...CONTINUED FROM PART 2

Prince George is still home to three pulp mills, a paper mill, seven lumber mills, a chip mill, a pole and post mill and two pellet mills.

But with few forests left to fill the shrinking fibre basket, forestry giant Canfor — which since 2006 has purchased a dozen plants in southern U.S. states — recently announced it will reduce operations at two Prince George pulp mills and at sawmills in St. George and Mackenzie. The company also plans to close its sawmill in Vavenby, putting more than 170 people out of work.

As B.C.’s forest-dependent communities brace for an inevitable transition, Connolly and her colleagues are calling on B.C.’s NDP government to take immediate measures to protect the remaining inland rainforest it promotes to tourists as “irreplaceable.”

Connolly says the current system of old-growth management areas does not provide nearly enough protection for the antique rainforest.

“We need to look at where the old-growth is on the landscape, everything older than 250 years,” she says. “We need to legally protect these areas in a system of old-growth reserves. We need to connect them to other areas of primary forest so that species can move through.”

“That’s the way to take old-growth protection here in this part of B.C. seriously.”

https://thenarwhal.ca/canadas-forgotten-rainforest/