\ Jf This Week fay 23. 1990. Page MS LETTERS ‘Decadent forest term invented to justify cutting old growth wood’ o far, I have no personal com- plaint about the quality of drinking water in Greater Victoria. The fishy taste of last summer never reached my taps, but the top story May 2, of This Week, entitled, “Water of Life” left me feel- ing a bit uneasy, particularly that quote from Mr. Pleasance. “In some areas there are old deca- dent forests and through a proper forest management program we can restore it to a vigourous and healthy forest.” What, may I be so rash to ask, constitutes ‘an old and decadent for- est?? I have good reason to believe that this designation was invented and has been flung at us by foresters trained in forest faculties that are financed to a large extent by huge forest companies and staffed by pro- fessors willing to tow the party line. They expect us to believe that our old growth forests, which have thrived for thousands of years, are on the verge of suddenly collapsing from old age and lost forever — unless Fletcher Challenge or McMillan or some other trans-national rushes to the rescue, bashes down the lot with a grapple yarder, sells the best and burns the rest, then replants with the kind of trees that sell best and keep the growth sort-of going with various chemical applications. We are assured by Mr. Pleasance that no chemicals. will be used on the Sooke Lake watershed and I am sure grapple yarders: will not be in evi-. dence; all the same I am not sure there is much validity in the term “sensitive clear cutting’ — sounds a bit like an Orwellian Newspeak. I have never seen a clear-cut area that did not suffer erosion, and seri- ous loss and disturbance of top soil, which includes loss of beneficial mi- cro-organisms and trace minerals — all of which tend to wash into streams and lakes and increase algae — which in itself is unlikely to be toxic. Now, I agree there may be good reasons to clear cut. I can think of two. One is to prepare Jand for agri- culture and the other is to make a quickish buck. Maybe logging on our watershed is a good thing, in that it helps finance our water supply. What I do challenge is that clear-cut logging will result in a more “vigorous and healthy forest”. What is the definition we are dealing with here? Does the GVWD’s idea of ‘healthy’ mean no dead trees - snags for wildlife or nurse trees for humus? Does it mean only commercial trees such as Douglas fir and hemlock, and not so-called weed trees such as alder, maple and small bushes? I would like to know more, and I am not alone on this. Monica Oldham Victoria Avenue Victoria ‘Dr. Tomorrow out to lunch on issue of irradiation.’ rank Ogden writes “Look for growth and widespread ac- ceptance of irradiated foods, which will reduce spoilage and costs of fresh foods.” Well, I hope not. Irradiation of food alters its molecular structure, thus reducing its nutritional value. Irradi- ation may also render the food carcin- ogenic (not radioactive), and the pro- cess has been linked to leukemia in children. (In short, it is dangerous and should not be permitted, except perhaps in emergencies, in areas of famine.) In my opinion, Mr. Ogden is also betting on the wrong horse when he predicts what he terms the “heat and .eat” syndrome. The current trend is away from fast food and pre- packaged, prepared meals towards a more natural lifestyle, using, as far as possible, fresh, untreated, unpre- served organically grown produce, even if it does take longer to cook and prepare. People are also beginning to see the unwisdom (sic) of the rushed, over- pressured lives of the “yuppies” of the seventies and eighties. Anne Marshall Heywood Avenue Victoria ALL SMILES after unveiling the 1994 Commowealth Games symbol a — stylized “Vs, in red and blue, interlocking to symbolize Victoria and victory — are Kim Campbell, Silk Questo, John Walton and Gretchen Brewin. The logo, shown in the background, was designed by Silk Questo Design Inc. and was kept a secret until the public dedication ceremony on May 17. ‘It may be safe but tap water not very tasty.’ read your paper with interest and appreciate having it deliv- ered to my door. The recent articles regarding our drinking water were very infor- mative. However, I am concerned with the obvious efforts to make us contend with an inferior quality by making comparisons with other areas where the quality is even worse. The majority of people I have talked _ to regarding this problem have had to buy drinking water, or install filter systems, since the summer of 1988. You may say it is “safe” to drink the water, but it does not taste like drink- ing water — more like swimming pool water. The article mentioned that we are “spoiled”. In my opinion it is the water that is spoiled. I hope the GVWD will make every effort to restore it to its former quality and taste, even if it means installing a filter system. E.K. Palmer Barry Street Victoria Health, Professional, Chil- drens, Desserts and Wines. GRAND OPENING FOR THE SPICE OF LIFE, VISIT THE (free parking at rear) “.in celebration of fine food and drink” N OAK BAY AVE. ATHLONE B COURT 3 x 5 2 FREE PARKING BALLYHOO. 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