The Wilderness Committee is crying foul after capturing new photos of what it calls fresh old-growth logging in the Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island.

Last week, the Wilderness Committee’s Vancouver Island campaigner Torrance Coste, and other staff, travelled to Walbran to photo-document several areas that were logged over the winter.

“These new clearcuts are right across the river from the Central Walbran and we’re running out of time to protect the old-growth forest there,” says Coste.

“What was ancient rainforest just a few months ago are now steep slopes covered in huge stumps – some from trees more than 800 years old.”

The committee claims that since last year thousands of citizens have called on Premier Christy Clark and the Minister of Forests to protect the Central Walbran Valley, an intact 486-hectare area of old-growth forest.

The Wilderness Committee and other organizations have met with representatives from the Ministry of Forests and forestry-company Teal Jones to advocate for increased old-growth forest protection in the Walbran Valley.

The committee says Teal Jones and government officials have so far refused, arguing that logging can be done with minimal environmental impact.

“Teal Jones likes to call itself an environmentally responsible company, but on the ground it’s obvious that this couldn’t be further from the truth,” Coste says.

“They’re liquidating some of the last old-growth on Vancouver Island.”

The Wilderness Committee is renewing its call to the government to take immediate action.

View the original article here