COASTAL RAINFORESTCanada’s

cutting in other coastal regions has driven log-ging companies into the remote valleys of thenorth coast. These companies are now targetingthe most ecologically rich areas of British Colum-bia’s ancient rainforest. These areas, which accountfor approximately 10 per cent of the forested landbase on the north coast, sustain more forms oflife than any other ecosystem on the planet.When you consider the tourism and other non-timber values, BC’s coastal old-growth forest isboth economically and environmentally morevaluable intact.

The situation on the coast is urgent.

If government and industry proceed unopposedand on schedule, most of the remaining large biologically richvalley bottoms will be logged within the next decade. The DavidSuzuki Foundation and Raincoast Conservation Society respect-fully ask for your help in conserving what remains of this globaltreasure. ■

anada’s coastal r ainfor est is one ofthe most biologically rich and important nat-ural environments on the planet. It is the life-

blood of the people on British Columbia’s coast.More than half of BC’s coastal rainforest has al-ready been lost and what remains is now immedi-ately threatened.

The single greatest threat to bio-diversity on the north coast is industrial clear-cut logging. At a time when just one-fifth of theworld’s original forest cover remains in large tractsof relatively undisturbed forest, Canada’s coastalrainforest now represents fully one quarter of allremaining temperate rainforests in the world. Thegovernment of British Columbia has recently approved industrialtimber companies’ plans to cut more than 25 intact and partiallyintact watersheds in Canada’s remnant rainforest, before the endof the year 2000.

Mor e t han a centur y of government-approved over-

Western Forest Products has an approved Forest Development Plan with seven cutblocks within the James Bay Creek area scheduled for logging in the year 2000. The old-growth forest ofJames Bay Creek is home to black bears, spirit bears, grizzly bears and wolves which rely upon the creek’s salmon runs. James Bay Creek is located on Pooley Island.

(Above) MacMillan Bloedel, acquired by Weyerhaeuser, hascleared a logging road through

the ancient forest of Namu Lakes on BC’s north coast.

C

Unless we change BC forest policy, unprotected coastal

rainforest with grizzly bears andwild salmon will end up like the photo (inset) of a MacMillan Bloedel 1999 clearcut at Cold

Creek, just south of Namu.

COASTAL RAINFOREST

PH

OT

OS

/McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

UNDER THREAT Canada’s

Government-Approved Industrial Logging through 2000

This brochure identifies 25 areas which governmenthas approved for active industrial logging in 2000.These are just some of the ecologically rich areas on the northern coast. As we begin a new millennium, wemust ensure that short-term logging does not eliminatelong-term solutions. It’s time to stop squandering ourcollective wealth and find a better way to manage BC’s forests.

I have been privileged to experience the forests ofBrazil, Papua New Guinea,Columbia and Kenya butnone are more breathtakingthan our own temperate rain-forest. This forest is locatedon Canada’s northwest coastfrom the tip of VancouverIsland to Alaska, and includes

the area known as the Great Bear Rainforest.I have stood under the cover of thousand-year-old

trees and witnessed the miracle of abundant schools of wild salmon fighting their way upstream to spawn. I hope that my grandchildren will have the sameopportunity.

Home to more than 3,000 distinct runs of wildPacific salmon, this region boasts some of the world’sgreatest terrestrial and coastal marine-life diversity.Grizzly bears, bald eagles and myriad creatures feast on the nutrient rich salmon carcasses. The coastalrainforest serves as the cradle of life for the salmon,which in turn, nourish the entire ecosystem.

I have also witnessed the destruction of theseforests, as logging companies have advanced through

BC’s Government is Allowing the Forest Industry to OvercutPublic ForestsJust as we have over-harvested cod on the EastCoast, more than 100 years of ill-conceivedforest policy has led to the destruction of ouronce-abundant old-growth forests — some-thing created naturally over more than 10,000years. Once logged, these ancient rainforestsare lost forever.

Mature stands of second-growth forestsare decades away from being commerciallyviable for harvest, and the wood is markedlyinferior in quality.

The choice, however, is not between theenvironment and the economy. ConservingBC’s remaining old-growth forests and pro-tecting salmon habitat makes economic andenvironmental sense.

As the original high-quality forests thathave sustained the industry disappear, futurecultural, recreational and economic opportu-nities are lost forever — along with the salmon,bears and biodiversity. ■

pristine areas. As I’ve hiked through clear-cuts andflown over the region, the environmental aftermath ofindustrial logging is disturbing. Salmon streams siltedin. Wildlife habitat cut down. Magnificent landscapesscarred. In addition to over-fishing and global warm-ing, habitat destruction by the forest industry has sig-nificantly contributed to the current salmon collapse.

