Active management’ not compatible with sustaining ecological values.

Over 140 people from all over BC attended our webinar last week with Dr. David Lindenmayer, Dr. Dominick DellaSala, and Herb Hammond, who between them have more than a century of experience studying logging in primary forests. Practices like thinning, logging after fire, recurrent prescribed burning, and the rebranding of industrial forest practices as Indigenous management were identified for what they are: attempts by the forestry sector to obtain social license for more logging in natural/primary/native forests. David clearly articulated the difference between the pre-contact fire practices of First Nations peoples in Australia and the industrial practices in place today (i.e. burning for ‘asset protection’), which, cynically, are often sold as ‘cultural’ or ‘traditional’. 

David brought our attention to studies from Australia, South America and Canada that show a strong link between industrial management of forests and their increased flammability. 

Dominick emphasized the fact that primary forests are the most resistant and resilient to fire, and reminded us that dead trees are not responsible for the fast fires we are seeing today. Rather, increased fire activity and the uncontrollable fires we are seeing more of lately are driven by climate change and are actually amplified by active management. Dominick explained that backcountry “fuel reduction” logging does nothing to address the threat of fire to communities, and that home hardening remains a proven method of reducing fire risk around property.

Active management does have a place in second-growth plantations, where there is room to improve ecological function.

Watch the webinar recording here and be sure to stay for the spicy question and answer period!