Crowd gathers at CNC for community forum on proposed changes to BC's forest tenure     250News photo

Prince George, BC – Retired professional forester, Anthony Britneff, says only widespread outcry and 'your hard-nosed resistance' will stop the provincial government's proposed switch from volume-based forest licences to tree farm licences (TFLs).

"Is area-based management preferable to volume-based management? In my opinion, absolutely – in theory," says the former bureaucrat-turned-policy analyst.  "But tree farm licences are not the way to go.  There are other options for area-based management that can keep your forests public without tenure."

Speaking at a community forum organized by the group, Stand Up for the North, and sponsored by local unions and labour groups, Britneff has told the crowd of mill workers, forest workers, and city residents there's nothing subtle about the government's strategy for further privatization of public forests.

On April 1st, the Ministry of Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations announced it would be seeking public input on the proposed TFL rollover.  (click here, for previous story)  "Just as many of you predicted, the government's process is not consultation at all," he says, "But simply a process to get public feedback on what it intends to do – which is to rollover the replaceable forest licences into TFLs."

Britneff says the proposal is the culmination of a 'perfect storm' of government mismanagement that started to unfold in 2001, just as the largest climate change event in the province's history – the mountain pine epidemic – began to affect the forest economy.

Pointing to the government's deregulation of parts of the Forest Act requiring it to maintain the forest inventory and a decade of deep budget cuts to everything from the BC Forest Service, to reforestation, to pest management, the former senior government forester says we're in the eye.

"With forest management of public forests in British Columbia rendered dysfunctional, and with most of the interior communities of forest workers and contractors in a state of shock from the beetle epidemic, the stage is ripe for the final step in privatization – the coup d'etat – that is, to pass enabling legislation to rollover replaceable forest licences into tree farm licences."

Britneff says the government claims to have spent just under $1-billion dollars in mitigating the environmental and economic impacts of the mountain pine beetle.  "So where is the plan?  Where was the plan when the Houston mill went down?  Where was the plan when the Quesnel mill went down and where was the plan when some of you lost your jobs?"

"You tell me why companies that close mills and lay off hundreds of workers should even be allowed to keep their replaceable forest licences, never mind roll them over into tree farm licences."

The retired forester disputes government claims that TFLs will increase the timber supply, saying the government's own senior manager responsible for timber supply has advised, in writing, that moving to TFLs within the mountain pine beetle zone will result in an overall reduction in supply.  He also dismisses assertions TFL holders take on more responsibility for forest management.  "The government still pays for forest inventories, reforestation through stumpage deduction, road and bridge building through stumpage deduction, fighting wildfire when adjacent Crown land and private property is threatened – so, precisely, what additional cost responsibilities does the TFL holder take on?"

Of further concern to the Interior, Britneff says, is that the mid-term timber supply is being over-harvested and the lion's share of the Not Satisfactorily Restocked (NSR) forestland in BC is in the mountain pine beetle zone.  He cites reports from the Forest Practise Board, stating in the Prince George Timber Supply Area in 2012, 125-percent of the sub-partition for spruce leading stands was harvested and it's estimated that over 180-percent will be harvested in 2013-14.  Of the non-pine partition in the Morice Timber Supply Area, 185-percent was harvested in 2012-13, and the Forest Practises Board estimates 200-percent will be harvested in 2013-14.  "That," says Britneff, "Is your mid-term timber supply."

"If you are to survive the government's self-created 'storm of mismanagement', coupled with the ongoing impact of climate change, then you will need to demand change." Britneff recommends:

• calling on the chief forester to immediately reduce the annual allowable cut throughout the mountain pine beetle zone
• taking back volumes as replaceable licences expire
• a new model of forest governance where local communities and First Nations have jurisdiction over public forest
• becoming truly sustainable by repealing provincial forest laws and replacing them with legislation that aligns with nationally and internationally-recognized criteria for sustainability
• creating an open and honest provincial log market, administered regionally, to ensure local timber for local mills and local jobs

Bretneff says the concept of 'Local Forest Trusts', is one that has been put forward by retired forester, Andrew Mitchell, at www.greenbccommunities.com.  It involves devolving jurisdiction over local Crown forests to local trustees, with oversight by a provincial forest trust assembly.  In response to a question from the crowd, Bretneff says the concept is not to be confused with local community forests, where there's some good work being done on ecosystem management, but it's only a small piece of the pie – two-percent of the province's cut.  There are no such trusts in BC, but he says there are examples in Scandinavia.

In closing, Britneff has urged those in attendance to make their voices 'loud and clear' on the the government's proposed rollover.  "After you leave this meeting, I encourage you to re-group and discuss alternative models of governance that will keep your forests public and sustainable, and your communities resilient to climate change and to an unstable global financial system."

"As the late reggae singer, Bob Marley, says 'You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.'  Go for it, you have no other choice if you want to take control."

Tomorrow, Britneff will deliver his message in Mackenzie, as Stand Up for the North hosts a second public forum on the issue at the Mackenzie Recreation Centre between 1pm and 4pm.