Re: “Government still not taking Walbran seriously,” comment, June 16.
I have been a logger in the area that includes the Walbran for more than 40 years. I have worked for Teal Jones since 2005, and am currently working in the Walbran Valley.
It’s misleading to say the government doesn’t take the Walbran seriously. In 1995, 7,035 hectares of harvesting rights were given up to create the Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park. This area was taken seriously and huge changes were made. This area has been resolved. Teal Jones maintained the rights to log within the Walbran “bite” of 486 hectares that is referred to. This area equals one per cent of the protected area and Block 4424 is 3.2 hectares of that. Small?
Torrance Coste asks why Teal Jones and other companies aren’t transitioning to second growth. They have and are transitioning. Machinery can now harvest second-growth trees in an environmentally sensitive fashion. They are then processed to exact standards and dimensions for full utilization in the mills.
Recently, a young man came to my door representing the Wilderness Committee and expressed disapproval because Teal Jones exports logs. Teal Jones has never exported one log. They run all trees through their own mills, creating more jobs and supporting B.C.’s economy.
I’m not writing to promote old-growth harvesting, although I think that what is being done is sensitive to B.C.’s forests. I’m writing to get people to learn the whole truth.
To understand the Canadian Standards Association that Teal Jones adheres to, go to csasfmforests.ca. Learn more about Teal Jones operations at bit.ly/28JksOf.
Then, armed with the whole truth, if you feel strongly that more changes need to be made, go for it. That I can respect.
Paul Martin
Victoria
