite all organizations to join this declaration, and everyone who’s able to unite with us to make February 25th a day to remember.”

 

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 For more information, contact:

Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President
250-490-5314

Ellena Neel, Communications Manager
778-866-0548, eneel@ubcic.bc.ca

Torrance Coste, National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
250-516-9900, torrance@wildernesscommittee.org

Jackie Larkin, Organizer with Elders For Ancient Trees
250-478-7604, jlarkin@gddc.com

Ziona Eyob, Media Director – Canada, Stand.earth, canadamedia@stand.earth, +1 604 757 7279

Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner, Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312

Featured photo by TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance.

 

Over 150 Fairy Creek old-growth defenders to appear in Nanaimo court today

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This is among the largest number of people appearing before Justice Thompson in a single day since Fairy Creek protests began.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

December 5, 2022 

VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES – One hundred and sixty Fairy Creek land defenders are scheduled to appear in a Nanaimo court this morning, one of the largest groups in a single day since police action to clear logging roads into old-growth forests in the Fairy Creek area in Pacheedaht and Ditidaht territory on Vancouver Island ramped up in the spring of 2021. Another 25 forest defenders are scheduled for sentencing hearings this week, also marking the largest number in a single week since the protests began.  

The conflict between logging company Teal-Jones and forest defenders has escalated into one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history, with over 1,100 protesters arrested on the site as of February 11, 2022. Land defenders want the provincial government to follow through on their promise to protect globally rare and endangered old-growth forests in B.C.  

“This day in court is a dramatic example of the consequences of misguided police action to defend the status quo at almost any cost and continue clearcutting the last old-growth despite the climate and biodiversity crisis. The tax dollars spent to clear logging roads would be better spent financing Indigenous-led conservation solutions,” said Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner.   

“B.C.’s last old-growth forests continue to disappear at a similar rate as Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. There is very little time left for Premier Eby to implement the old-growth promises of his government before it’s too late,” added Wieting.  

While logging has been deferred for the Fairy Creek watershed, adjacent at-risk old-growth forests on Southern Vancouver Island and in many other parts of the province remain without temporary protection. B.C. will continue to see similar conflicts as old-growth logging continues with no certainty whether at-risk stands will be spared. 

According to the latest provincial update, logging has been deferred in less than half of the 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk stands recommended for deferrals.  

Additionally, the annual old-growth logging rate has remained relatively stable before and after the provincial old-growth promises made in 2020. Provincial funding commitments to enable deferrals for all at-risk old-growth forests and Indigenous-led conservation solutions remain insufficient.  

“Premier Eby has pledged to accelerate the BC NDP’s old-growth plan and to step up urgent action to address the climate crisis. His government has a unique opportunity to partner with the federal government to secure adequate funding tied to milestones and timelines to increase protection of highly endangered and carbon-rich ecosystems across B.C.,” said Wieting.

“A strong British Columbia–Canada Nature Agreement would give people in B.C. hope that this government is stepping up to the plate and inspire confidence in other parts of the world that it’s not too late to safeguard the web of life.” 

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Background: 

For international comparison: The 10-year average rate of deforestation of the Amazon rainforest of Brazil was 0.2% per year, based on data from the National Institute for Space Research and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). According to B.C. government data, the last old-growth in B.C. was being clearcut at a rate of 0.3% in 2021. About 80% of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil remains standing. In B.C., the majority of old-growth forests have been logged and big-tree old-growth ecosystems have been reduced to single digit percentages of their original extent, and for certain ecosystems (Coastal Douglas Fir) to about 1% of their original extent.    


Media contact:

Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312

 

Photo by TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance

Sierra Club BC extremely concerned about lack of provincial transparency on old-growth promises

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 3, 2022

VANCOUVER/UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES – Sierra Club BC is extremely concerned that yesterday’s B.C. government old-growth announcement didn’t offer an update on progress for deferrals across the 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests in B.C. The last provincial update from April 2022 showed that only about 40% of these most at-risk stands had been deferred.

The B.C. government also didn’t offer an update about deferrals for imminently threatened stands with logging permits already issued (48,000 hectares). In recent months, Sierra Club BC and other NGOs found that tens of thousands of hectares of the 2.6 million hectares of most at-risk forests have already been logged or could be logged soon.

