I am writing in response to the letter in the Feb. 19 edition titled "B.C. has poor record of resource management" by Harry Coates.
Forest management certainly hasn't been perfect over the past century; however, B.C. is a world leader in forest management practices.
Our practices have evolved as our knowledge and understanding of forests, thanks to scientific study, has changed.
Our stewardship of forests has also changed along with the changing values of society over time.
While forest management today may look a lot different than it did in 1912, our forests are nothing but well managed.
B.C.'s forests are managed sustainably, which means that they will be around for a long time, providing the benefits we all enjoy.
It is simply not true to state we have destroyed the forest land base and "have virtually no new stands ready for harvest..." There are strict rules in place from the government when it comes to harvesting trees and forest professionals are involved throughout the cycle of management.
The province's chief forester sets a sustainable cut each year for much of the province and, while the mountain pine beetle and several devastating forest fire seasons have had an impact on the availability of mature stands, innovative management of forests means we adapted to work with the new realities.
The Forest Service - or as it is better known - the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is still going strong and under their leadership, forest professionals, industry and other key partners are adapting our forest management practices to account for a changing climate and other challenges.
The ABCFP welcomes the opportunity to support a conversation with the public about our forests.
Christine Gelowitz, RPF
CEO of the Association of
BC Forest Professionals