The plight of BC’s coastal communities reflects government inability to manage BC’s fish and forestresources in the public interest, exacting an unduetoll on BC’s forests, forest workers, and BritishColumbians at large. The timber and fishing indus-tries on the north coast now generate ever-decreasingemployment and negligible economic benefits for the70,000 people living within the region. The rapiddepletion of these resources will severely limit futureeconomic and cultural opportunities.

For thousands of years, coastal First Nationsenjoyed rich cultures based on the bounty of thisecosystem. They practised traditional forestry and fishing while stewarding the resources for future generations. Aboriginal rights and title, includingtreaty settlement, should be honoured. Significanteconomic benefits should accrue to the First Nationsfrom resource activities on their traditional territories.

A MESSAGE FROM DAVID SUZUKI

Only one out of every ten logging jobs is held by a local residencentral coast. BC’s forest industry should be restructured to encommunity control, such as this sawmill and logging operationoperated by the Heiltsuk First Nation in Bella Bella.

Industrial logging, like this government approved1999 clearcut on Hawkesbury Island, is destroyingfuture economic options for coastal communities.

McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

Select List of Watersheds Approved for Logging in 2000SOURCE: The above information, current as of December 17, 1999, has been provided by staff of the Ministry of Forests and licensees.

NAME COMPANY THREAT WATERSHED STATUS

McShane Creek Boyle & Dean 6 cutblocks IntactCave Creek Husby 24 cutblocks* Semi-intactHaines Creek Husby 20 cutblocks* IntactAyton Creek Interfor 11 cutblocks IntactBear & Cougar Lakes (Princess Royal Isl.) Interfor 20 cutblocks IntactChief Nollis Bay Interfor 27 cutblocks IntactClatse Lake Interfor 1 cutblock IntactKumealon Lake Interfor 4 cutblocks Semi-intactMiddle Klinaklini River Interfor 9 blocks Partially developedNo Name Creek Interfor 2 cutblocks IntactTakush River Interfor 5 cutblocks Semi-intactWalbran/Ripon Islands Interfor 16 cutblocks IntactParker Creek SBFEP 1 cutblock IntactBluff Creek Thompson 6 cutblocks IntactLittle Tilhorn Creek Thompson 2 cutblocks IntactSalter Lake Thompson 2 cutblocks IntactBish Creek West Fraser 3 cutblocks, road building IntactEmsley Creek West Fraser road building IntactJames Bay Creek Western Forest Products 7 cutblocks IntactUnnamed Creek (N. of Tom Bay) Western Forest Products 8 cutblocks IntactUpper Stafford River Western Forest Products 4 cutblocks Intact Windy Bay Creek Western Forest Products 2 cutblocks IntactAhta Creek Weyerhaeuser 1 cutblock Intact Namu Lakes Weyerhaeuser 2 cutlocks IntactSecurity Creek & Inlet Weyerhaeuser 5 cutblocks** Intact

*FDP suspended ** Approval conditional on completion of agreement with Haida. DEFINITIONS: Intact: 0-4 cutblocks to date• Semi-intact: 5-12 cutblocks to date• Partially developed: 13 or more cutblocks to date.NOTE: Cave and Haines: The Ministry of Forests has suspended the FDP for Cave Creek and Haines Creek under Section 13 of the Forest Act.This suspension expires April 1, 2000 and may or may not be extended. Security Creek/Inlet: The 5 identified cutblocks wereapproved on the FDP, subject to the condition that the Government of Canada, BC’s Ministry of Forests, and the Council of the HaidaNation complete the discussions for the Haida Gwaii Forestry Agreement. Silviculture prescriptions may not be submitted until the HaidaGwaii Forestry Agreement is completed.

Approval Pending (Proposed industrial logging under government review and expected to be approved in 2000.)

NAME COMPANY THREAT WATERSHED STATUS

Bear, Cougar & Deer Lakes (Pr. Royal Isl.) Interfor 20 cutblocks IntactGreen Creek Interfor 18 cutblocks IntactSandell Creek Interfor 51 cutblocks IntactSurf Inlet (Princess Royal Isl.) Interfor 22 cutblocks Intact Alder Creek SBFEP 3 cutblocks IntactCuthbert Creek SBFEP 3 cutblocks IntactDonaldson Lake SBFEP 2 cutblocks IntactCaptain’s Cove SBFEP 3 cutblocks IntactTag Creek SBFEP 2 cutblock IntactUnion Lake SBFEP 1 cutblock IntactWelda Creek SBFEP 2 cutblocks IntactBaker Inlet/Alvin Lake West Fraser 11 cutblocks IntactBarrie Creek West Fraser 8 cutblocks IntactBig Tilhorn River West Fraser 7 cutblocks IntactBish Creek West Fraser 1 cutblock IntactDala River West Fraser 2 cutblocks Semi-intactEagle River West Fraser 3 cutblocks IntactJohnson Creek West Fraser 11 cutblocks IntactKxngeal Lake West Fraser 4 cutblocks Intact2 unnamed creeks (Princess Royal Is.) West Fraser 21 cutblocks IntactIngram/Mooto Lakes Western Forest Products 9 blocks Intact

