Ralph Keller
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Journalism: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Journalism: Loss of forest-related employment
Journalism: The need to expedite final treaties with First Nations
Journalism: Loss of primary forest
Journalism: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Other notable forest-related writing and reports
Noteworthy writing and reports from the forest-industrial complex
Forest News
Library: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Loss of primary forest
Library: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Make conservation of the hydrological function of forests a higher priority than timber extraction
Library: Loss of forest-related employment
Library: The need to expedite final treaties with First Nations
Transition from clearcut logging to selection logging
Library: Increase in forest fire hazard
Journalism: End public subsidization of BC's forest industry
Library: End public subsidization of BC's forest industry
Library: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Journalism: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Library: Creating a new vision for BC forests
Forest industry public subsidy calculator
Manufacturing and processing facilities
Forest Trends
Investigations
Community Forest Mapping Projects
Area-based calculations of carbon released from clearcut logging
Journalism: The increase in forest carbon emissions
Library: Increase in forest carbon emissions
To protect biodiversity, transition away from clearcut logging
Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance
Library: Loss of future employment resulting from exporting raw logs
Mapping old forest on Vancouver Island
Mapping old forest in Omineca Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Skeena Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Northeastern Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Cariboo Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in South Coast Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Thompson-Okanagan Natural Resource Region
Mapping old forest in Kootenay-Boundary Natural Resource Region
Forest Conservation Organizations
Mapping old forest on Haida Gwaii
Mapping old forest on the central coast
Library: Ecologically damaging practices
Journalism: Ecologically damaging practices
Critical Issues
Analysis
Comment
Listed species: Cascades Natural Resource District
Listed species: 100 Mile House Natural Resource District
Listed species: Campbell River Natural Resource District
Listed species: Cariboo-Chilcotin Natural Resource District
Listed species: Chilliwack River Natural Resource District
Listed species: Fort Nelson Natural Resource District
Listed species: Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District
Listed species: Mackenzie Natural Resource District
Listed species: Nadina Natural Resource District
Listed species: North Island Natural Resource District
Listed species: Peace Natural Resource District
Listed species: Prince George Natural Resource District
Listed species: Quesnel Natural Resource District
Listed species: Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District
Listed species: Sea-to-Sky Natural Resource District
Listed species: Selkirk Natural Resource District
Listed species: Skeena Natural Resource District
Listed species: South Island Natural Resource District
Listed species: Stuart-Nechako Natural Resource District
Listed species: Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District
Listed species: Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District
Listed species: Coast Mountains Natural Resource District
Action Group: Divestment from forest-removal companies
Fact-checking mindustry myths
First Nations Agreements
Monitor: BC Timber Sales Auctions
BC Timber Sales auction of old-growth forests on Vancouver Island
Monitoring of forest fires in clearcuts and plantations: 2021
Library: End public subsidization of forest industry
Examples of engaging the mindustry:
Portal: The over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Portal: The need to expedite treaties with First Nations
Portal: The need to get more organized, informed and inspired for change
Portal: Develop a new relationship with forests
Portal: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Portal: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Portal: Increase in forest fire hazard
Portal: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Portal: Increase in forest carbon emissions
Portal: Ecologically damaging forestry practices
Portal: Loss of forest-related employment
Portal: Loss of future employment resulting from raw log exports
Portal: Costs of floods, fires and clearcutting of watersheds
Portal: The economic impact on communities of boom and bust cycles
Portal: Loss of economic development by other forest-based sectors
Portal: The true cost of subsidies provided to the logging industry
Help
Loss of trust in institutions
Portal: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Portal: The psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Portal: Loss of trust in institutions caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Journalism: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Journalism: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Journalism: Loss in trust of institutions as a result of over-exploitation of BC forests
Journalism: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Library: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Library: Loss of trust in institutions as a result of over-exploitation of BC forests
Library: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Resources: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Resources: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Resources: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Journalism: Cost of floods, fires and clearcutting of community watersheds
Journalism: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Journalism: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Library: Cost of floods, fires and clearcutting of community watersheds
Library: The economic impact on communities of boom-and-bust cycles
Library: Loss of economic development potential in other forest-based sectors
Portal: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Portal: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Journalism: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Library: Permanent loss of forests to logging roads
Journalism: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Library: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Resources: The economic costs of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Resources: Ecologically damaging forestry practices
Resources: Conversion of forests to permanent logging roads
Library: Getting organized
Journalism: Getting organized
Forest politics
Forest Stewards
Portal: Plantation failure
Library: Plantation failure
Journalism: Plantation failure
Library: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Portal: Soil loss and damage
Journalism: Soil loss and damage
Library: Soil loss and damage
Resources: Soil loss and damage
Journalism: Loss of employment resulting from export of raw logs
Journalism: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Journalism: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Journalism: Increase in forest fire hazard
Action Group: Sunlighting professional reliance
Making the case for much greater conservation of BC forests
Science Alliance for Forestry Transformation
Bearing witness:
Economic State of the BC Forest Sector
Big tree mapping and monitoring
Reported Elsewhere
Protect more
Start a forest conservation project
Get involved
Article reference pages
Physical impacts created by logging industry
Nature Directed Stewardship at Glade and Laird watersheds
References for: How did 22 TFLs in BC evade legal old-growth management areas?
