410 - Sunday, October 10, 1999 -- North Shore News Save ol Jeff MacKinson Contributing Writer ONE of B.C.’s leading experts on old-growth forests says tourism is an often ove-looked reason why as much of the province’s 5,000-year-old forests as possible should be preserved. “Our resource-based industries are declining somewhat; we do have to ook tc other sources and tourism is our second industry,” Dr. Keith Wade of Capilano College said. “I think we have to be very careful thar we retain chings for people to come and see. It’s very short-sighted that we want people, to come and see our coastal areas and then we clear-cut them Wade, who is an ecologist and bio-geographer, said only few pockets of Douglas Fir old growth remain in the coastal region of the province. The coast’s most important tree eco- nomically, which has the potential to live to be 1,000 years old, is more stable in the other parts of the province. As well, if the remnants thar remain are too small they won’t be enough to preserve most of the bio-diversity within those forests,” Wade said in an interview following a lecture on old-growth forests at the North Vancouver college on Thursday. “We do have some conflicting values here, but the forest industry has often said that an old forest is an ecologically stag- nant forest; it’s not a very productive forest. “The reason they say that is that a tree’s growth rate is much faster when it’s younger. Our conifers will grow quite rapidly for the first 100 years and then they start to slow down,” he said. “If vou're looking at them purely as crops to be harvested to gain the maximum amount of wood then it makes sense to har- vest chem at about 60, 70, 80 years while they're still growing rapidly ... From that point of view you'd get more wood, but from the point of view of the entire ecosystem and maintaining high bio-diversiry that approach would mean we'd lose some of our most interesting species. Wade said evidence shows chat the number of species that can exist in any type of ecosystem is related to the size of the ecosystem that's left untouched. “If you have 100 square miles of untouched forest and you have 50 species Spread throughout the entire area and you assailed Actions of GVRD From page metres of some Nancy Greene Way hous- 2s, Du: Preez, who is co-chairman of the residents § association, was also a member of _ .acitizen’s technical review panel commis- -sioned by North Vancouver District to suidy the GVRD’s proposal. He says the _ panels... subsequent recommendations “were all ignored by the GVRD, including “* a request that the road be moved further eS y convinced that : together we devided that it was the best option’ and: that the staff were Rt pen,” Du Preez said. e m’s seepage blanket will cover a nen since the 1950s, Some __ Boing to, vated and removed from the area using the Mainline service road that runs parallel to Nancy Greene Way. er concluding that the seepage blan- ket was necessary, the citizen's review panel proposed to the GVRD engincers that the road be moved. Panel member Bruce Brown, who is a civil engincer, said the pane! understood that GVRD engineers supported the pro- ‘posal but later found “thar the enginecrs advised the board very much against building the road.” * Du Preez, said Nancy Greene Way resi- dents have been told by a realtor that their property valucs will drop by up to 25% during dam ‘construction. “Living there will be horrendous, terri- bie and in fact intolerable,” he said. ‘North. Vaicoiver District Coun. . Trevor Carolan, , who i is the district's repre- sentative on the GVRD board, had harsh words for the board’s reception ‘of the tun- nel proposal. othe GVRD steam-rolled ahead with its plan, The modts operandi was in full tilt there with senior GVRD staff puiting the strings and the reliable puppets from the predictable municipalities doing as com- manded on cue like trained seals,” Carolan sai “This council has made some commit- ments as to what it expects from the GVRD — as they are the developer in this case —- to come and get permits from this district. “If that process is not followed I’ve been supportive of going to the courts to stop them from doing anything. And have them go through the proper process which the public can see very clearly and wil be very transparent.” : gs. "said “T want to get the show: - back on the road.” y > Sthemes” dy up”: “Pa ver) “A: lot of | people come: to West: Vaiicouver na the big ty becausz: it’s so charming ere.: But the community gen- ., — test ip Bree Sauce front or rear erally i is very run-down. The entrance to West Vancouver is -a@ disgrace. I think we should take: over the contract from . B.C. Highways.” 2 Fraser would also like to see ‘in Ambleside and Dundarave.. “We. could have « hanging baskets,” he said, “we . can afford to put those up and keep them.” ° Fraser: also wants West _ Vancouver's fire trucks to be _ “the ehiniest, sharpest, and + estimate, replace or shoes by certified tech: nicians. Lifetime guarantee on pads & shoes - most makes ° &% Hesrine @ CooLine cleanest in the ¢ entire Lower Mainland.” He’s keen to upgrade West Vancouver's recreational facili- ties — and reduce the impact BC Ferries have on the com- ~ munity of Horseshoe Bay by eliminating the . Vancouver Island routes. : “It’s ridiculous,” he says, “there are 100,000 cars going through ‘Horseshoe Bay. 1 want to increase the enjoyment of the People who live there, and tourists who come to Horseshoe Bay to fish, to shop, . and to eat an ice cream cone.” id “tae mae elected,”: he said, “I want to ave a meeting. “with council and senior and focus on what our achieve- © ments are going to be in the next term of office, “We need to set goals and work at them. We need to get -. things done, so there’s some- ; thing to show for the taxpay- crs’ moncy.” id growth for tourism, expert says decide to remove 90% and leave 10 square miles, even if you stare off with all 50 species within those 10 miles they’ re not all going to stay there,” he said. “The species total is going to go down. This ts one of the real worries about tropical rain forests as well. As it becomes more fragmented the individual fragments won't support all the species.” COMPANY DEMONSTRATOR S 98 Mercedes Benz E320 i white/parchment int. retail $69,500. $58,500 98 Mercedes Benz C280 Sport white/black int. * petall $55, 385. ‘$46, 800° 98 Mercedes Benz C286 — black opal/grey int. _retall $54, 740 $35,600 99 Mercedes Benz C239 . biack/erey int. “fetal $48, 725 $44. 500 98 Mercedes Benz E430 Sport white/black int. Cali for. details” *More to choose from* SELECT PRE-OWNED 95 Mercedes Benz SL500- garnet/parchment int., 10K - 97 Mercedes Bénz 9500 smoke sliver/parchment int., 51K 97 Mercedes Benz E420. white/grey int.. 24K 98 Mercedes Benz MLS208 biacW/erey i Bes: loaded, ViK . ‘96 Mercedes: Benz. E320" “sliver/black int; 48K $75, 800 : _1375 Marine, ie North Vancouver 984 93! " www.vancouver.mercedes-benz.ce Check radiator, hoses, bells, drain & refill ~< Coalng system, pressure check & full report’ alignment; by certified technicians, produces full before & after report & road test - your choice “Prices cover most cars & iight trucks. . “All service by Govt, registered technicians Yesowe be ind ! 1004 Hamilton Street: #2,1301 United Bivd., Coquitlam » Tet: 521-7780 aerneso-yesa\ tt Open Mon.-Was: . Fels 10-3, Sun