ACRONYMS: SBFEP refers to the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program. FDP refers to a Forest Development Plan.

nt on the ncourage moren owned and

Tourism is generating wealth faster than the Canadian economy as a whole, and is producing jobs at twice the pace of all other industries. Wilderness tourism is leading the growth.

The timber industry in British Columbia creates the fewest forestry jobs per unit of wood cut of any jurisdiction in Canada, the U.S., Sweden or any otherwood-exporting developed country. This shipload of under-processed wood inPrince Rupert is bound for Japan and represents the export of BC jobs.

PH

OT

OS

/McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

1 Ahta Creek2 Ayton Creek3 Bear Lake4 Bish Creek5 Bluff Creek6 Cave Creek7 Chief Nollis Bay8 Clatse Lake9 Cougar Lake

10 Emsley Creek11 Haines Creek12 James Bay Creek13 Kumealon Lake14 Little Tilhorn Creek

28 Alder Creek29 Baker Inlet/AlvinLake30 Barrie Creek31 Bear Lake32 Big Tilhorn River33 Bish Creek34 Captain's Cove35 Cougar Lake36 Cuthbert Creek37 Dala River38 Deer Lake39 Donaldson Lake

15 McShane Creek16 Middle Klinaklini River17 Namu Lakes18 No Name Creek19 Parker Creek20 Ripon Island21 Salter Lake22 Security Creek & Inlet23 Takush River24 Unnamed Creek,

N of Tom Bay25 Upper Stafford River26 Walbran Island27 Windy Bay Creek

Approved for Logging

Approval Pending40 Eagle River41 Green Creek42 Ingram/Mooto Lakes43 Johnson Creek44 Kxngeal Lake45 Sandell Creek46 Surf Inlet47 Tag Creek48 2 unnamed creeks

(Princess Royal Island)49 Union Lake50 Welda Creek

PORT HARDY •

•KITIMAT

PRINCE RUPERT •

A L A S K A

HA

ID

AG

WA

II

(Q

UE

EN

CH

AR

LO

TT

EI

SL

AN

DS

)

V

AN

CO

UV

ER

IS

LA

ND

1

2

3

46

7

8

9

10

11

12

5

13

14

15

16

17

1819

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

50

43

45

46

4434

47

48

MA

P:

MA

RC

EL

PE

PIN

COASTAL RAINFORESTCanada’s

Approved Logging through 2000

BR

IT

IS

H

CO

LU

M

B

IA

49

•Bella Coola

•Bella Bella

•Masset

•Skidegate

•Oweekeno

Klemtu •

Hartley •Bay

Kitkatla •

Metlakatla •

Lax •Kw’alaams

He

ca

te

St

ra

it

Q u e e n

C h a r l o t t e

S o u n d

TERRACE •

0 50 100 150 kms

anada’s old-growth rainforest is aliving record of more than a thousand yearsof important historical information that we

are only now beginning to decipher.Innovative scientific research documenting

the complex relationships between salmon, bearsand the coastal temperate rainforest has led tosome breakthrough discoveries.

Most of the carbon and nitrogen in grizzlybears’ diet comes from the Pacific Ocean, carriedin the bodies of salmon. Biologist Dr. TomReimchen has further demonstrated that theannual return of spawning salmon to coastalrivers provides the largest single source of nitro-gen-rich fertilizer to the forest.

Dr. Reimchen has identified trace signaturesof a marine-derived nitrogen isotope called N15,which can be measured in the growth rings oftrees. Concentrated in the depths of the PacificOcean, the isotope collects in migrating salmonand is transferred to the forest by feeding bears.Bears have been observed depositing salmon car-

Conservation Does Not Cost JobsDespite industry claims that a reduction in tim-ber harvesting causes job losses, history showsthere is no direct correlation between forestryjobs and the rate of cut. During the 1980s, thecut increased as the number of jobs declined. Asthe cut declined from 1993 to 1996, the numberof forestry jobs actually increased.

