Dear editor,
“What is your house made from?”
“What is your sign made from?”
“It is just going to die and fall down anyway.”
These are some of the most common questions/comments that are muttered in passing by people opposed to the gatherings of those protesting the logging of the ancient forests. These same people who pose the question are not interested in hearing an answer. It is simply the case of “you are either for or against logging,” black or white, with no middle ground.
To those folks, it needs to made clear that the protesters are not against logging. Forestry has been, and should continue to be, the backbone of B.C.’s economy and yes, we need wood.
However, a tree is not just a tree. A single tree may be supporting an entire ecosystem, but more importantly, a stand of these giants provides habitat to a variety of animals and other plants, some that can only survive in old-growth forests. These ancient giants must be left to protect biodiversity.
The giant trees of the old-growth stands capture significantly more carbon than younger trees. In these times of climate change due to excessive carbon levels, instead of trying to figure out new ways to capture carbon, would it not be better to let nature try to do its part?
They trap water to slow down run-off from heavy rains and snowmelt. Boil water advisories and increased turbidity after heavy rains and fast melts are becoming more common, not to mention destruction of salmon habitat from mudslides or excessive run-off. Instead of spending millions on water treatment/filtration plants, would it not be better to let nature do its part?
When the ancient giants are cut down, they will be extinct. No one in our generation or your children’s or their children’s (you get my drift) will ever see trees like them except in pictures of things that have gone extinct due to human activity.
Instead of throwing empty remarks to those trying to stop the destruction of these important stands, perhaps you should take a trip to hike through these forests so you too may experience the magnificence of the giants before it is too late.
Lois Yoshida,
Courtenay