Logging pushes Canada's old growth forests to extinction

Over the last few years I have had the pleasure to meet and discuss wildlife and habitat concerns with some of Canada's most admired and respected leaders in the environmental field.  Two such individuals, one is Monte Hummel, President of World Wildlife Fund Canada and the other is R.D. Lawrence, well-known author and biologist.

Early last November, I invited Monte and R.D. Lawrence, to speak about endangered species in Canada. But, with both of them having such tight schedules I wasn't sure if they could accept my invitation. Fortunately, it turned out that they could, and a date was set.

Prior to the evening's events, a reception was held at my home as a thank-you gesture to our special guests.  While attending the reception Monte told me of an extended meeting he was to have with His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, International President of World Wildlife Fund. The meeting was held last month in British Columbia. In a recent conversation with Monte, he told me that the series of meetings with the prince went well.  Prince Philip and Monte met with industry, government and non-government organizations involved in forest issues.

As a result of those meetings, World Wildlife Fund Canada announced a series of follow-up conservation measures, such as: urging the B.C.  Government to protect large carnivores, supporting non-Government organizations working for protection of threatened wilderness areas and pressing the B.C. Government for progress on new protected areas.

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with Ontario in any way. I'll explain:  Clear cut forestry practices in Ontario, as in B.C. and Alberta, are still carried out to a large extent, inflicting terrible damage on the local ecosystem. Similarly, large carnivores in Ontario, just as in B.C. and Alberta, are at risk of eventually being lost if their "management" is not given higher priority. Meaning that wildlife managers would be required to start keeping a very close eye on large carnivore populations in the wild.

It would also require that pressures of any kind negatively affecting their numbers be discontinued immediately, allowing them to stabilize.

Combined with this is the fact that we must stop destroying so much forest, not only in B.C. but in Ontario and other provinces as well.

Animals require forest if they are to survive.

It is understood that some can survive quite nicely and fully adapt to re-forested areas of first and second generation growth; however, what is to become of those animals that cannot?  What about the hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest that is being destroyed across Canada which is vital to certain species?

Clearly, old growth forests must be preserved since in most cases large carnivores as well as other smaller predators require vast expanses of well-established, undisturbed forest simply because each top predator's territory is so large.  When logging companies clear cut old growth forest, which contains trees anywhere from a few hundred and upwards of a thousand years old, they are destroying an entire eco-zone which took many years to develop.  In most cases these areas are permanently ruined by such wide-scale, destructive practices. Regardless of whether an area is re-forested or not it will never be the same.

It is heartening to see World Wildlife Fund working so cooperatively with other non-Governmental organizations in B.C. who are trying desperately to save their forests. It's a relief to know someone is, because the B.C. Government appears to be dragging its heels on the issue due to there being so much money at stake.

The fact that World Wildlife Fund Canada is pressing the B.C. Government for progress on new protected areas is, I believe, the most important initiative of all. There still exist many areas that could and may very well fall prey to the tear of the chain-saw, if not protected soon.

There is no doubt that Ontario, like B.C., could do with a greater number of new, fully-protected wilderness areas. Currently, Canada ranks a low 15th in the world in terms of areas that are fully protected. This in itself is not very encouraging.  However, I believe because of public pressure this statistic will change for the better in the next few years.

As you can see, the conservation initiatives launched by Prince Philip and Monte Hummel of World Wildlife Fund Canada regarding British Columbia and Alberta also apply, in theory, to Ontario, and in my opinion, should be adopted by all provinces.

It would do no harm for provinces to embrace World Wildlife Fund's visionary concepts for B.C. and Alberta as countenance, starting now.  Logging companies must be persuaded to follow strictly set guidelines as a rule of thumb when planning any future forestry decisions.

During Prince Philip's meetings with Monte, he participated in a helicopter tour of the MacMillan Bloedel forestry operations in southern Vancouver Island.  Commenting on the tour, Monte said "the tour in our view was a fair one, demonstrating both successes and failures. It included everything from pristine old growth in the Carmanah Valley and Pacific Rim National Park, active logging in the primary forest of the Nahmint Valley, second and even third growth mature forests,  severe large clear cuts with logging right down to water courses, to modified clear cuts configured to the topography and leaving some old growth wildlife habitat intact."

In Calgary, when Prince Philip was asked whether or not forest practices in B.C. were comparable to those in Brazil, he commented that they were not from the specific standpoint that Brazil's forested areas are permanently converted to rangeland or agriculture (or wasteland); whereas in B.C. most often an attempt is made to replant them as commercial forest. He also pointed out that in those cases when lands are reforested in the tropics, often exotic tree species are planted whereas in B.C., the cutovers he saw were replanted in native species.  However, MacMillan Bloedel's briefing materials for Prince Philip made the point that currently more than 90 per cent of the annually logged lands in B.C. are clear cut.

The net result of this form of commercial harvesting is to convert ancient forests hundreds of years old with the biological diversity they house, to second growth stands destined for 75-100 year rotations.

The last sentence in the above paragraph says it all. We will lose our old growth forests if action is not taken. We must start now to ensure the life of old growth forests across Canada.

Prince Philip and Monte Hummel are to be congratulated and thanked for their untiring and never-ending dedication in their attempts to make this a better world for us all. Let us not forget that our forests are a priceless treasure, and if we neglect them we will be slowly condemning our old growth forests and their wildlife inhabitants to eventual expiration.