I want to respond to the CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) study of OGMAs (Old Growth Management Areas) in B.C. that has been making the rounds in the news.
READ MORE: Less than one third of Old Growth Management areas are actually old growth — CPAWS-BC
I am a helicopter pilot who works with the logging companies on the West Coast. I see the initial layout and surveying of the logging to the free-to-grow surveys of next-generation trees. Logging in B.C. is a responsible, sustainable industry.
The report’s title cited that CPAWS found active cut blocks the size of 68 Stanley Parks in protected areas. Stanley Park is 405 ha, the size of subdivisions in some communities. Stanley Park is a tiny area in the province of B.C. This comparison needs to be clarified and is designed to put the argument out of perspective for the reader.
Some sites named in the CPAWS report, those close to Campbell River, were blocks the logging licensee traded the province for. For instance, they found that the block they were permitted to log turned out to have protected species. The licensee and government decided to trade this block for a section of the OGMA that did not have any protected species. Yet, CPAWS does not give any credit to the swap. Often, OGMAs get amended to include forests with a species at risk or culturally significant areas. Due to inaccuracies in the mapping information available at the time of OGMA design, they were intended to be flexible and change over time as better information became available. This further complicates and needs to be clarified for the narrative coming from environmental groups.
Logging companies often voluntarily leave sections of Old Growth in their tenure for multiple reasons. Ironically, logging companies have voluntarily added to the OGMA inventory independently. CPAWS gives no credit to this practice. They publish studies indicating these areas are logged or about to get logged when this is false.
I am continually frustrated by the reporting of old-growth logging. I flew a group of tourists over an area north of the Broughton Archipelago a year ago. One of the tourists asked indignantly, “Is there anywhere that has not been logged?” My immediate answer was, “Yes, everything you see out your window now is old growth.” Old-growth forests come in many sizes and shapes.
Hours later, we were flying up a valley further inland, and a comment was made about the pristine forest in this area. I was forced to explain that everything they saw out their windows was a second-generation forest.
Old-growth forests are not designed to live for thousands of years. The trees die from blowdowns, landslides, flooding, and forest fires. Managed second-growth forests tend to be healthier and more stable. What is currently happening at Stanley Park is an excellent example of an unmanaged forest.
The people I fly spend their entire lives in the forest. They survey, manage, harvest, and replant the forest. But they also hunt, fish, camp, hike, and mountain bike in the same forests. They are enthusiastic about their roles in the industry and the environment. Logging is a culture, not just an industry, and should be showcased to the world — not a boogie man for environmental groups to raise money to fight.
Sean Smyth
Chief Pilot West Coast Helicopters
Councillor, City of Campbell River
Editor’s Note: In the interests of full disclosure, Sean Smyth notes his position as a city councillor but the topic of this letter is outside the direct jurisdiction of the municipality and is written from the perspective of a private citizen.