The Forest

Socials 10The Economy of British Columbia

Evangelina WardellBlock 2

A Brief History• B.C.’s forests have been utilized for thousands

of years• First Nation’s used the forests for their food,

shelter, clothing, tools and utensils • European’s first recorded uses of B.C.’s

forestry resources in March of 1778 for repairs of Captain James Cook’s boat

• The building of forts was the first major constructions (ex. Fort James 1806, Fort Langley 1827, and Fort Victoria 1843)

• The gold rush of 1858 developed the interior of the province resulted in the increase of the demand for lumber

• Large mills were being built• Origins of B.C. Forest Service can be traced

back to the *Royal Commission of Inquiry on Timber and Forestry on July 9th, 1909

• Today, the B.C. Forest Service is the steward of Timber, Rang and Recreation resources of B.C.’s un-reserved public forest land

*The Royal Commission was founded as “an act respecting inquiries concerning public matters”

Forestry in BC * Merchantable Timber: the largest segment of British Columbia’s economy

*Value-Added:Economic value that is added through secondary production

• 45% of all wood logged in Canada and 40% of all Canada’s *merchantable timber gets logged in B.C. alone

• The forestry industry is the largest segment of B.C.’s economy

• Contributes more *value-added than any other industry in B.C.

• Since the late 1800’s, B.C.’s wood has been shipped on a global scale

• Logging and manufacturing of forest products provide more employment to British Columbian’s

• Recently, concern have grown about sustainability of the forest

• People are looking for new and innovative ways to add value to our harvested wood

• Interest had been growing due to peoples realizations of our forests profound effect on British Columbian life

• Forestry has shaped trading relationships and determined British Columbians standards of living

• Enhanced B.C.’s artistic and cultural life

The Importance• In the mid-1990’s, the total value of all forest products exported

from B.C. was $1.5 billion • Employs about 30,000 people in jobs ranging from logging to

furniture manufacturing • The forest industry has always followed the ups and downs of

economic cycle (ie. Will lay off people when economic times are bad and will hire people when economic times are good)

• Now people are thinking of the industry and forest itself in the long term, hoping trees can be a resource for all time

• The forest sector accounted for 4.6% of B.C. employment and 9.2% of all economic activity in 2009

• The forest sector generates $9.07 billion in economic activity for the province each year

• In 2009, the value of B.C.’s forestry products accounted for 30% of B.C.’s total exports and 31% of Canada’s total for forest products exports

• The pulp and paper sector is a large part of B.C.’s economy with total pulp and paper exports representing approx. 46% of the total value of B.C. forest products exported in 2009

• Pulp and papers revenue amounted to$3.5 billion in 2009• British Columbia is a major player in the world-wide forestry sector –

the province is the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber to international markets

The Problem: What Impact does Clear-Cutting have on

the Environment?

CONS TO THE ENVIORNMENT:• 74% of logging in Canada’s rainforest is clear-cut logging• 46% of logging in Canada’s rainforest is taking place in the most

productive Salmon *watersheds • Watersheds that provide spawning habitats for some of the habitats

for some of the healthiest wild Salmon runs remaining in Canada• 78% of logging in Canada’s rainforest has been in old growth forests

– home to majestic old growth Cedar and Sitka Spruce• Proposed protection for the Great Bear Rainforest leaves 80% of

White ‘Spirit’ Bear’s habitat at risk of logging • Since 2001, 83% of government approved logging plans in Canada’s

Rainforests are in the critical nesting habitat of the Northern Goshawk

• Only 35% of areas that the *CIT identified as being highly intact and with significant conservation value are currently proposed for protection – this leaves 65% of the most important ecosystems at risk of logging/ other forms of development

*A watershed is the area in which the water drains into a lake or river

*CIT stands for the Coastal Information Team

• Destructive to water, soil, wildlife, and the atmosphere • Removing the trees that hold water and top soil removes the trees

which would otherwise have been transpiring large volumes of water and physically damages grasses, mosses, liches, and ferns that populate all the bio-mass normally retaining water

