A new report from B.C.’s forestry advisory council finds the province’s forestry sector is outdated and opaque, and the old ways are not working for communities, business, First Nations or the environment.
The report recommends rethinking the entire forestry system, eliminating broad timber harvest targets and moving to a system of “land care” that manages forests regionally.
“This isn’t about tinkering around the edges or adding more rules,” said Shannon Janzen, former vice-president of Western Forest Products and co-chair of the council. “It’s about rethinking the system as a whole.
Garry Merkel, of the Centre for Indigenous Land Stewardship at the University of British Columbia, co-chairs the council with Janzen. Merkel was also one of the authors of the Growth Strategic Review report.
The B.C. government created the forestry advisory council as part of the terms of the deal it signed with the NDP and Green Party for legislative support, the 2025 Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord. It sets out to provide recommendations on measurable actions to create a healthy forestry sector and a healthy ecosystem.
The report includes a set of recommendations to create a better and more transparent inventory of the province’s forests, develop regional land management plans, establish an independent oversight body and develop a new timber pricing system.
More to come.