To Darshan Sihota, CEO of Island Timberlands, and Steve Thomson, BC Minister of Forests,
Lands, and Natural Resource Operations:
We, the undersigned organizations, are greatly concerned about the rapid logging by Island
Timberlands of McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. We urge both the BC government and
Island Timberlands to ensure that this critical area and the remaining old growth forests on
Vancouver Island in similar situations are not logged.
A few hundred hectares of extremely endangered old-growth forests still stand – for now – on
McLaughlin Ridge. This includes major stands of ancient Douglas-fir trees, the overwhelming
majority of which have been logged on BC’s coast. McLaughlin Ridge has been recognized by
the provincial government’s own biologists as one of the most important habitats for the redlisted or endangered Queen Charlotte Goshawk and as one of the finest ungulate wintering
ranges on Vancouver Island.
McLaughlin Ridge is part of 78,000 hectares of land that were removed from Tree Farm Licence
(TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island in 2004, thereby removing the environmental policies and/or
regulations designed to protect species at risk, old-growth forests, ungulate winter ranges, and
riparian areas; to control the rate of cut; and that prohibited raw log exports in order to protect
local mills.
McLaughlin Ridge was supposed to be protected by the provincial government as an Ungulate
Winter Range (UWR) and Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA), until the province’s plans changed
when it removed the lands from Tree Farm Licence 44. The removal of the lands from TFL 44
included the stipulation from the BC government that a follow-up agreement be developed
between the company and the government to ensure the protection of McLaughlin Ridge and
other intended UWR’s and WHA’s – however, both parties failed to pursue the agreement, and
the lands are now being logged. This confirms the basis of the tremendous public opposition to
the removal of these lands from the TFL, as our worst fears regarding this major policy shift are
now being realized.
In total, about 2400 hectares of endangered old-growth forests originally intended for protection
by the BC government as Ungulate Winter Ranges and Wildlife Habitat Areas in TFL 44 are
now endangered.
These lands also include Horne Mountain above the world-famous Cathedral Grove, the
Cameron Valley Firebreak, Katlum Creek, and other areas – about two-thirds of which are
estimated to have now been logged. Much of McLaughlin Ridge could be logged within a few
short weeks at the current pace of falling.
Time is short, and we are asking that Island Timberlands and the BC government show
leadership to prevent the escalation and widening of the conflict over the company’s logging
operations
We are asking that:
Island Timberlands immediately cease and desist from logging McLaughlin Ridge and other
such critically endangered old-growth forests, including those formerly intended for protection
by the provincial government in TFL 44.
The provincial government take responsibility and show leadership by working towards a
conservation solution for these lands. The Ministry of FLNRO must follow through on the
stipulation it made regarding the conservation of these known wildlife habitats when it was
announced these lands would be removed from the Tree Farm Licence in 2004.
Sincerely,
Port Alberni Watershed-Forest Alliance
Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA)
Alberni Environmental Coalition
Arrowsmith Parks and Land-use Council
Canopy
City of Port Alberni
Canadian Parks And Wilderness Society (CPAWS)
Forest Ethics
Friends of Clayoquot Sound
Greenpeace Canada
Island Stance
Port Alberni Chapter of Council of Canadians
Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union
Save the Day
Sierra Club BC
Valhalla Wilderness Society
Wilderness Committee
New sign-ons September:
Alberni Valley Transition Towns Society