PV Vancouver Bureau
THE TIDAL WAVE of cutbacks and sellouts launched by the BC government continues this spring with the most sweeping changes to the control of the province's forests since the arrival of European settlers.
Last year, the Liberals introduced a new "results?based" forest practices code, shifting responsibility for environmental protection to the same companies which profit from the extraction of natural resources from publicly owned lands.
The new legislation, Bills 28 and 29, will turn 45 million hectares of unprotected forested crown?land in British Columbia (48% per cent of the entire province) into a "Working Forest," with top priority given to timber production, mining, tourism, and oil and gas. First Nations' interests, wildlife, and watershed protection are given the lowest priority in the proposed "Working Forest" hierarchy.
The provincial cabinet will have sole power to decide how the forests are managed. There is no provision in this process for participation by the legislature, the public, forestry workers or First Nations.
The timber industry is also lobbying to get "compensation" for areas removed from the "Working Forest," either with tax dollars, or with forests from provincial parks. Environmentalists are asking why the province should compensate corporations for "losing" something that the public has always owned.
Among those most affected will be IWA members in the wood industry. As the IWA Local 2171 website says, "Just when we were beginning to think that things couldn't get any worse, Gordon Campbell and the Liberals introduced Bill 28 and 29. These two pieces of legislation really put the boots to IWA members, their families, and their communities."
Under the guise of "revitalizing" the forest industry, the Liberals are opening the door to more plant closures, job losses, and foreign takeovers.
Since 1947, says the IWA, "timber has been legally and socially viewed as a public resource to be used to provide employment and community stability. The vast majority of rural B.C. communities owe their existence to this social contract. The Liberals have torn up the social contract and have turned B.C. timber into a private asset to be used solely at the discretion of forest companies."
The changes drop the requirement for forest companies to manufacture logs in B.C. sawmills or value-added operations. Instead, the companies can close more plants here and process the logs south of the border, or export their logs if no B.C. mill wants them.
Forest companies will no longer be required to maintain a minimum yearly harvest. They can choose to cut all, some, or none of their allowable annual cut (AAC) in any given year. The only restriction: they cannot exceed 110% of their cut over the term of their licence. This change will obviously boost profits, while leaving loggers vulnerable to layoffs lasting two or three years. The impact on forest-dependent communities will be devastating.
Seeking to drive wedges between forestry workers, First Nations, and environmentalists, the government will take back 20% of each licence that exceeds 200,000 cubic metres. This reclaimed tenure will be used to settle native land claims, create some community forests, and form the basis of timber auctions.
According to the IWA, this means that Canfor will lose over 1.5 million cubic metres of timber, Western Forest Products will lose 685,216 cubic metres, and Interfor 579,038. The results will include more layoffs and sawmill closures.
In effect, says the union, forestry workers and their families are being forced to pay the greatest cost for treaty settlements. That doesn't sit well with IWA Local 2171, which argues that "all of society should share equally in the cost of resolving these disputes."
Community forest licences, says the union, are a "carrot on a stick" for towns facing economic ruin. But the IWA warns against "any expectations that community forests will be the panacea for the problems that the changes will bring."
There are also problems with the plan to auction standing timber. In the U.S., speculative bidding on timber from Federal Lands has pushed prices so high that in some cases, companies cannot afford to harvest the timber they bid on. There are fears that a similar process could lead to unrealistic values being placed on all B.C. timber.
Without restrictions on bidders, American or European companies with stronger currencies could set the price of all B.C. wood. More closures of sawmills will reduce the domestic demand for logs, opening the door for massive log exports.
Bills 28 and 29 will allow licence holders to sell, transfer, or dispose of all or part of their licence. According to the IWA, Weyerhaeuser recently told loggers in Port McNeil that they were getting out of the business of falling, and that the fallers could either transfer to another company or bump back into another job. This change could lead to an industry-wide strike this summer, says the IWA.
Another problem concerns the Government's $275 million fund to compensate licensees for the tenure takeback and to assist contractors, communities, and workers affected by the changes. Most of this fund will be used for licensee compensation, while workers will get just $47 million, for pension bridging.
Many observers believe these changes are an attempt by the Liberals to appease the U.S. and settle the softwood lumber dispute. Instead, says the union, the Liberals are handing over British Columbia timber on a silver platter.
Public comments can be sent to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Management, Stan Hagen, at PO Box 9054 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria BC V8W 9E2, or via email to WorkingForest@victoria1gov.bc.ca.
This article taken from the PEOPLE'S VOICE - May 16-31st issue.
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