The forest and the trees “The Canadian Institute of Forestry does: not: think I was justified i in my concerns of our. B.C. Forest. Resources in a recent. article. And they have written a letter to put their!view across. ; ‘ We « are more > than pleased -that they have taken the time. to respond and we are happy Your comment; “Protect to print. their _ However, I cali ’em as I sees em. As a user of large quantities of newsprint Tam intensely interested in this © matter. My observations are based on my own eyes, cars and nose, and are to the best of my beliefs, correct. IT have no hesitation in admitting I'm wrong. If in '.. fact, I am_wrong. But show me boys, show me. Dear Mr. Speck: . We are writing to correct ° certain inaccurate com- ments which were written in your - - column, “Speckulations”, North Shore News May 9, 1979 and to provide information which will improve your understanding of the forest resource. OFFICEINEWS (604) 980-0511 CLASSIFIED 986-6222 ‘CIRCULATION 986-1 337 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Bob Graham Editorin-Chiet Noel Wright Maneging Editor Andy Freser News Editor Chris Loyd Photos Etisworth Dickson Advertising Director Enc Cardwelt Traffic Manager Donna Champion Production Ten Francis Faye McCrae Classified Bemi Hillard Administration Androw Waiters Accounts Syivia Sorenson North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent community newapaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Part 111, Paragraph 111 of the Exciao Tax Act, is published cach Wednesday and Sunday by the North Shore Free Presa Ltd and distributed to every door on the North Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 VERIFIED CIRCULATION 48,478 Entire contents (1878 North Shore | Free Presa Ltd. All rights reserved. -Téply-. the fo “resource. Now . approximately 1,150 - being. stripp at three professional. foresters,-- times or ‘better. than the registered with the regrowth rate, our forests Association of British are in. great danger”, is not - justified and is grossly”. exaggerated. We would like to draw to your attention that the forest resource is protected by - both the Ministry of Forests Act and the Forest Act (copies enclosed) which provide the legislative means to ensure that the resource is properly managed under a sustained yield basis. . The volume of timber which is available for harvest each year (Annual Allowable Cut) is predicated on the volume of old growth timber which remains and the growth of new stands and. is regulated so that a balance between the volume har- - vested each year and the ‘volume grown each year is achieved. Your reference to the “trees coming. down in units of tens of thousands of acres" implies massive devastation, when in fact the size of the areas which are _ harvested is closely con- trolled — the result being a “patchwork” of harvested areas varying in size from a few to a few hundred acres. The total acreage harvested in the Province of British Columbia during 1977 was 434,771 acres of which 365,449 acres were clear-cut and 69,322 were selectively cut (reference Annual Report 1977 Statistics, Forest Service, Page 23), which when considered as a single figure is large but . when compared to the total forested acreage of the Province (168,611,895 acres) and the total merchantable forested acreage of the - Province (101,481,595 acres) is not that significant. (Refer to enclosed Table I). TABLE I SUMMARY OF ACREAGES Productive Acreage Tree Farm Outside Tree Farm Licences Tree Farm Licence P.S.Y.U. Woodlot Provincial Total ° *Does not include those old temporary tenures and private holdings which are outside tree farm licences. Your comment, “There is a dismal inack of un- derstanding of the facts” is ‘completely distorted and an insult’ to the many professional and technical people who work with the forest resource. There are virtually thousands of people who spend their lives ‘in 856,212 10,596,291 90,919,871 - 9,221 101,481,595 . association with the resource varying from those with — advanced education | in the ~ ’ scientific aspects of. forest | management “to those. working at technical- field |. employment. There are Columbia. Professional | Foresters, (copy of Bylaws — enclosed) and. 200 forest technologists registered with . the ‘Forest Technologists Association of British -Columbia who have / aGquired varying levels of formal education and: many years of varied experience, and who:-work for the in- dustry, the Provincial Government, “Consulting _ Companies, and Educational Insitutions. Your comment, “There must be a better way to employ British Columbians than to cut down trees”, is. most certainly out of place in _ British Columbia, where the forest industry is the most important primary industry and. one from which the economy of the Province and its secondary industries. have evolved to provide one of the highest standards of living in the world. We suggest for the sake of the 49,500 who receive the North Shore News, that you consult with one.or more of the following agencies. prior to publication on matters concerning the forest resource. I am sure you will find them more than willing to cooperate. 1. Ministry of . Forests, Vancouver Forest Region, 355 Burrard Street, couver, B.C. 2. Association of British Columbia Professional Foresters, 837 Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. 3. Council of Forest In- dustries, 1500 - 1050 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, OP 4. University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry Source Forest Service Total Annual Report Acreage 1977 Statistics 962,569 22,522,407 145,114,868 12,051 168,611,895 Page tl Page 14 Page 17 Page 12 5. British Columbia Institute of Technology, Forestry Department 6. Canadian Forestry Institute of We do want to thank you for the opportunity to reply to. your column and for awakening us who = are associated closely with the Van- ne WAS A TRICKY JOB, but the North Shore Tree Service was able: to remoye some’ unwanted trees on the edge of a cliff above a house on Eagle Harbour Road in West Vancouver. (Ellsworth Dickson photo) forest resource to the fact that we have not provided enough . information. to improve the media’s knowledge of British Columbia’s most important resource. deavour to do better. Frank Baker. opens We shail en- 2 . Vancouver Section Canadian Institute of" Forestry: Vancouver, B.C. ) London Bobby’s Pub Entertainment with English Humour and} Sing-a-long | London Bobby The famous London Bobby comes to us from England via Churchill’s English Pub in Waikiki, Hawaii NOW OPEN Menu includes:Cornish Pasties - British Fish & Chips Steak & Kidney Pie - English Sausage Rolls Full dinners available in the Attic, the Dining Room or the Chicken House with Pub Fun before or after Open: Mon. to Fri. 6 to 12 PM © Sunday 6 to 10 PM « Closed Saturday Main Floor at Frank Baker’s Next to Park Royal in West Van 922-3224 Susie Francis Show in the Attic Tues. to Sat. Dinners available - no cover