LETTER: What the old-growth logging protestors are saying

Editor:

This is mostly directed to all the people who are mad at the protesters who want to stop old growth logging.

If you’ll notice, their signs don’t say “End forestry in B.C.” or they don’t say “Stop cutting all trees,” and they don’t say “We want to take your forestry jobs away from you.”

The protesters are concerned about cutting the last of the ancient trees that are left in B.C. Those trees in some cases are 800 or 900 years old. Some are “only” 300 or 400 years old.

READ MORE: Arrests continue to mount despite paused old growth logging on southern Vancouver Island

Those trees and all trees belong to the citizens of B.C. and the First Nations of B.C. (Not sure who’s first).

“We” own the trees in B.C. but our government “gives” our trees to corporate forestry, who then harvest them for profit.

A forest is like the Great Barrier Reef. Life all over the place. Thousands of kinds of fish and sea life moving around, interacting, breeding, eating each other. Just being a reef.

Along comes a company that makes concrete blocks for buildings. They bring in huge excavators and just drive out onto the reef and start crushing and loading up all the reef material because it makes excellent concrete. To hell with the fish.

“We have blocks to make. You wouldn’t want to slow down the economy. Would you? We put in an oyster farm where the reef was. See there’s still life there.”

Sounds crazy but that’s exactly what happens to the forest in every clear cut. The balance of life is completely destroyed and very few organisms can survive the stripped down sun baked remains. The forest practices code is a corporate-written joke.

The protesters are trying to protect the old growth forests but they know forestry is way out of control when it comes to healthy stewardship of forest resources.

British Columbians are fed up with the plundering of our resources with next to no return.

I applaud the protesters and everyone trying to bring the truth forward.

Standing up to the corporate giant is not easy. I’m hopeful that cooler heads will prevail and no criminal charges will be laid. The protesters are fighting to keep us all safe.

The recent heat waves and wildfires reminds us that we’ve tipped the balance of nature in the wrong direction. Climate change is no “theory” any more. It’s here.

Continuing on the same path would be insanity.

Drastic change is needed. Forestry is not bad. Unchecked corporate greed and enthusiastic environmental destruction is.

Consider this a reality check.

Now let’s make some positive changes.

Randy Thompson

Quesnel

READ MORE: B.C. overhaul of logging policy continues to include old-growth harvest

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