Friends of Clayoquot Sound: News 050207

Immediate Release - Tuesday February 7, 2005

Clayoquot Peace Threatened

Interfor Building Road into Intact Valley

TOFINO, BC - Friends of Clayoquot Sound today discovered that International Forest Products (Interfor) is building a logging road into a rare intact valley north of Tofino. This marks the first time in 14 years that an intact wilderness valley in Clayoquot Sound has been impacted by road-building and falling of ancient temperate rainforest.

"Interfor's road-building in intact rainforest valleys is an ecological crime, and we are again hearing that local people will not stand idly by and allow this to happen," said Diego A. Garcia, forest campaigner for Friends of Clayoquot Sound. "Undisturbed valleys are exceedingly rare on Vancouver Island, where 75% of the original productive forest has been logged. We are calling on Interfor to immediately cease all forestry activity in all of Clayoquot's intact valleys."

The intact valley being logged and roaded is called Hesquiat Lake Creek, and is part of the largest intact forest remaining on Vancouver Island. Hesquiat Lake Creek is one of a handful of undisturbed, or intact, valleys that was recommended for protection by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1996, and that received recognition from First Nations and environmentalists as being "Eehmiis" - meaning very, very precious.

"Interfor's logging of intact valleys in Clayoquot Sound is a losing proposition. Interfor is losing money in Clayoquot, paying miniscule stumpage taxes ($0.25 per cubic metre), and has just permanently laid off all but 2 staff in its local office," said Forest Watch Coordinator Maryjka Mychajlowycz. "At the same time, Interfor is causing the loss of globally rare and ecologically precious intact valleys. Where's the sense in that?"

In 2000, Clayoquot Sound was designated a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations' Environmental, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in recognition of the global ecological and cultural importance of the region. "The ecological importance of Clayoquot Sound is critically linked to the pristine valleys," said Garcia. "It makes no sense to designate a United Nations' Biosphere Reserve and then log away the keystone features that make Clayoquot Sound so globally important."

Interfor also intends to log other intact valleys in Clayoquot Sound, with plans approved for logging in Satchie Creek, two watersheds near Sulphur Pass, as well as the current activities in Hesquiat Lake Creek.

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For more information please contact:

Diego A. Garcia, FOCS Forest Campaigner, 250-725-4218, diego@focs.ca
Maryjka Mychajlowycz, FOCS Forest Watch Coordinator, 250-725-4218, maryjka@focs.ca
Ric Slaco, Chief Forester and VP, Interfor, 604-817-8019

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Contact us!

Friends of Clayoquot Sound
PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
Tel: 250-725-4218 Fax: 250-725-2527
Email: info@focs.ca