The final old-growth on Quadra Island is at danger without provincial control

The Forest Practices Board (FPB) has raised concerns about the risk of logging to both the remaining and future old growth forests on Quadra Island due to insufficient oversight.

The FPB's investigation into TimberWest Forest Corp., Okisollo Resources Ltd., and Younger Brothers Holdings was prompted by a complaint from the Discovery Islands Forest Conservation Project, which highlighted the potential threats to the island's remaining old growth areas.

According to the FPB report, while TimberWest and the two smaller operators violated some forestry regulations, the primary issue is the lack of provincial government-led management for old growth forests on the island.

“No one is responsible for monitoring or ensuring that Quadra Island’s old forests are conserved, or that enough mature forests are protected from logging so they can develop into old forest in the future,” said Keith Atkinson, FPB chair, in a press statement.

The FPB report noted that provincial estimates indicate only one percent of Quadra’s forests are older than 250 years, a result of historical logging and forest fires.

It also highlighted the need to protect mature forests ranging from 80 to 120 years old to eventually meet the province’s target of nine percent old growth on the island.

TimberWest, however, lacks a strategy or plan to ensure sufficient mature forest is preserved to address the old-growth deficit on Quadra Island.

Although the company promised in its forest stewardship plan to set aside mature forest for future old growth, it failed to detail how it would verify this commitment as required by law.

“Further, the government should not have approved the [plan] without a measurable or verifiable commitment to recruit old forests to at least target levels,” the board said.

TimberWest’s Tree Farm Licence 47 covers approximately 45 percent of Quadra Island, including 9,400 hectares of forest and an additional 4,200 hectares of parkland.

The 19 smaller woodlots on Quadra Island amount to 5,400 hectares, but their licenses do not mandate the setting aside of mature forests to meet the province’s old-growth targets.

Both Okisollo and Younger Brothers have pledged not to harvest old growth forests in their woodlot license plans.

The board has recommended that TimberWest revise its forestry plan to demonstrate how it will protect mature forests to meet old-growth targets.

TimberWest must respond to this recommendation and outline its planned course of action by December 31, as per provincial law.

Additionally, the board found that Okisollo had violated its wildlife tree retention strategy as outlined in its approved woodlot license plan. Old growth forests are generally protected through designated no-harvest zones, but large "veteran" trees should be evaluated under wildlife tree regulations before any removal.

Okisollo failed to assess wildlife characteristics, making it unclear if any removed trees met the wildlife tree definition or if alternatives to removal were considered.

Younger Brothers also failed to comply with its forestry plan by clearing approximately 200 meters of road right-of-way through an area designated as off-limits to harvesting.

The FPB suggested that Quadra Island should have a forest landscape planning process to identify and conserve old forests and prioritize mature forest areas for protection.

“It is up to the provincial government to understand what old-forest values exist in the Quadra landscape unit and ensure that forest licensees’ plans include measurable or verifiable commitments to manage them,” Atkinson said.

However, the board noted that there are currently no plans to include Quadra in the ongoing regional landscape planning processes.

“No one in the provincial government considers it their responsibility to ensure recruitment strategies are in place where a deficit of old forest exists,” the report concluded.