Say “no” to increased corporate control of our forests

[Updated 30 May 2014 - After the close of public consultations]

Say “no” to increased corporate control of our forests

Thank you to everyone who submitted their comments to the provincial government’s area based forest tenure consultation, which closed on May 30, 2014. To learn more, see West Coast's Environmental Law Alert, Logging rights consultation fails to ask the big questions.

Send your comments to the provincial government now.

As overharvesting and the impacts of climate change reduce timber supply, some timber companies in BC are racing to lock down their logging rights over remaining forest areas. A new provincial proposal would give a small group of hand-picked companies virtually exclusive harvesting rights over vast areas of the interior, at the expense of the long-term well-being of the environment and communities in mountain pine beetle impacted areas. There are only a few days remaining in a public consultation process struck by the provincial government to say “no” to increased corporate control of our forests.

Please make your voice heard by submitting a letter of comment to the Province now.

The provincial government has proposed changing the law to allow a few big companies who already have logging rights to a certain volume of wood to apply for long-term “area-based” tree farm licences giving them management control over large areas of forest land. Unlike newer and more progressive forms of area-based licences like community forests agreements or First Nations woodland licences, tree farm licences are exclusively timber focused and designed for corporate rather than local control of forest lands. The high level of corporate control of our forests is one of the root causes of BC’s biodiversity crisis and instability in forest dependent communities, and British Columbians know that the solution isn’t more of the same.

Please stand up for our forest and forest communities today, by sending your letter of comment to the provincial government.

British Columbians have spoken out time and time again to put a halt to similar quasi-privatization proposals, and with your help we can do so again.

With thanks,
Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel

ps. To learn more, see West Coast's Environmental Law Alert, Logging rights consultation fails to ask the big questions. And remember to submit your comments by noon on May 30, 2014 when the provincial government’s consultation process closes.