Friends of Clayoquot Sound: Forest & logging factsheet -- May 2011

Forest and logging factsheet — May 2011

To download a printable PDF of this factsheet, click here.

Temperate rainforest globally

Temperate rainforests are rare to begin with: originally covered only a fraction of one percent of the earth's land surface.
Just over 1/2 of the world's temperate rainforest has been logged already.
Only 25% of Washington's, 4% of Oregon's and 4% of California's original rainforests are left.
Large tracts of temperate rainforest remain only in BC, Alaska and Chile.

Temperate rainforest in BC

BC has about 1/4 of the world's remaining coastal temperate rainforest.
Just over 1/2 of BC's coastal temperate rainforest has been cut already.

Temperate rainforest of Vancouver Island and Clayoquot Sound

3/4 of the productive ancient forest on the 3,175,000 hectare island has been logged already.
13% of the island's area is protected in parks, but only 6% of the island's productive forest.
Clayoquot Sound’s terrestrial and ocean area is 350,000 hectares.
Terrestrial area: 272,000 hectares (263,000 land and 9,000 lakes) = 2,720 square kilometres/1,050 square miles, or about 8% of Vancouver Island.
Clayoquot Sound has the largest area of old growth forest and the only cluster of unlogged valleys remaining on Vancouver Island.
Of 89 large primary valleys on Vancouver Island (valleys 5,000 hectares or larger that empty directly into the ocean), only 6 remain undeveloped (completely unlogged or less than 2% logged).
Four of these 6 large primary intact valleys are in Clayoquot Sound: Megin and Moyeha Rivers (in Strathcona Provincial Park); Sydney and Bulson Rivers (unprotected).
Clayoquot Sound also has 2 large upland (secondary) valleys that are intact: Ursus and Clayoquot Rivers.
The only 2 large undeveloped islands off Vancouver Island are also in Clayoquot Sound: Flores Island & Meares Island.

Logging tenures in Clayoquot Sound

Tree Farm License 57, Iisaak Forest Resources (formerly MacMillan Bloedel's TFL 44): 87,400 hectares (1 hectare = 2.5 acres)
Tree Farm License 54, Iisaak Forest Resources (via its parent company, Ma-Mook Natural Resources) (formerly Interfor’s TFL): 45,700 hectares
Timber Licenses, Iisaak Forest Resources: 3,600 hectares
Arrowsmith Timber Supply Area, BC Timber Sales: approx. 20,000 hectares
Pacific Timber Supply Area, BC Timber Sales (formerly MacMillan Bloedel’s TFL 44): approx 11,000 hectares
Forest License A19235, International Forest Products (Interfor): approx. 4,000 hectares
Private forest land owned by Island Timberlands: 1,350 hectares

Clayoquot Land Use decision, April 1993

33% of land area (90,400 hectares) protected in parks — translates into 22% of productive ancient forest protected.
62% of area open for logging — translates into 74% of productive ancient forest open for logging (22% already cut; 52% to be cut).
5% not included in decision: District of Tofino; private land; native reserves; Meares Island (still under treaty negotiation).

Scientific Panel for Sustainable Forest Practices, 1995 (legislated in 2008)

Science Panel planning process placed 60% of Clayoquot Sound’s land base off-limits to logging (33% already protected in parks, plus an additional 27% in Science Panel “watershed reserves” outside of parks).
Watershed reserves are small and fragmented; part of every intact valley is open to logging, whereas recent science increasingly shows the importance of protecting large intact areas to maintain biodiversity and ecological resilience and connectivity, especially in the face of climate change.
Watershed reserves apply only to logging; the reserves are open to other industrial activities such as mining, hydro, roads, etc.

Volumes of wood cut in Clayoquot Sound 1988-2010 (in cubic metres)
(Approximate equivalents: 1 cubic metre = 1 telephone pole; 1 logging truck = 33 cubic metres)

1988    959,000 (29,000 truckloads)
1989    958,000
1990    763,000
1991    777,000
1992    467,000
1993    456,000 (13,800 truckloads)
1994    406,000
1995    323,000
1996    106,000 (under Science Panel guidelines from 1996 onward)
1997      84,000
1998      17,000
1999      32,000
2000      25,000
2001    81,000
2002    145,000
2003      70,000 (estimated)
2004    153,000 (estimated)
2005      94,000
2006    66,000
2007    120,000
2008    160,000
2009    161,000
2010    216,000 (6,500 truckloads)

PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
250-725-4218 info@focs.ca