Planning Process Is Not ScienceBasedThe BC government has implemented a land-use process for the central coast, known as theCentral Coast Land and Coastal Resource Man-agement Plan (CCLCRMP). As in similar stake-holder processes set up around the province,the outcome will not be based on science butwill be determined by the relative negotiatingstrength of the parties involved. We are con-vinced that the economic values derived fromthese forests by the logging companies will pre-clude the establishment of a truly ecologicallysustainable rate of cut, a science-based conser-vation strategy and the development of a land-use plan which benefits the residents of theregion. ■

Conservation for the FutureThis is a critical time in history. BritishColumbia has the opportunity to make the tran-sition away from volume-based commodity pro-duction. Instead, we can manage our forests formaximum value in an ecologically sustainableand economically viable manner.

■ We need to create more economic benefit fromless timber — creating more jobs per volume ofwood cut, and capture more of the inherentvalue of our forests.

■ We need to establish a science-based conserva-tion plan for the coastal temperate rainforestthat ensures the long-term protection of wildsalmon and critical wildlife habitat. ■

Call Enquiry BC toll free to be connected to the Government of British Columbia660-2421 or 1-800-663-7867

Office of the PremierPO Box 9041, Stn Prov GovtVictoria V8W 9E1 Fax 250-387-0087Minister of ForestsPO Box 9049, Stn Prov GovtVictoria V8W 9E2 Fax 250-387-1040

Minister of FisheriesPO Box 9061, Stn Prov GovtVictoria V8W 9E2 Fax 250-356-2961

Minister of Environment,Land & ParksPO Box 9047, Stn Prov GovtVictoria V8W 9E2 Fax 250-387-1356

There Is a Better WayWe must stop squandering the wealth of ourforests, before it’s too late.

The timber industry in British Columbiacreates the fewest forestry jobs per unit of woodcut of any jurisdiction in Canada, the U.S.,Sweden or any other wood-exporting developedcountry.

Despite having some of the highest-qualityforests in the world, BC’s forest industry isbased on high-volume and low-value commod-ity production that creates value-added jobsand benefits abroad, instead of here in BritishColumbia.

Intact coastal old-growth forests are worthmore standing than as logs, according to econ-omist Dr. Roslyn Kunin — former chair of theVancouver Stock Exchange. The economicopportunities in pristine forests are significantbased on their tourism and non-timber values.Tourism is generating wealth faster than theCanadian economy as a whole, and is produc-ing jobs at twice the pace of all other industries.

Ecological sustainability is the only econom-ic option when it comes to reforming forestpolicy in BC, as Dr. Patricia Marchak demon-strates in her report Falldown: Forest Policy inBritish Columbia. ■

Unlocking the Mystery of Canada’s Rainforest

C

casses 100 metres into the forest away from thestreamside. Other animals, insects and birdscomplete the distribution throughout the forest.

This research may lead to a better understand-ing of the historical strength of annual salmonruns, and further demonstrates the interdepend-ence of species in a fully functioning ecosystem. ■

Minister of Aboriginal AffairsPO Box 9042, Stn Prov GovtVictoria V8W 9E2 Fax 250-356-1124

We at the David Suzuki Foundation and RaincoastConservation Society are opposed to the gov-ernment-approved industrial logging of BritishColumbia’s remaining rainforest. We believe allapproved logging of BC’s rainforest should notproceed pending the outcome of scientific andenvironmental assessments.

Therefore, we call upon the government ofBritish Columbia to establish a truly sustain-able long-term rate of cut, to be determined byan impartial scientific panel modeled after theClayoquot Scientific Panel.

If you agree, please contact your MLA andany or all of the following ministers in theprovincial and federal governments.

Biologist Dr. Tom Reimchen in the field.

West Fraser Timber Company, Gribbell Island,1999.

Coastal temperate rainforests originally covered less than one-half of one per cent ofthe earth’s land area; close to 60 per cent

of these rainforests are now gone.

Salmon have disappeared from almost half their former range in the Pacific northwest.

Prin

ted

in C

anad

a. 1

00%

de-

inke

d po

st-c

onsu

mer

was

te.

McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

McA

LLIS

TE

R/R

AIN

CO

AS

T

RO

BE

RT

SE

ME

NIU

K

CALL TO ACTION

Leader of the OfficialOppositionGordon CampbellOfficial Opposition Caucus BC Liberal MembersRoom 201 ParliamentBuildings, Victoria V8V 1X4Fax 250-356-6176 Email gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca

Federal Minister ofEnvironmentHonourable David AndersonRoom 133 East Block,House of Commons,Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6Phone 613-996-2358 Fax 613-952-1458EmailDavid.Anderson@ec.gc.ca

For more information,please visit the followingwebsites:www.davidsuzuki.orgwww.raincoast.org

CONTACT INFORMATION