Squamish can’t hide from the fact that it is a logging community.
From the time humans arrived here the trees have been a key resource.
We certainly aren’t the logging community we once were. The amount of timber cut around here isn’t close to what it was through to the 1990s. Some of the trees in our front-country have commercial value and they’re ready for harvesting, as is the case with a stand of trees visible from the top of the Stawamus Chief and from the Sea to Sky Gondola.
According to forestry experts, the trees in cut block SW144 behind the iconic mountain are ready for harvest. Understandably, there are many people who want those trees left standing. They have value from a number of different perspectives, including tourism. People love viewing intact forests. Clear cuts, even small ones, are a blight on the landscape and turn off many visitors.
Part of the attraction of the Sea to Sky Gondola is the lush green forest below the observation deck at the Summit Lodge.
Cut block SW144 in the Oleson Creek drainage features second growth trees. The harvest plan caught the eye of a few hikers and climbers. Concerns were raised and because of this some changes have been made to the logging plans.
Tom Yasyshen and Chris Nunn with B.C. Timber Sales met with Squamish council on Aug. 26 and reported there won’t be any logging done in The Longhouse area where trails have been established and climbing routes have been created.
“On SW144 I don’t think B.C. Timber Sales Chinook did the best job they could have,” Yasyshen said to the Squamish council members. “I think we could have done a whole bunch more and we’ve actually taken some steps to rectify the situation and taken some steps to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Nunn said climbers and hikers should have been consulted earlier.
B.C. Timber Sales is a semi-autonomous agency within the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO).
Sadly, FLNRO has a history of doing a poor job of communicating its harvest plans. Gambier Island residents have been fighting FLNRO for more than a year now over plans to remove a significant amount of timber from the northern part of Gambier.
Residents and visitors were surprised by the logging plans on Gambier when details were revealed. They have been speaking up and pushing back. Tim and Bob Turner have produced an excellent video showing how spectacular the woodlots are with the trees still standing. There are some massive Douglas fir and cedar trees in the woodlot that will bring significant stumpage funds to the provincial government and lucrative revenue to the company with the contract to log the area.
Residents and regular visitors feel FLNRO’s harvest plan is too large for the small island.
A lawsuit has been filed to prevent the logging from taking place.
While not everyone here is happy with the adjusted logging plans in the Oleson Creek drainage, we’re in a situation where an acceptable compromise has been reached.
Yasyshen committed to meeting annually with Squamish Council to share upcoming logging plans. This will help to ensure there are no more B.C. Timber Sales surprises in the future.
This is a good thing because while forestry remains a key industry in Squamish our reputation as an outdoor adventure playground is growing and poorly planned tree removal will drag that growing reputation down.
