Spallumcheen officials asking for more input on proposed logging on Rose Swanson Mountain

Photo: Contributed

Spallumcheen civic leaders have taken notice of community opposition to proposed logging on Rose Swanson Mountain, and are pressing the province on the issue.

The province is planning on opening up a section of the beloved green space for logging this year and a petition to stop the project has collected more than 23,000 names.

In a letter to BC Timber Sales, the township said it is “supportive of the concerns raised by its citizens” and is requesting extensive consultation before any logging takes place.

Spallumcheen officials are “requesting a meeting with the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations to request the process be suspended until extensive community consultation, including environmental studies, long-term impacts, and clearly outlined harvesting plans, have been provided prior to any further decisions taking place in the Rose Swanson Mountain area.”

Civic leaders want all stakeholders involved in the consultation process “with the expectation that the recommendations and the outcomes derived from the consultation process be considered when proceeding with the harvesting plans near and within the Rose Swanson Mountain area.”

The letter also points out the mountain is “the most extensively used hiking area in the township” and was declared a “designated recreation area” by the Ministry of Forests and in 1967.

Hikers can access the trailhead at Chamberlaine Road where a variety of routes take them to a viewpoint with a panoramic vista of the valley.

The township plans to pursue the establishment of an interpretive forestry trail at Mount Rose Swanson and “will explore options to obtain ‘park’ status for the area with the objective of securing adequate funding and other resources to maintain Mount Rose Swanson for future use and to preserve its natural qualities.

“Any effort by the provincial government to identify, restore and manage locally significant trails on Crown lands in the Spallumcheen area is supported by the township.”

Last month, Tyler Hooper, with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, said the “Rose Swanson operating area is part of the Okanagan timber supply area. A timber supply area is public land designated by the ministry, in accordance with the Forest Act, to be managed for a range of objectives including timber production.”

“Referral letters were sent out to First Nations and stakeholders, including citizens with adjacent private land parcels,” said Hooper. “Multiple meetings were held with the Township of Spallumcheen, private citizens who've requested field trips and the Armstrong Trail Society.”

Hooper said the BCTS has, and continues, to consult with First Nations on all harvest proposals.

More information on Rose Swanson Mountain can be found in the township website.