Due to a low level of snowpack from the past year’s mild winter in BC, much of the province will be facing a drought which could have adverse impacts on communities, agriculture and ecosystems such as old growth forests.
Sierra Club BC is an environmental activism organization that advocates for several conservation initiatives within the province, but primarily their focus is on the stewardship of old growth forests.
They say that because of anticipated drought levels in the province, the time for action in protecting old growth is now.
According to the Sierra Club, the BC government’s most recent announcements of forest protection and the reduction of harmful forestry practices.
This year, the snow levels in BC are reportedly 39% lower than the average and with last year’s record setting wildfire season, the environmentalist organization is concerned for what this year’s summer will bring.
Sierra Club says that providing increased protections for old growth forests in BC actually helps mitigate impacts of climate change such as drought, wildfires, flooding, heatwaves and landslides.
“The last old-growth forests on Earth are a global treasure for biodiversity and a legacy for future generations,” said Jens Wieting, Senior Policy and Science Advisor at Sierra Club BC.
“Today they are also part of our last defense against the escalating impacts of the climate crisis.”
“The long-term value of our remaining intact forests and their ability to protect communities from climate disasters is now greater than ever before, especially when compared to the short-term profits from clearcutting old growth.”
See also:
- Victoria approves 23-storey building with no parking to be constructed on View Street
- ‘Smoke and mirrors’: Some BC organizations sceptical about Budget 2024
The group says that old growth groves are key ecosystems to protect because of their ability to retain water, keep creeks flowing and lower temperatures during heatwaves, while younger groves cannot provide the same benefits.
Over the past couple years, the Province has announced a handful of initiatives meant to help protect BC’s old growth forests such as a BC conservation financing mechanism, a draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health framework and the Nature Agreement between the First Nations Leadership Council and the federal and provincial governments; however, Sierra Club says that these projects have not yet resulted in tangible change.
“The recent conservation announcements contained all the key ingredients to make headway in safeguarding the most at-risk ecosystems and species habitat in BC,” said Shelley Luce, Campaigns Director at Sierra Club BC.
“What’s needed now is leadership at every level and in every ministry to protect these values before we lose more irreplaceable benefits.”
The group is calling on Premier David Eby and his government to take action in speeding up the logging deferral process and implement old growth stewardship targets and to finish their yet-to-be-released Old Growth Action Plan with updated milestone dates and timelines.
“Premier Eby was right when he said that forests in BC are exhausted,” Wieting continued. “It may take a long time for these lands to recover from decades of industrial degradation.”
“But it doesn’t have to take many years to protect the last old growth and to reform forest stewardship in BC. Doing the work now will be paramount for the future of communities and the web of life.”
