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Let’s Protect
Our homes from future flooding and wildfires
Our farms and water supply from drought
Habitat and food supplies for wildlife
An important project is underway in our forests and it affects you and your family. Watersheds across BC are now at a crisis point due to impacts from the commercial logging industry. Decades of over cutting have resulted in enormous losses of primary natural forests. This has led to a BC-wide decreases in drinking and agricultural water supply, and increases in drought, fires, floods, landslides, and devastating ecosystem collapse. We are all being impacted. Our own Kettle River watershed is suffering – the catastrophic Grand Forks flood in 2018 is a symptom of bad forest management.
Intact primary natural forests manage our climate and our water for us.
Our ultimate goal is to replace corporate-controlled industrial clear cut logging with citizen-managed eco-forestry. This combines community conservation and restoration work plus creates jobs for our towns. We aim to protect our local forests and create a stronger, more resilient local economy.
But first, we have to get the laws changed.
Ecosystems in crisis: you can make a difference right here!
As a grassroots group, we were really excited that our first major project was a success. We invite you to read our report which charts a New Path Forward for our forests. See how we can fix ecological problems and transition to sustainable jobs that create positive outcomes for our forests and our families. You can read the report here. We’d love to hear what you think! Email us to chat.
Tree plantations are not natural forests
But industrial foresters are planting trees after they log, aren’t they? Yes, sometimes. But they are creating tree plantations which usually contain only one tree species. Unlike natural forests, monocrops lack species diversity and there is very little food or habitat for wildlife. Not to mention, industrial forestry crushes the soils and causes water runoff. Industry also removes the dead trees which are critical habitat for insects, birds, and microorganisms. See a complete list of the environmental problems in our report.
We can do logging differently
Our Forest Watchdog, Stan Swinarchuk, has been logging here for over 50 years. He knows how to do eco-forestry and why it’s better than industrial logging. He’s still out in the mountains every week and sees the devastating changes to our ecosystem. He used to see deer by the dozen and ‘forest chickens’ (grouse) everywhere. Now they are rare. He sees the massive landslides that are caused by over logging. It depresses him but he keeps going. He monitors BCTS and gives them hell when they screw up. He is fearless.
Did you know that forestry legislation in BC mandates high rates of cutting?
In British Columbia, 92% of our land is Crown (public) land. Provincial legislation authorizes that decisions about logging on public lands are made by timber companies and based on profit considerations. Ecosystem values, biodiversity, hydrology, water supply, local economies, cultural, and social considerations are not taken into account. There is no citizen voice. As long as industrial forestry corporations have the legislation backing up them up, there is nothing that we can do to stop them.
This is why our work now focuses on pushing for a new Forest Act.
What is needed to protect the people, the wildlife, and the ecosystems of our region is an immediate change of forestry legislation.
A new Forest Act must be created. The new Act must enshrine in law the concept that forest decisions are based on ecosystem and conservation science, not politics or corporate profits.
It must base forestry management on local administration, create open access to timber, provide undivided loyalty to the people of BC, and focus on local economic well-being.
A game-changing campaign to save BC forests and protect communities.
We’re calling it The Power of Trees: Protecting Forests by Law so Communities are Safe.
We are working urgently to launch the first-ever BC-wide citizens campaign to change provincial forestry laws.
We are joining with other groups to send a unified message to the BC government: Create a new Forest Act to protect our forests and our communities.
DONATE
You can choose any amount.
Choose to give your gift to The Power of Forests campaign in 3 easy ways:
1. Send an e-transfer to [email protected]
2. Donate using Paypal by clicking on the button below. You will receive a receipt via the Paypal system. (Please note, we are a registered non-profit organization but cannot issue charitable tax receipts.)
3. To donate by cheque > Please make the cheque out to Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society and mail to 11275 Granby Road, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H1
Why we prefer e-transfers:
We are doing this work because of your generous gifts! We have set up a PayPal account for those of you who wish to give with a credit card. However, PayPal charges a fee of 3.5%+ (and even more for a credit card payment), so we receive a smaller amount of every donation. If possible, we ask that you consider sending an interac e-transfer to us at [email protected]. You will pay whatever you would usually pay for a transfer, and we will receive your entire donation for this important work.
THANK YOU!