As the citizens of North Cowichan consider the future of the Municipal Forest Reserve, they are being asked to choose among four management scenarios.

That can be challenging given that the amount of logging in each scenario is being expressed in cubic metres of timber.

So, let’s make it easier by talking in terms of logging trucks.

The Municipality has told sixmountains.ca that one logging truck operating in the forest reserve hauls from 30 to 35 cubic metres of timber.

So, let’s assume an average of 32.5 cubic metres per truckload.

Now, let’s see what that looks like for each of the four scenarios presented by the UBC Partnership Group, keeping in mind that these are ANNUAL figures.

(1) Status Quo: 17,500 cubic metres = 538 logging trucks.

(2) Reduced Harvest: 7,400 cubic metres = 227 logging trucks.

(3) Active Conservation: 1,300 cubic metres = 40 logging trucks.

(4) Passive Conservation: No logging; no trucks.

Note that cutting under active conservation would not involve the sort of clearcutting that has occurred to date in the forest reserve, but on a more selective basis, including to restore and enhance ecosystems and promote biodiversity.

Also note that UBC’s 30-year projection shows that revenues from both conservation options exceed those of logging.

The next phase of public consultation is just around the corner.

It’s important to get involved now.

Visit: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/81dc66eb-b551-4249-b7cc-cb976e1a863a

(Photo: a truck loaded with municipal logs from Mt. Tzouhalem navigates Kingsview Road near Maple Bay in 2019).

Subscribe free to sixmountains.ca More than 24,000 unique visitors.

— Larry Pynn, Nov. 19, 2022