Photo courtesy: Flickr/BC Government

By Caden Fanshaw

Forestry

Re-instating appurtenancy up for discussion: Forests Minister

Jun 26, 2023 | 5:36 PM

MACKENZIE — After 20 years of appurtenancy provisions being thrown out by Gordon Campbell and his government of the day, calls have been renewed for it to be brought back.

Among those calling for forestry policy to be tweaked is Mayor Joan Atkinson from the District of Mackenzie.

Atkinson said small communities are being devastated by the reality of logs being hauled down the highway instead of being processed locally.

“I want government to start addressing that issue,” said Atkinson. “They’ve been talking about tenure redistribution but again, just talk, no action.”

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BC Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston didn’t commit to re-instating the policy but said he was open to discussing it.

This comes on the heels of a major reduction in the annual allowable cut (AAC) for the Mackenzie Timber Supply Area. According to the Mayor, the reduction is acceptable if most of those logs can stay local, although trouble could be on the horizon if policy doesn’t change.

The new AAC for the Mackenzie TSA is 2.39 million cubic metres. The allowable annual cut was previously 3 million cubic metres in 2010 and was revised to 4.5 million cubic metres in 2014 to address the mountain pine beetle outbreak. More than 50% of the annual harvest included beetle-killed timber.

The chief forester has set the new determination as part of an overall harvest risk assessment with input received from the public, key stakeholders, local municipal leaders, the forest industry and extensive consultation with First Nations in the TSA. The new AAC considers forest health, climate change influences contributing to wildfire and drought, current and future spruce beetle infestation, old-growth management, species at risk, and wildlife habitat values.

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Twitter: @CadenFanshaw

Email: Caden.Fanshaw@pattisonmedia.com