Instead, the B.C. government stated that old-growth logging had declined to a record low. The limited data included, however, shows a relatively stable annual old-growth logging rate for the last three years (2019, 2020 and 2021), translating to 151 soccer fields cut per day in 2019 and 2020, and 147 soccer fields cut per day in 2021, with no significant difference between the year before the province promised to implement old-growth recommendations (2019) and the year after (2021).

Ongoing old-growth logging with no certainty whether at-risk stands will be spared threatens the provincial goal to make the “prioritization of ecosystem health a central focus of the Province’s shift to Forest Landscape Planning and Land Use Planning processes”.

“It was encouraging to hear from Premier-designate Eby that he wants to accelerate implementation of the old-growth recommendations,” said Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner. “This provincial update shows that we need a dramatic shift in leadership and transparency about progress. Safeguarding the last, irreplaceable old-growth forests for future generations requires both honest assessment and acceleration. It’s not too late to save what’s left but the window to act is closing rapidly.”

As a starting point, an honest and transparent old-growth update from the B.C. government would require the following information (including regional data):

  • The number of hectares deferred from logging in the 2.6 million hectares most at-risk
  • The number of hectares deferred from logging in other unprotected at-risk forest categories
  • The number of hectares of newly permanently protected at-risk old-growth forests since 2020
  • At least 10 years of annual logging data for old-growth for all at-risk categories

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For more background about the implementation of the OGSR recommendations, see our September 2022 joint NGO report card


Media contacts:

Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312

 

Featured photo by TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance.

BC closer to protecting critical bear den habitat

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Sierra Club BC and bear biologist praise the tabling of bear den protection bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

October 6, 2022 

Sierra Club BC campaigner Jens Wieting and bear biologist Helen Davis react to the B.C. Legislative Assembly’s decision to move bear den protection bill forward to a second reading. The bill, tabled this morning by BC Green Party MLA Adam Olsen, proposes amendments to the B.C. Wildlife Act to include the protection of bear dens.

Statement by bear biologist and researcher, Helen Davis

“The tabling of this bill is a good step towards ensuring bear populations and forests remain healthy. The importance of large trees as protective homes for hibernating bears has been known for over 30 years and it’s time that there is legal protection of these structures because many have been lost from forest harvesting over the last century.

This proposed legislation must be brought forward for further debate. The legislation should be easy for the B.C. government to implement because impacts on the cut on public lands would be minimal. This is because bear dens can be set aside as part of retention areas that are already required under the Forest and Range Practices Act. The importance of placing this legislation in the Wildlife Act is that it will protect bear dens on private forest lands, which are often the most heavily impacted forests. 

“Large old-growth trees and logs are critical habitat for winter den sites used by bears in coastal B.C. as well as many other areas of the province where they are available. These dens protect bears from the elements, especially rain in coastal B.C., as well as from predators. Cubs need dens because they are born small and helpless, they need to nurse for over 70 days in a secure environment while they grow and gain strength before venturing out into the world in the spring. We urge the B.C. government to bring this legislation forward for second reading because it will help ensure there is a supply of safe winter dens for bears which is essential to retaining sustainable bear populations.” 

Statement by Sierra Club BC senior forest and climate campaigner Jens Wieting 

“This is promising news for bears and forests around B.C. Currently, it’s still legal to log bear dens in most of the province. This much-needed bill aims to fix that.

“The B.C. government committed to a paradigm shift in forest stewardship to protect ecological integrity when it promised to implement all recommendations from the Old-Growth Strategic Review— this bill is an opportunity for the province to take an important step in this direction. Amending the B.C. Wildlife Act to include the safeguarding of bear dens would be a move towards creating a more respectful relationship with the forests and beings we share this province with.

“It is essential that these amendments become reality. There is overwhelming support for this bill, with thousands of British Columbians calling for the protection of denning sites. We urge the province to ensure that bears and the habitat on which they rely are legally protected.”

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Photos for media use: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13iNTdhQkgzb52uilESQwYb_q3DiJlipz?usp=sharing

 

Background:

Media release, New Report: British Columbia’s bear dens need urgent protection

ELC Report on Protecting Bear Dens

 

Media Contact 

Helen Davis | Registered Professional Biologist, Artemis Wildlife Consultants
(250) 208-4212 | hdavis@artemiswildlife.com 

Aurora Tejeida | Communications Co-lead, Sierra Club BC
(778) 223-3142 | aurora@sierraclub.bc.ca 

 

Photo: Mya Van Woudenberg/SCBC

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