The Forests of British Columbia

British Columbia boasts an incredible variety of landscapes and climates, ranging from the icy peaks of the majestic Rocky Mountains, to wet coastal valleys and the semi-arid desert of the province's interior. This array of conditions generated a great diversity of forest types in Canada's western-most province.

This plentiful biomass provides habitat for a wide range of mammals, birds and insects as well as for Pacific salmon - the icon of these forests. The interdependence of life in Canada's coastal temperate rainforest produces a fascinating living web that provides clean air and water, food and shelter to humans and wildlife.

However, industrial forestry - particularly clearcut logging - is still the norm throughout BC, and ancient forests are primarily targetted by timber companies. This is the case in the coastal temperate rainforests, which are being clearcut at an alarming and unsustainable rate. The government of British Columbia is in the process of changing the laws that govern how timber companies can log, replacing them with a "results-based" system that virtually allows the companies to monitor their own practices.

Over the past several years, an epidemic of mountain pine beetle has erupted in interior forests, particularly in the Prince George and Quesnel areas. This has created a panic among government and industry officials because of the dramatic impact on thousands of acres of forest. Mountain pine beetles are a native species and a ubiquitous feature of many forests, and in BC are the second most important natural disturbance agent after fire. Instead of dealing with this outbreak in an ecologically responsible way to help guard against future outbreaks, the provincial government has taken a reactive stance and radically increased the rate of cut for beetle-infected trees. This approach will not stop the epidemic, rather it is an economic solution to ensure logging companies access to timber while it is still marketable.

Insect expert

One of the world's experts in beetle ecology, Dr. Arthur Partridge, says: "It's past time to re-examine and modify our alliance with mountain pine beetles and accept their presence as a normal forest phenomenon." Instead, the BC government is allowing companies to clearcut millions of cubic metres of trees to "combat" the mountain pine beetle. In fact, the greatest impact this outbreak will likely have on the forest will be from logging companies overcutting the forests in the name of beetle control.

Issues like insect epidemics must be dealt with in a way that respects the long-term values and well-being of our forests. The David Suzuki Foundation has proposed a series of solutions that aim to conserve nature and protect the long-term benefits we receive from forests.

Learn more about BC forests and the proposed results-based code.

Read about ecosystem-based management for the mountain pine beetle