Regional Feature Islands conferenc By FRED WILSON NANAIMO — The remarkable atten- tiveness of some 800 people during two days of environmental, economic and political discourse on the forest industry Oct. 27-28 was a dramatic show of strength for a new political movement building in this pro- vince. The massive Beban Park hall, site of the State of the Islands Conference, was filled to capacity, and with the exception of punc- tuating applause in response to the 10 fea- tured speakers, the audience remained absolutely silent and attentive to the some- times technical, sometimes political addresses. The environmental movement was there in strength, but the State of Islands confer- ence merged green politics with a range of social and political concerns. Trade unio- nists, including International Woodworkers- Canada activists from several Island locals were present. Also present were Native leaders, woodlot operators, foresters and small business people, and political repres- entation from the New Democratic, Green and Communist parties. Many had been at the Tin Wis conference last February where the focus for this grow- ing environmental and resources movement was aboriginal title. The rallying point now is forestry, which, following six months of political conflict with the Socred government and the forest transnationals, has become the'central polit- ical, economic and environmental issue in the province. For the hundreds at the State of the Islands, forestry synthesizes these issues. They see clear-cuts and over-cuts, insensi- tive logging practices and the decimation of the last of the old-growth forests as the overriding environmental issue in the pro- vince. The impact of layoffs.on forest com- munities and the land-use conflicts between forestry and fishing, tourism, recreation and other uses are pressing economic issues. And out of these issues a dominant political theme has emerged: community and public control of the forests. IWA-Canada organizer Lyn Kistner brought the conference to its feet by going to the heart of that question. “Long term stable jobs, as well as forests for all people and all uses requires a new and democratic forest policy to reorder the power structure as we know it and assert the public interest over the transnational corporations,” he said. Kistner argued that without changing the structure of the industry by breaking up the massive tree farm licenses, and allowing for worker-run, Native- and community-owned forest licenses, establishing a publicly- owned integrated forest company that engages in sustainable forest practices, and a turn to value-added production, alterna- Participants at State of the Islands conference back recommendations for conservation of B.C.’s forests and hear speakers (inset, left to right) Simon Lucas, Bob Nixon. tives will continue to be spurned in favour of short term profits. Other feature speakers came at the same theme from different angles. Hesquiat Band chief Simon Lucas followed Kistner and in the course of a rambling, jocular and pro- vocative speech which related the denial of Native culture in this century to the present forest industry culture, he asked testily: “Why is it easier to hear from a Non-Native that we own this province... I learned a long time ago that free enterprise means free exploitation.” Haida elder Lavina White had earlier stated that there could be no solution to forestry problems within the context of “a dictatorial or capitalist system.” White said that decision-making on resources must ensure the genuine reflection of Native interests and provide adequate balance for women in decision making processes. T. Buck Suzuki Foundation chair Arnie Thomlinson said the central issue is “to repatriate to the people in watersheds the right to make their own decisions.” He pro- posed the establishment of community boards, based on the geographic areas defined by watersheds, to have control over land use and resource management. Community forest boards with a say over the granting of timber rights and to monitor forest practices was also advocated by Forest Planning Canada editor Bob Nixon. Nixon’s forest magazine has become a material force in the forestry debate, and he is renowned as a sharp critic of the provin- cial forest service which is increasingly relax- ing its role and allowing the forest companies free reign over forest practices. Nixon agreed with Lyn Kistner’s call for legislation on sustainable forestry practices, and called for “putting forestry into the Forest Act.” To emphasize the alternatives to the mas- sive tree farm licences, dominated by the transnationals, State of the Islands also brought in Scott Ferguson, an Oregon woodlot manager who has successfully managed timber production out of small areas on the basis of “individual tree selec- tion.” Ferguson claimed both environmen- tal and economic benefits from selective logging of the variety of species found in the forest, as opposed to clear-cutting and plan- tation forestry of single species. Seven recommendations for change advanced by the conference steering com- mittee addressed most of the issues that were raised by the speakers, but fell noti- ceably short on the basic question of forest tenure and community control. The 1 1-point policy included: @ An expanded woodlot program with municipalities, workers and small business given first priority. @ Removing all land under the Islands’ Trust from tree farm licences and setting annual allowable cuts on an island by island basis. © The zoning of private lands to control clear cuts and forest practices. © Restoration of the forest service. © Immediate negotiation of aboriginal title. © Government action on value-added production in forest products. © Government and industry funding for e basis of new movement | research and development. © A strategy to manage and conserve the remaining old-growth forests in B.C. © Recognition of the importance to fore- stry of old-growth ecosystems, and applica- tion of that principle to the Carmanah. © A Royal Commission on forestry. e A round table discussion with the