A newly formed citizens group, Powell River Forest Coalition, is working on several fronts to preserve forest lands within the city.
Island Timberlands has already started logging and plans to cut all of Lot 450, wrote the coalition in a press release Friday, May 15. The group will go before City of Powell River Council Thursday, May 21, to ask it to advocate for saving city forest lands.
“The city has preserved the trees in Millennium Park and that’s great,” said spokesperson Jenny Garden in the press release, “but we need them to be aggressively leading the fight to stop destructive logging practices in other blocks set to be cut.”
According to the forest coalition, Island Timberlands’ plan to clear-cut on city and Tla’amin (Sliammon) Nation-owned PRSC Limited Partnership lands violates the mandate of PRSC to “be a community minded company that respects…sustainable forest practices.”
Its plan to clear-cut on its own lands includes the areas immediately next to McGuffie and McFall creeks that the city has identified as a “sensitive ecosystem” in its sustainable official community plan, the coalition added.
The people of Port Alberni are also fighting against Island Timberlands’ logging plans in that community and their city council has played a key role in leading the fight. “We need that same kind of leadership here,” said Garden. “Our coalition can only do so much. If the council doesn’t oppose the cutting Island Timberlands can just ignore our efforts. By remaining silent it looks like the city supports the clear-cutting.”
The coalition is asking residents who care about the forest to attend the council meeting, 7 pm Thursday, May 21, at city hall.
