FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [September 16, 2024] (PDF)
BLAMING CHILCOTIN LANDSLIDE SOLELY ON CLIMATE OR FIRE IS THE WRONG APPROACH: UBC FOREST HYDROLOGIST
Grand Forks, BC – In March 2024, BC put out its Flood Strategy in response to extreme weather becoming more frequent and severe. However, the Provincial government has yet to reduce the cut allowed for industrial logging which is causing the loss of critical forest ecosystems leading to more drought, landslides, and unpredictable weather patterns.
A coalition of concerned citizens and scientists is proposing a New Forest Act so that primary forests are protected from industrial logging in order to preserve their climate regulating effects and capacity to reduce flooding and erosion.
The proposal is being unveiled in a public workshop in Vancouver on Sept 21, 12-4, at The Nest, UBC Vancouver, Rm 2306/2309, 6133 University Blvd. Under the proposed new legislation, the primary objective of forest management will be to maintain the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems. Registration for the Vancouver in-person event and Livestream is available online at: www.boundaryforest.org/pof.
At the event, UBC Forest Hydrology Professor, Dr. Younes Alila, will discuss the connection between the July 2024 Chilcotin landslide and forestry.
“Blaming floods, droughts, and landslides squarely on climate change is like a rooster believing his crow causes the sun to rise every day. The causes of these extremes are multiple,” says Dr. Alila. “Our forest management in the form of clear cutting increases the frequency and severity of these extremes. Modern science of attribution can now be used to demonstrate in a court room how a specific flood, drought, or landslide is caused by forestry practices.”
Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society (BFWSS) is spearheading the call for a New Forest Act. BFWSS is a grassroots non-profit society advocating for culturally, economically, and ecologically sustainable forestry practices in the forest and watershed of the Boundary Region and throughout BC. For more, visit www.boundaryforest.org.
Media contact:
Jennifer Houghton, Project Manager
The Power of Forests Project, Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society
250-584-4091 | [email protected]
Media package links:
- ‘Power of Forests’ event promotional imagery and BFWSS logo – for media
- YouTube Video by BFWSS – ‘BC Forests Must Be Protected By Law – Join our campaign to change BC legislation’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj68DbVVNJE
- Protecting Communities and Nature with a New BC Forest Act, Briefing Note – https://boundaryforest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Briefing-Note-Power-of-Forests-V4.pdf
- The Power of Forests: Protecting Communities and Nature with a New Forest Act – Full Proposal – https://boundaryforest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/New-Forest-Act-Proposal-Sept-9.pdf