Forest policy failures evident from air

Times Colonist
Flying over Vancouver Island, it appears our forests have been completely devastated.
Vast areas are bare. Thousands of hectares are covered in tiny trees that are decades away from being ready to harvest. Our forest industry lies in ruins.
The companies now complain they can’t make enough money, and have the audacity to request we allow them to sell off the best land as real estate.

Instead of punishing Western Forest Products for mismanagement, the government rewards it with a giveaway worth at least $150 million.

This is a massive land-use change that will forever alter our region in a profound way if allowed to proceed.

TimberWest has announced it too has subdivision plans for its vast holdings.

And 6,400 hectares of wilderness has already been sold by Pope and Talbot in the Kootenays, subject to government approval.

The Liberal’s guiding philosophy is that private industry can manage our resources more efficiently than government.

The collapse of our forest industry proves that to be false. Private logging companies strive only to maximize shareholder wealth.

Richard Brunt

Victoria