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Flood of raw logs exported
Raw log exports from British Columbia have more than doubled during the B.C. Liberals' first term compared to the previous four years under NDP rule, government records show. That's a cause for concern because the exporting of raw logs means jobs are also being exported, government critics say. Instead of using the logs to make wood products here, they're being sent elsewhere for processing. Figures supplied by the Ministry of Forests on Friday show 13.6 million cubic metres of raw logs were exported from British Columbia between 2001 and 2004. That compares with 6.4 million cubic metres in the previous four-year period under the NDP. "We're losing valuable tax dollars and we're losing valuable jobs,'' said Ken James, spokesman for the Youbou TimberLess Society, a group promoting sustainable forestry and logging to produce local benefits. James said raw log exports have risen because of the Forest Revitalization Act, enacted in 2003, which removed the onus on companies to have to process a set amount of what they harvested within B.C. As well, the government has been issuing export permits -- required to export raw logs off Crown forest land -- at a faster rate, said Western Canada Wilderness Committee spokesman Ken Wu. "This is another example of B.C. Liberal policies that put corporate profits far ahead of B.C. jobs and the environment,'' said Wu. Forests Minister Mike de Jong was unavailable for comment but ministry spokesman Don McDonald said the minister is on record as agreeing that the export of raw logs, even those from private land, isn't preferable. "If we had our way, there wouldn't be a log exported from B.C., but the economics dictate otherwise,'' McDonald said. Log exports from Crown lands are actually on the decline, he said. Government numbers show that exports from public lands rose from 953 million cubic metres in 2000 to 1.2 million in 2001 and 1.5 million in 2002. They have decreased in 2003 and 2004, to 1.4 million and 1.2 million cubic metres, respectively. Ninety-five per cent of land in B.C. is Crown land. Allowing logs to be exported for a "quick buck" is short-sighted, James said. "What we're talking about is the public's land. Shouldn't the public get something back for that?" But Rod Bealing, forestry manager for the Private Forest Landowners Association, said private forest owners make a long-term investment in their land, acting as responsible stewards, looking after water, fish and wildlife resources. Their trees are their final product and they need a world-class market in which to sell them, he said. "When it comes time to harvest, we would like to get the best deal.'' Exported logs from private land doesn't translate into exported jobs, he said, arguing that exporting some logs actually allows for the harvest and processing of other less lucrative products domestically, thereby creating jobs. "It's a complex issue,'' Bealing said. jrud@island.net © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2005
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