Residents have less than two months to voice their opinion over tree harvesting allowances in the Soo timber supply area - a 900,000-hectare piece of land in the Sea to Sky region.
Current harvesting practices show a preference for Douglas fir/cedar stands over hemlock/balsam stands, which is threatening logging sustainability in the Soo timber supply area, according to a report by the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands.
Ministry public affairs officer Cheekwan Ho said the heavier harvesting in Douglas fir/cedar stands is generally "due to their lower elevation, being located in areas with higher road density, being located closer to town and currently having a higher demand in the market place."
The harvesting land base of 98,000 hectares has an allowable annual cut (AAC) of 503,000 cubic metres.
According to the ministry report, if disproportionate harvesting continues with 57 per cent in Douglas fir and cedar and 41 per cent in hemlock/balsam, in five years the AAC would need to be reduced to 239,000 cubic metres.
However if the local industry continues with equally harvested Douglas fir/cedar stands and hemlock/balsam stands, the current AAC could be maintained for another 30 years, and even increase over time.
A local wood industry consultant warns that a significantly decreased cut would negatively impact local businesses, workers and the economy.
"An active, sustainable forest management depends on maintaining an infrastructure of expertise, skilled workers, access and equipment etc.," said wood industry consultant Eric. "This local infrastructure is at risk."
The purpose of the timber supply review is for the chief forester Jim Snetsinger to consider current management practices, social conditions and economics to ensure the harvest levels are set at a sustainable level for the long term.
"It is the chief forester who makes this decision after considering many factors," said Ho.
"These factors include feedback from the community."
One solution may be to limit the amount of each species that can be harvested but local registered professional forester John Howe doesn't think that's the best solution.
He said that is a popular idea but trying to control the percentage of species harvested is difficult.
"Let's say a typical company would have 50,000 metres of cut allocated, 30,000 would be for the entire profile and then 20,000 extra would be if you took just simply the hemlock and balsam stands," said Howe.
"Conceptually it's easy but it's very difficult to manage and for the Ministry of Forestry to regulate and to monitor."
He said he thinks making the white woods (balsam and hemlock) more marketable and profitable is a better solution.
"It's a more proactive way of managing the resource instead of just instituting simple rules," said Howe. "Economics will always dictate and govern what private industry does."
Andersen thinks the harvesting disparity will have dire negative consequences on Squamish, where the forestry industry is still alive despite a massive reduction after the housing boom in the U.S. collapsed.
"Put simply, we are not harvesting too much timber, but we are high-grading," he said, referring to a harvesting technique that removes only the biggest and most valuable trees from a stand.
Andersen said if B.C. residents don't request significant AAC reduction in the Soo timber supply, local direct and indirect jobs and revenues will be negatively affected.
But Howe doesn't think an AAC cutback in five years time will have a substantially detrimental effect on most local companies.
"In the past, it would have been very significant but over the last few years, with the general poor market for lumber products, companies have typically tended to not harvest their allocated cut simply because the number of buyers are less," said Howe.
He said if markets return to levels from 10 years ago, the reduction would be significant but if the trend of preferring Douglas fir and cedar continues, then it's kind of a moot point.
"If the AAC is 500,000 and you lost 200,000 because of the cut and you've only been harvesting 300,000 for the last few years what's the effect?' said Howe. "Nothing."
Andersen and Howe agree B.C. should be exporting to countries outside of North America that place a higher value on white wood raw logs such as Korea, China and Japan.
"If you give companies assurance of being able to export that timber then it provides sort of an incentive for them to increase the value of those stands and therefore go in and harvest them," said Howe.
The B.C. Coastal Forest Sector Hem-Fir Initiative (which refers to hemlock and the amabilis fir, also known as balsam) is trying to increase the value of white woods by identifying appropriate products and as a result, providing a competitive advantage.
Andersen said local municipalities need to be aware of opportunities to use white woods in their own infrastructure.
"Various new products are being looked at, such as new structural grades and uses of hemlock, exterior decking of treated amabilis fir [balsam], highway noise barriers, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) of hemlock, and solid hemlock building panels such as were demonstrated in the new Whistler Library," he said.
He was hoping local developments such as the O'Siem Pavilion could be used as demonstration projects for hemlock and balsam.
"However, we've run out of time for this opportunity with delays in that project, it appears," said Andersen.
The ministry's discussion paper on the subject is available on the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands website at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts or from the Squamish district office at 42000 Loggers Lane between 8:30 a.m. and noon.
