Overcutting Supernatural BC

Canadians have witnessed the destruction of the Atlantic cod fisheries and the devastating impact on both the environment and a way of life. Right now British Columbia is facing the same problem in its forests, where overcutting is wreaking similar havoc as overfishing did on the East Coast.

According to BC Ministry of Forests data, for decades we have been cutting our forests by at least 20 percent faster than they can regrow. Unless the government immediately reduces the rate of logging, sustainable ecosystems will be further threatened and lumber mills will continue to close because of wood shortages.

Overcutting Supernatural BC

British Columbia is a province of forests. Extensive overcutting in some regions means companies must move operations into some of the rarest and often most scenic forests. Besides offering valuable timber, these forests are essential for BC's vibrant tourist industry (valued at $9 billion annually) and the ancient cultures of indigenous people. Spectacular areas like the internationally prized Inside Passage, the route chartered by hundreds of cruise ships and a million tourists each year en route to Alaska, could be lost from the one-time cutting of these majestic forests.

The David Suzuki Foundation believes that in order to conserve our forests for future generations, we must make wiser choices. We must reduce the amount of forests cut so that other values - wildlife and fish habitat, culture and tourism - are not unfairly compromised. There is a better way to practice forestry in BC.

A clearcut is where the entire forest cover is removed. Overcutting refers to the volume of trees cut, or logging too much regardless of how it is done. Because BC's AAC exceeds what is actually sustainable, clearcutting is practiced on almost 90 percent of forests. Logging companies must meet the AAC or they can be penalized.

British Columbia's Chief Forester determines how much of the province's forests can be cut annually. This figure is called the Allowable Annual Cut. In 2000, the Chief Forester admitted that determining the AAC for the mid-Coast is “testing to see whether the annual harvesting rate is an accurate assumption of the amount of timber that the region can realistically be expected to produce.” Vancouver Sun, Oct 14, 2000

Click on photo to hear Dr. Suzuki speak on the overcut. 

The Beetles
The Interior of British Columbia is currently experiencing a mountain pine beetle outbreak. The provincial government has responded by radically raising the Allowable Annual Cut in the Quesnel TSA and doubling the cut in the Lakes District. This is a short-sighted solution to the mountain pine beetle outbreak.

Learn more about the overcut

Getting the Basics: What is the AAC?

The Environmental Costs of Overcutting

The Social and Economic Costs of Overcutting

Sustained Yield: History of liquidation in BC's old-growth forests

We all Falldown: Where did our forests go?

The Chief Forester’s Role: Science or politics?

Solutions: Ecologically sound forestry

Thank You!