References for: BC's triangle of fire: More than just climate change
References for: Teal Cedar goes after Fairy Creek leaders
References for: Is the draft framework on biodiversity and ecosystem health something new? Or just more talk and log?
IWTF events, articles and videos
Store
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Everything posted by Ralph Keller
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The potential for non-destructive—but commercially viable—uses of forests are undermined by the scale of logging in BC. (Above) A wilderness tourism client paddles up the shore of BC’s Bute Inlet... ...after passing by logging on Stewart Island. Such circumstances limit the potential for development of other non-destructive uses of the forest in BC, such as adventure tourism. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT alternate economic uses of our old forests (as opposed to logging), the first thing that rolls off anybody’s tongue is tourism. This isn’t too surprising since accessible, complex low elevation temperate rainforests are extremely rare. With few exceptions, most of the low elevation rainforests we called “Old Growth” have long since been logged. Given the scarcity of old forests in BC, selling an old forest experience isn’t hard to do. A qualifying example would be Cathedral Grove or Pacific Rim National Park. There are magnificent surf washed sandy beaches all over North America’s west coast but what sets the Pacific Rim apart from all the others is the magnificent old forest all along its shoreline. Some years ago, I had lunch with some of BC’s best known wilderness tour operators. The topic of conversation was the value of an old forest to tourism. It didn’t take long for everyone to agree that if only one of the Discovery Islands—say Read Island—had been left unlogged, its value in terms of tourism would be difficult to calculate, but everyone agreed it would be in the tens of millions of dollars per year. Imagine a 35-square-kilometre island with Cathedral Grove quality forests but surrounded by BC’s highest mountains, indented with dozens of bays, dotted with B&B’s, resorts, restaurants, hiking and biking trails, and kayaking. In other words, a Tofino surrounded by calm seas, frequented by Orcas, Humpback whales, all five species of salmon and a variety of Cetaceans. A short boat ride to nearby Bute Inlet would allow visitors a chance to see grizzlies guided by First Nations people. Why wouldn’t this be a world famous destination? This same land mass managed for maximized tree growth with virtually no regard for any other values save fibre production could, at best, sustainably produce $3-5 million in revenue per year. Its enduring legacy would be sterile plantations, negligible biodiversity, compromised water quality, and a net global carbon emissions producer. Successive BC governments have consistently missed the opportunity to harness the incredible economic power old growth forests offer, choosing instead to manage for the short term economic benefits of clearcut logging. Of course, an old forest has many values other than tourism. It would be right to say that the most important values of an old forest significantly outweigh those economic values our politicians love to endear themselves to. Consider the incredible carbon storage and sequestration of such a forest and the value of an undisturbed old forest as a study area for higher education and research. Then there is the wealth of biological diversity such forests harbour. However, all of the aforesaid begs a better question: Just because it is there, does humanity have the right to use it up? Generally, we seem to think so. With trees and forests, it’s easy: we’ve been using them up for centuries. Sometimes they re-grow, sometimes they don’t. When they don’t we give up and raise sheep or goats. And increasingly, we’re using up our fresh water supplies. We do much the same with our oceans: we use them up and hope the next generation will find another way to make a living. But let’s extrapolate the concept of using up nature’s abundance a step further. What if it became highly profitable to for example, extract oxygen out of the air to make money? And what if it started to impact the percentage of oxygen available for mammals (read human kind)? We use up fresh water, we use up our oceans, we use up our forests, why not oxygen out of the air? Any scientist could argue successfully that human life is as dependent on all of the aforesaid natural resources as it is to oxygen. Perhaps it’s time that we started looking at forests in the same way we look at the air we breathe, or the water we drink. Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean we have the right to use it up. Why is it OK to obliterate the natural beauty of a forest and all the attending natural functions it performs for a few industrial jobs? Who says it’s OK? Ralph Keller has operated Coast Mountain Expeditions in the Discovery Islands since 1988.
