ALERT: War of the Woods Returns to Clayoquot Sound, Canada
Clayoquot Sound, Canada's Ancient Temperate Rainforest Valleys to Again Fall to Logging. These ancient forests must be fully protected and all industrial development ended to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem health, focusing upon employment from standing trees and fully intact ecosystems, and failure to do will lead to a renewed "War of the Woods" and global anti-B.C. markets campaign
TAKE ACTION! Canada's precious temperate rainforests [search] are again threatened with industrial logging. Clayoquot Sound [search], which lies along the West coast of British Columbia (B.C.), is a spectacular mosaic of lush coastal rainforests, fjord-like inlets and islands covering 850,000 acres. Such intact coastal temperate rainforests are globally rare, covering only about one-fifth of one percent of the Earth’s land area, half of which has already been destroyed. They are amongst the most biologically productive temperate ecosystems in the world. Clayoquot Sound is the most magnificent expression of temperate rainforest in North America.
There is no such thing as ecologically sustainable industrial logging or other industrial activities in a fully intact ancient forest ecosystem. Ancient forest logging must end worldwide to solve climate change, protect all biodiversity and achieve global ecological sustainability. Encourage all involved in British Columbia's forest policy to commit themselves fully to developing methods for employment and community advancement based upon standing forests and fully intact ecosystems. Or else promise you support a return to the blockades and protests that halted logging in Clayoquot in 1993, as well as a massive overseas campaign targeting B.C.'s markets. Surely rich Canada can find a way to spare Clayoquot Sound's vital ecosystems.TAKE ACTION!
Comments
I am sickened and disheartened to hear they have returned to a site I thought we had protected after the summer of 1993-I was there! Anyway, my donation has been made and I hope others do the same. I am currently working towards replanting my own property in So. Ore. to help bring back something interesting for the next generation. I can do little else as I keep aging against my own will.
Robert e Lee
Posted by: Robert e Lee | July 29, 2008 9:58 PM
Dear Glen Barry,
I’m writing in regards to an email campaign that is being launched through your website forests.org about forestry in Clayoquot Sound. The webpage and campaign can be found at the following link:
http://www.forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=canada_clayoquot_logging
The website says that some 75,200 “protest” emails have been sent out.
I’m writing to advise you that there is egregiously erroneous information on your website and in the “protest” email regarding Ecotrust Canada. The two offending statements are as follows:
On the website:
“Triumph Logging Co. in partnership with environmental group Ecotrust Canada has setup a native shell company named Iisaak that has gained FSC certification to industrially high-grade log old growth ancient forests for their valuable cedar.”
A “shell company” is defined as “an inactive company used as a vehicle for various financial maneuvers or kept dormant for future use in some other capacity.” Iisaak Forest Resources was set up as a joint venture company in 1998 between MacMillan Bloedel and five local First Nations in the Clayoquot Sound region. In 2006, the First Nations purchased the outstanding shares of the company becoming the sole proprietor of Iisaak. Ecotrust Canada and Triumph Timber had a 20-month management contract to implement a turnaround strategy for the company which was successfully completed on July 30, 2008. Day-to-day management of Iisaak has now reverted back to the company’s own staff.
In the email:
“Triumph Logging Co. in partnership with environmental group Ecotrust Canada has gained Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to industrially high-grade log old growth ancient forests in Clayoquot Sound for their valuable cedar.”
While we take exception to the characterization of high-grading cedar, it must be clarified that Iisaak Forest Resources owns the Tree Forest Licence in which timber harvesting is taking place and that it is Iisaak which is FSC certified. Again, Triumph Timber, Ecotrust Canada and a number of other companies are simply contractors hired by Iisaak.
Both the website and the email implicitly and explicitly suggests that Iisaak Forest Resources is not controlled by the local First Nations. This is manifestly false and we ask that you send out an immediate correction to those individuals who’ve received one of the “protest” emails.
For the record, Ecotrust Canada is proud of the ecosystem-based managed, FSC-certified forestry that we have conducted with Iisaak and we encourage you and others to get more detailed information about Iisaak’s operations on our website at http://www.ecotrust.ca/rainforest/forestry/iisaak
Best regards,
Eric Enno Tamm
Communications Manager
T 604.682.4141 ext 235 / c 604.219.1472
Ecotrust Canada
Building the conservation economy
www.ecotrust.ca
Posted by: Eric Enno Tamm | July 30, 2008 6:51 PM
Dear Mr. Tamm,
We disagree with EcoTrust's entire premise that ecosystem based, FSC certification in primary rainforests has any benefits whatsoever. We have long campaigned to end all logging in primary forests. You are our newest target, and will be made to pay a price for propagating the myth that primary rainforests can be industrially managed in an environmentally acceptable manner.
We characterized your "turn-around" of Isaak Forest Resources as a partnership, not in a business sense, but indicating correctly that you have all worked together to resuscitate the primary logging industry in Clayoquot Sound. Quite a destructive achievement. We have received information from numerous parties that this process has been driven by interests other than native peoples, thus our use colloquially of a shell company analogy. We make no reference to who holds the FSC certificate or license, just that you have all worked towards that end. There is nothing in our generalizations contrary to the details you have provided.
May I add, I find your your tone offensive, and suggestion the information is incorrect full of bias aimed at protecting your business interests. You would be well advised to respond to the substance of our arguments -- based upon advice from long-standing renowned scientists -- rather than hanging out red-herrings because your interests have been challenged. So tell me, how is it exactly that first time logging of ancient forests benefits the climate and biodiversity? What exactly are you qualifications to be defending the logging of ancient forests?
Your feel good propaganda will not go unchallenged any longer.
Dr. Glen Barry
Posted by: Dr. Glen Barry
|
July 30, 2008 6:54 PM