Salt Spring Island a ‘model’ for Cortes Island advocates to prevent logging of pristine B.C. forests.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/CNryQq75rAE

As deadline looms for Island Timberlands to begin logging on Cortes Island, advocates are hoping for a re-enactment of an earlier success story to protect the area’s pristine forests.

“If Salt Spring Island is a model of what can happen, Island Timberlands needs to sell the land at the appraised value, not at an inflated value of the land that locals want to see protected…to make sure that if there’s logging, it’s in line with community values.”

Ken Wu, co-founder of the Victoria-based Ancient Forest Alliance, said if Cortes Island can generate enough public pressure, it may be able to repeat the events of 2001, when environmental advocates on Salt Spring Island pushed Texada Land Corporation to sell part of their land and save sensitive areas from logging.

Wu said he was “impressed by the tenacity of people on Cortes Island,” who have just submitted a petition with over 6,200 names to Island Timberlands to work towards more sustainable logging on the island.

• Petition against logging pristine B.C. forest draws Margaret Atwood, Mia Farrow and 4700 signatures
• Hand-delivered petition urges Island Timberlands to reconsider logging of pristine B.C. forest
• Logging of pristine B.C. island forest to begin in January by Brookfield Asset Management

Direct link to Vancouver Observer article: https://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/earthmatters/2012/01/14/salt-spring-island-model-cortes-island-advocates-prevent-logging