The Municipality of North Cowichan doesn’t make its money logging so why cut down the trees?
On the front page of the wheredowestand.ca website there is a link to a video called “New Old Growth – Our Mature Naturally Generated Forests Vs. Tree Plantations.” The video is filmed in areas of the Municipal Forest Reserve that are presently planned to be clear-cut. I encourage Municipality of North Cowichan taxpayers to spend seven minutes watching this video. I think it is reasonable to ask yourself, “If we aren’t making any significant money logging these aging forests, why do we cut down the trees?”
A number of times over the last couple of decades I have gone and walked in forests that were just beginning to have roads built in preparation for logging. I wanted to see what was about to be cut down.
Eight or so years ago I spent quite a bit of time on one particularly beautiful ridge on Maple Mountain that had the most incredible assortment of twisted, gnarly, uniquely intriguing old trees. This west-facing ridge was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in all of Cowichan. Looking across a grand vista of the valley is a mesmerizing view of Mount Prevost. Somehow the vista isn’t nearly as entrancing now that all the trees are destroyed and a road that seems wide enough for two logging trucks to pass each other has ripped the ridge apart.
I think the earnings reported for the logging department the year the gnarly ridge was clear-cut was actually a net loss of money. Even in its best years the MFR earns less than one per cent of the overall revenue that the MNC generates.
As an old guy myself, I am particularly sensitive to what was the point in cutting down those gnarly old seniors gracing the lookout ridge?
I have become, perhaps, a little simplistic. I now look at much of our MFR and agree with the Fairy Creek tree huggers – Worth More Standing.
Aging,
Larry McIntosh,
North Cowichan