A reader passed on a link to a recent article from the Vancouver Sun about how B.C.’s forest loss can be seen from space.
The article refers to data from Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring platform, which says B.C. lost 86,000 square kilometres of tree cover from 2001 to 2021.
The article was accompanied by satellite photos of logging areas around Nanaimo and the 2017 wildfire east of Quesnel.
I have made some slight changes to the following information that was sent to me by the concerned reader.
“Every hectare of forest land has changed many times over the centuries. As nature dictates with living things, they get old, fall to disease and pests - mostly beetles- and burn, and are reforested with whatever species Mother Nature feels is appropriate for the time. We have seen part of that with nature’s forest replacement strategy — the massive spruce, pine, and Douglas fir bark beetle infestations in mature forests (+/-100-140 years old or so), and forest fire events in the B.C. Interior - setting the stage for its reforestation process. That’s nothing new. Fortunately, what is new, to the province’s benefit, is that the forest industry and government have jumped in to salvage value and create employment from these events before the trees rot and burn in the previous old cycle of nature. Harvested areas are reforested as part of the forest renewal commitment for future generations. Harvested forest areas are still forest areas. They are full of trees. Young trees. Trees that are growing for our future. Harvested areas are full of biodiversity, too.
The forest management actions are instrumental in our conservation and protection strategy. Unfortunately, the high-altitude pictures do not tell the full story. You have to get down on the ground to be part of the action.”
I would say this represents the opinions of many people involved with the forest industry.
While the title of the Sun article may infer that the forests will be lost and the Rachel Holt (an ecological consultant) stated in the article we have historically logged a lot of old growth which is never coming back. The article also points out a large area lost to recent wildfires may come back to the original forests in 200-plus years.
In reference to the logged areas Holt said the second growth of the logged old growth areas, however, will never be the same forest structure they were.
I think many foresters would agree with Holt that on the timber harvest land base second-growth forest will differ from old-growth since they will not likely be much older than 100 years before they are harvested again.
In conclusion both the concerned reader and Holt make valid observations about the state of our forests but pests, wildfires and climate change will no doubt impact the anticipated annual harvest calculated prior to these events.
Time will tell how much the infusion of $300 million dollars will impact the provincial forest industry while it is more likely that market conditions will have the major impact.
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