Vancouver Island's privately owned forests need more regulation, critics say

Rebecca Manuel says she hoped she could prevent logging near the Holy Cow Trail in Sproat Lakeon Vancouver Island.

She and fellow concerned citizens didn't succeed, butshe'sadding her voice to calls for stronger regulations forprivate forests, which are guided by the Private Managed Forest Land Act and an industry group called the Managed Forest Council.

The Holy Cow Trail is on land owned by Mosaic, a forestry company that owns forestsacross Vancouver Island.The company did not sanction use of the trail, but says it still consulted with community before logging began this week, and that it cut fewer trees than originally planned.

"In addition, we are leaving buffers on adjacent streams and voluntarily leaving a buffer along Stirling Arm Drive,"the company said in a statementto CBC News.

"This is a significant reduction in harvest area compared to what is available for harvest."

Most of B.C.'s forested land is publicly owned, and leased to forestry companies to log through forest tenures. There are detailed regulations about how many trees can be harvested each year, and what companies must do to limit soil disturbance, maintain water quality, and protect wildlife, for example.

There are fewer rules for privately owned forest land, much of which is on southeastern Vancouver Island.Companies voluntarily join the Managed Forest Council, which sets its own practices to fulfil broad standards set by government to protect soil, water, and wildlife. There is no limit on the amount of timber harvested.

Manuel, who says she isn't anti-logging, says she is concerned by the proximity of private forests to communities:"It's just right across the road from people's houses, you know, it's not down a logging road somewhere."

She worries about the impact of deforestation on community water sources, and also about the loss of accessible wilderness.

Ken Wu, executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance,says the strengthened regulations need to include stream buffers, and greater protection for endangered species.

He also wants to see the province buying land to protect old growth in private forests, and formalized First Nations management on unceded territories.

But Wu does credit Mosaic for a plan it announced earlier in March: the company will defer logging of 40,000 hectares of forest for 25 yearsby selling carbon credits.

Wu says the "innovative initiative" will give "25 years of breathing room in order to try to get those chunks [of forest] potentially purchased." Wu says he is an advocate of conservation financing, where land is purchased in order to protect it.

In response to questions from CBC News about its environmental practices, Mosaic says it meets and surpasses regulatory requirements.

It adds thatit "is committed to sustainable forest management in all its operations," and is audited by an independent third-party to ensure it adheres to sustainable forestry standards.

The provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations says it has no immediate plans to enhance regulations for forestry on private lands, but that the Private Managed Forest Land Program is currently under review.