• Prevents trees from shadowing riverbanks and rivers• Raises temperatures and contributing to extinction of some fish

and amphibian species • Clear-cutting can destroy an area’s ecological integrity in a

number of way –the destruction of buffer zones reduce the severity of flooding by absorbing and holding water – the immediate removal of forest canopy which destroys the habitat or many rainforest-dependent insects and bacteria – the removal of forest carbon sinks leading to global warming through increased human-induced and natural carbon dioxide build up in the atmosphere

PROS FOR THE ENVIORNMENT:• Clear-cutting can be practiced to encourage the growth of tree

species that require high light intensity • Clear-Cutting can be used by foresters as a method of mimicking a

natural disturbance and increasing primary succession species

• Clear-Cutting has also proved to be effective in creating animal habitats

• Can help regenerate species that cannot compete in mature forests

• Leads to increased *vascular-plant diversity in the area• No significant changes in water temperature were observed

when patch clear-cutting was done 100ft away from a river – this suggests that patch clear-cutting is a possible solution to concerns about water temperature rising due to clear0cutting

• *Forest Managers have found that clear-cutting oak stands helps oak forests in areas of poor soil – the tree canopies in oak forests often shade out of the ground making it impossible for newly sprouted oaks to grow

*Vascular- Plant: a Plant that is characterized By the presence of conducing tissue

*Forest Managers: someone who is responsible for managing forests and woodlands and oversee activities such as timber production, conservation, and recreation

The Issue On a National & Global Scale

• According to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI), clear cutting is the process by which all the trees in a given section of a forest are logged at once – leaving only a small number of trees left standing

• OFRI indicates that although the trees are replanted after 2 years, the replanting does not undo all the damage that clear-cutting causes

• Clear-cutting’s main main destruction is towards habitats, where it makes the habitats more vulnerable in the future to damage by insects, disease, acid rain, and wind

• Removal of all trees from an area destroys the physical habitats of many species in wildlife

• Clear-Cutting can also contribute to problems for ecosystems that depend on forests, like the streams and rivers which run through them

• In Canada, the Black-tailed Deer population is at further risk after clear-cutting, like how many other species are at risk after losing their habitats and food sources

• Clear-cutting can destroy an area’s ecological integrity in a number of ways (ex.

• The destruction of buffer zones which reduce the severity of flooding by absorbing and holding water

• The immediate removal of forest canopy, which destroys the habitats of many rainforest-dependent insects and bacteria

• The removal of forest carbon sinks, leading to global warming through the increased human-included and natural carbon dioxide build up in the atmosphere

• The elimination of fish and wildlife species due to soil erosion and habitat loss

• The removal of underground worms, fungi and bacteria that condition soil and protect plants growing in it from disease

• The loss of small-scale economic opportunities, such as fruit-picking, sap extraction, and rubber tapping

• The destruction of aesthetic values and recreation opportunities )

A Solution To our Problem!!• Alternate Forestry: • Non-timber forest products, special non-wood minor alternative and

secondary forest products are useful substances/ materials/ commodities gathered from forests which do not require harvesting trees

• Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have focused on their commodifiability for rural incomes and markets – as an expression of traditional knowledge or as a livelihood option for rural house hold needs - as a key component of sustainable forest management and conservation strategies

• All research promotes products as valuable commodities and tools that can promote the conservation of forests

• Improvement Cutting: • The elimination of less valuable trees in favor of more valuable tree

growth• Typically in mixed, uneven-aged forests• This could be helpful to cut down older trees for new and healthy trees to

grow in the place of old trees• Like with the oak forests in the ‘Pros’ section • Natural Regeneration/ Protection of Regeneration:• Regeneration: the renewal of a tree crop, whether by natural or artificial

means

Websites Used• Horizons (pg. 353-357)• www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timematch/galler09/frames/ind

ex.htm• http://enviornment.yale.edy/files/biblo/YaleFES-00000140.pdf• www.daridsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2005/DSF-rainfores

ts-2005-5.pdf• www.Wildladsleauge.org/attachments/ACutAbouve.pdf• www.members.shaw.ca/wolfpatch/Forest/History/ • www.clemson.edu

THE END!!