Support healthy forests

Friday, March 21 is the International Day of Forests.

This year’s theme is forests and food, when we will celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of forests and their role in food security and livelihoods.

Here in the Okanagan Valley, we have ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests, the former being a relatively uncommon ecosystem type in B.C. covering less than one per cent of the land base.

These forests provide habitat for at-risk animals, such as little brown bats, northern goshawks, and even pollinator species, like the blue-listed lilac-bordered copper and California hairstreak butterflies. Habitat for pollinators is critical to ensure pollination, an essential ecosystem service, continues to help grow our food, including Okanagan fruit.

Beyond pollinators and species at risk, many important and iconic wildlife species in BC also call these forests home, such as deer, elk, cougars and black bears. Ensuring our forests can provide habitat for game species like deer and elk also contributes to food security.

The value of our forests goes well beyond timber, with healthy forest ecosystems supporting abundant wildlife and healthy communities. This is why change is needed in how we manage our forests, with a better balance between timber and ecological values.

That much was clear five years ago when the province conducted a review of old-growth forest management in B.C. With wide consultation and expert input, the Old Growth Strategic Review outlined better ways to manage forests.

I feel hopeful for the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework that was drafted as a result of the review’s recommendations. That framework sets the stage for a shift in natural resource management that prioritizes biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Now, five years after the Old Growth Strategic Review’s release, the province is overdue on advancing the framework. It’s time for the government to release an implementation plan and develop legislation.

A biodiversity and ecosystem health law is what forests and species at risk in B.C. need to ensure they and the communities, food systems, industries and ecosystem services they support continue to thrive.

That’s what I’m hoping for this International Day of Forests.

Meg Bjordal, Lake Country
Conservation research and policy coordinator,
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (B.C.)