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The B.C. government says it was cut down on north Vancouver Island last year just months before new rules were brought in to protect old-growth trees.
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The B.C. government has responded to a photo of a giant old-growth tree being hauled away on Vancouver Island this week that went viral, sparking outrage online.
The Spruce tree was cut down on north Vancouver Island last year just months before new rules were brought in to protect old-growth trees, according to an emailed statement Thursday from Forests Ministry spokesperson Tyler Hooper.
It was cut between March and mid-August of 2020, and transported by Western Forest Products, one month before the Special Tree Protection Regulation came into effect on Sept. 11, according to the ministry.
The ministry says the B.C. government brought in this regulation to protect exceptionally large trees of all species throughout the province, and today, “a tree of this size might well be illegal to harvest under the regulation, and fines of up to $100,000 could be imposed.”
After the tree was harvested, the ministry says it was sent to a log sort in Coquitlam to be stored in water until it was sold – which is a common practice. It was sold and transported to Port Alberni for processing.
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“Due to the date of harvest there is no contravention of the Special Tree Protection Regulation,” the ministry said, in the statement.
A photo of the tree, taken by Lorna Beecroft of Nanaimo, this week on Nanaimo Parkway went viral online and sparked outrage.
In a Facebook post with more than 20,000 shares, Beecroft called the logging of old-growth forest on Vancouver Island “beyond disgusting.”
“That tree was already huge when Captain Cook arrived here. We should not ever be cutting down any healthy trees like this. We should be protecting these ancient trees as the national treasures they are. Shame on us. Three bunks filled with only part of this tree. Imagine how majestic it was,” Beecroft wrote.
It was posted as tensions escalate at the Fairy Creek watershed, where more than 130 opponents of old-growth logging have been arrested since a court injunction began to be enforced on May 18.
Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau shared the photo on Twitter, saying it was hard to express her anger and sadness from the image.
“How can we still be doing this in 2021? The environmental and cultural importance of these forests can’t be overstated,” said Furstenau, adding that the NDP’s refusal to stop logging old-growth trees is “indefensible.”
Dr. Faisal Moola, a forest conservation and management professor at the University of Guelph, said it doesn’t matter if the tree was cut down before the law. It should never have been hauled out of the forest.
“Whether this tree was logged in salvage operation shouldn’t given anyone comfort either. Old growth trees are as important ecologically dead as they are alive,” said Moola on Twitter.
Moola added standing dead trees or downed logs provide habitat for wildlife, as nurse logs for younger trees to germinate and grow.
The David Suzuki Foundation also shared the photo on social media, saying there is no justification for cutting down ancient forests.
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