“So, as far as things go right now, short term, (there’s) pain, and I’m really concerned,” Kalesnikoff said. Over the past year leaders in B.C.’s forest industry have pushed Forest Minister Ravi Parmar to move faster on promised reforms. In April, the Council of Forest Industry warned that the industry faces another round of mill closures. On Friday, Kalesnikoff gave Parmar’s ministry credit for moving in the right direction, “trying to get us there.” “But it’s not easy and inside government you have different opinions
on what we should be doing and not doing,” he added. One thing that struck Kalesnikoff is how provinces each have their own problems that need to be resolved. New Brunswick, Kalesnikoff said, stood out as a shining example of how to address the needs for conservation and forest biodiversity while also engaging intensive management to produce twice the amount of timber per hectare available for harvest compared to what B.C. produces. “They just seem to have their act a little more together,” Kalesnikoff said.
However, he added the compromises needed to make Canada’s timber more competitive “is all doable.”
Forestry task force, Kalesnikoff, Forest Minister Ravi Parmar, timber access, B.C. forest industry, mill closures, forest reforms, New Brunswick, conservation, forest biodiversity, timber per hectare
So they’re easing timber access but still calling it conservation… ok.
I’m confused, are they trying to stop mill closures or cause them? Sounds like provinces are arguing internally and people just get cut loose. Twice the timber per hectare?? Like is B.C. just doing it wrong or what.
“Short term pain” doesn’t feel great when it’s mill workers dealing with it. Also why is New Brunswick the “shining example” like they don’t have issues too… I saw somewhere that BC already promised reform years ago. Maybe this is just another round of talk.
This is gonna end up being more logging no matter what they say about biodiversity. They keep saying compromises are doable like that doesn’t mean the environment takes the hit. Also “inside government different opinions” sounds like classic bureaucracy, same stuff every time—nothing changes, mills close, then they blame the weather or markets or whatever.