Salvage Logging Has Negative Impact On Species At Risk
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VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board received a complaint by two trappers, saying that logging has a significantly negative impact on a species that is at risk in BC.
The board conducted an investigation and concluded that the population of fishers is at a high risk of decline in the Nazko region, west of Quesnel. The Nazko area was greatly affected by mountain pine beetles between 2002 and 2017, which resulted in extensive salvage harvesting in the areas that the trappers complained about. Also, the area was highly damaged by the forest fires in 2017.
“Our investigation found that government did not take steps to ensure the protection of fisher habitat,” said Kevin Kriese, board chair. “While licensees did make some efforts to protect habitat when designing individual cutbacks, these efforts were insufficient given the unprecedented scale of salvage logging across the landscape.”
“The board is concerned that unplanned salvage of fire-damaged stands could make a grave situation even worse,” continued Kriese. “We are recommending that government take steps to address fisher habitat needs and work to restore the local population over time.”
