The BC government has issued a legal order to extend the temporary deferral protections which are currently shielding the Fairy Creek old-growth forest from being cut down.
The Fairy Creek old-growth grove has trees that are as old as 1,000 years old, with 75% of the forest being over 250 years old.
The new deferral extension will be in place until September 30th, 2026. Initially, the deferral was placed on this land back in June of 2021.
“I am working to put people and communities back at the heart of forestry,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests.
“True, lasting and meaningful reconciliation begins with partnering and working with First Nations. Together, we can build a strong, robust and sustainable forest sector for the next 100 years.”
The Province says that the deferral extension will allow for discussions on the long-term management of the Fairy Creek watershed to continue with input from the Pacheedaht First Nation.
The Fairy Creek deferral protects almost 1,200 hectares, which is all the Crown land. The entirety of this watershed falls within the Pacheedaht First Nation’s territory.
Response from BC Green Party
Rob Botterell, MLA for Saanich North has issued a statement in response to the deferral extension.
“As long-term forest planning work is being done with First Nations, temporary old-growth deferrals are a key tool in the fight to protect BC’s globally rare old-growth forests,” said Botterall.
“I commend the NDP’s announcement of the Fairy Creek deferral extension and hope to see more good news.”
He added that they look forward to working with the BC NDP under the recently signed Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord.
Sierra Club BC’s response
Sierra Club BC’s Senior Policy and Science Advisor Jens Wieting also issued a statement welcoming the deferral extension announcement.
“The extra time will allow the Pacheedaht Nation to continue their resource management planning process that is already underway,” Wieting said.
“We hope that long-term plans will enable protection of the watershed and the adjacent old-growth forests. The watershed has outstanding conservation values and has inspired countless people in BC to speak out for the protection of old-growth forests across the province.”
He added that this announcement could potentially be a milestone on the path to long-term solutions for old growth in BC.
Sierra Club BC says that they hope the BC government will take this opportunity to prioritize support for First Nations looking to defer logging in their territories.
“This could be the beginning of a new chapter for the reelected BC government, one in which we work together to create change on the ground for old growth and biodiversity and make progress towards protecting 30 percent of the lands in British Columbia by 2030.”
Controversies in the Fairy Creek watershed
Fairy Creek has been the source of several controversies.
Firstly, RCMP officers involved have come under scrutiny for using brutal force on unarmed protesters.
Over 1,100 people were arrested in connection with the blockades set up by protesters and the RCMP is alleged to have violated the protesters civil liberties while making arrests.
Additionally, a coalition of news organizations won a court victory over the RCMP in regards to their actions at the blockades, and their arresting of journalists on site at the blockades covering the situation.
One recent matter that has arisen is that on the same day as the deferral extension was announced, Minister Parmer made an additional statement condemning the alleged actions of some protesters.
“Last week, I was notified that there are reports of tree spiking in the Fairy Creek area of southern Vancouver Island,” Parmer said.
Tree spiking refers to when metal rods, nails or other materials are hammered into the trunks of trees where a tree would be cut.
When saw blades come in contact with the ‘tree spike’ it can destroy the blade, and sometimes can injure or in some cases kill workers.
“Spiking a tree, or even attempting to, is a dangerous criminal activity that puts the health and safety of BC’s forestry workers at risk. These reports are incredibly alarming and I condemn this criminal behaviour,” Parmer continued.
“We immediately notified both the forestry licensee and the local First Nation. We have also referred this matter to the RCMP. An investigation is ongoing.”
Parmer says anyone who has information about tree spiking in Fairy Creek should contact Nanaimo RCMP.
