Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 22:32:34 -0700
From: Scott Frederick <scott451@gmx.net>
Subject: [KCUTS] Challenging times for the forest sector - Bob Simpson MLA
Hello Kootenaycuts,
Challenging times for the forest sector
By Bob Simpson MLA Cariboo North Opposition Forest & Range Critic
Sep 27 2006
The breadth and depth of the challenges facing our forest sector are
just starting to come into the consciousness of local governments and
the rural media.
Unfortunately, neither the provincial government nor the mainstream
media seem to be awake to the sorry state of what is still our number
one industry; consequently, it isn't getting the attention it
deserves.
Our forest ecosystems are threatened by much more than just the
Mountain Pine Beetle, and it's time we started to focus our attention
on the impacts of climate change on our forests and its implications
for forest management.
Rather than continuing to focus on just the pine beetle, we should
concentrate our efforts on conducting an integrated and comprehensive
reassessment of our forest management practices in light of climate
change.
The Chief Forester has undertaken some insightful work in this area
and the Liberal government must give this work a much higher profile
and more resources. Without healthy forest ecosystems we will not have
a viable forest sector and forest-dependent communities.
With the U.S. housing boom coming to a screeching halt, the Canadian
dollar moving towards par with the U.S., more and more countries
providing competitive sources of both pulp and lumber to our
traditional markets, and a new softwood lumber agreement that will
burden us with punitive border taxes and volume constraints, we have
the makings of a perfect storm in the marketplace.
In all likelihood we will be facing significant downtime, mill
closures, and further corporate concentration in the coming months.
The impacts of the sweeping changes to forestry legislation made by
the Liberal government during its first term are also now being felt
by forest-dependent communities, forest workers, contractors and the
value-added sector.
Corporate concentration and changes to B.C. Timber sales have made it
increasingly difficult for the value-added sector to access fibre and
for logging contractors and log suppliers to remain economically
viable. At a time when the sector must diversify to survive, we have a
log market and policy constraints that make it next to impossible to
do so.
All of the legislation that once ensured that forest-dependent
communities were provided with input and support when faced with mill
closures and "rationalization" of the forest sector was also removed
during the Liberal government's first term.
Unfortunately, our communities have been abandoned to deal with the
impacts of this transition on their own while confronted with a
shrinking industrial tax base.
We need a new vision for our forest sector; one based on diversity in
both our forest ecosystems and our forest economy.
We can only have a healthy and robust forest sector and
forest-dependent communities if we have the will to speak out about
the true challenges we face and force the government to pay attention
to them.
C Copyright 2006 Golden Star
http://www.thegoldenstar.net/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=100
<http://www.thegoldenstar.net/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=100&cat=48&id=736144&more>
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Only 959 organising days until the next BC provincial election.
Best regards,
Scott mailto:scott451@gmx.net
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