industry on these issues. The recommendations for change did not include the call for democratization of the industry that most speakers expressed. Its absence reflected the view held by Nixon and some others that “round table discus- sions” with the industry and public support for sustainable forestry will bring about basic changes. Nixon went so far as to sug- gest that history will note the State of the Islands Conference as the turning point in the reshaping of forestry. Chris Maser, the U.S. biologist who is the leading force for holistic forestry, also tended to support dialogue with forest companies rather than political action to democratize the industry. His address was spellbinding when dealing with the biology of forests, but was less than impressive when he concluded with his Zen-influenced philo- sophy of change. The clear majority at the State of the Islands, however, favoured political action against the Socreds and the companies, and there was a genuine consensus around the need for some form of community control. For this growing movement, community control of forestry is tantamount to far reaching democratic reforms in the province — and to the extent that it involves break- ing up the massive TFLs and asserting pub- lic control over forest decisions, it is just that. New Democratic MLAs Bob Williams, John Cashore and Dale Lovick were keen observers at the State of the Islands Confer- ence, and they could not have mistaken the tenor of the proceedings, which in calling for community control goes far beyond provincial NDP leader Mike Harcourt’s call for an “accord” between forest workers and environmentalists over land use questions. NDP policy includes a Royal Commis- sion, restoring jobs in the forest service, “whistle blowers” protection, public hear- ings on land use conflicts, better silviculture, stopping the use of chemicals, and more research and development. But like the recommendations for change which were offered at the State of the Islands, Harcourt’s policies fall considera- bly short of where the grass roots are head- ing. That can only mean that the movement: seen at the State of the Islands will continue to develop an independent expression in B.C. politics. It has already shown that it can have a powerful impact on the provin- ce’s political direction. Alternatives to corporate rape of forests urged Continued from page 1 the coastal harvest is clear-cut. Improper clear-cutting of environmentally-sensitive steep sites has resulted in soil degradation, which costs $80 million annually in lost timber growing capacity, he noted. Removal of forest cover by clear-cutting sets off a chain of events — landslides of 10,000-year-old soil, debris, siltation and mechanical obstacles in spawning channels — which lead to watershed degradation and destruction of salmon habitats, said Arnie Thomlinson of the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation in speaking on the threat to the Pacific salmon fishery. Dr. Chris Maser from Portland Univer- sity gave a scientific outline of the biological diversity and interconnected web of life operating in a forest..He said single-cell yeasts and bacteria, miles of mycorrihzal fungi hypha, chewing insects, birds, small and large mammals, forbes and shrubs and the monumental giant trees all have their 2 e Pacific Tribune, November 6, 1989 function in the world’s oldest living thing — the ancient forests. Our task in forestry is to understand and emulate these natural processes, he suggested. Hammond, Maser, Lurtzman and Tom- linson shared some common views on replenishing our forest. It involves main- taining some watersheds of unmanaged old growth as living laboratories. It means peri- ‘odically replenishing forest soils with large woody debris and occasional 200-300 year rotations. It means maintaining and devel- oping genetically diverse forests of mixed species and varying ages. Maser called for a “new vision” for fore- stry which includes forests managed to pro- duce timber, jobs, stable watersheds and clean water, fish and wildlife, genetic diver- sity, recreation and wilderness and so on. Scott Ferguson, a forester and president of Individual Tree Selection Management of Portland, described a system of low- impact woodlot management, and many participants visited Merv Wilkinson’s wood- lot south af Nanaimo, both of which par- tially move towards fulfilling the new vision. The system involves selecting individual mature, ready-to-harvest trees, the removal of which benefits the remaining trees in the stand. Conditions are created to encourage natural reseeding and seedling growth, and care is taken to protect the undergrowth during harvesting. The forests are treated like a continuous cyclical ecosystem and not grown for some predetermined liquidation date. Relatively small areas (140-150 acres) on moderate slopes (up to 45 per cent) have been managed with this system for about the past 45 years. The system has given steady economic return — $20 per acre per year — to the woodlot owners. This com- pares quite favorably to the $2.47 per acre which the people of B.C. had returned to them in 1986-87, according to the Ministry of Forest’s annual report. . The system has substantially increased the volume of wood standing in the wood- lots and maintained the integrity of the forest ecosystems — objectives which have not been achieved under the current forest management in British Columbia. While there may be concerns about the suitability of the sustainable selective harv- est method in all forest situations, particu- larly on steep slopes or with large old-growth timber, these demonstrations need to be taken seriously. Industrial-scale trials on some remaining old growth and the early ready-to-harvest second growth should be undertaken. The State of the Islands conference'edu- cated hundreds of activists on how a forest should be maintained, and many saw howa forest could be ecologically managed. The ' participants will rio doubt be a political force in the struggle to break the corporate stranglehold on publicly owned forests in B.C.