564 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Two months ago in January, comedian Adam Carolla predicted that the rebuilding process after the California wildfires would be a nightmare because of the progressive policies in the state. He said it would be near to impossible to get a building permit.

It has now been 75 days since the fires. How many building permits have been issued for Pacific Palisades? FOUR. Not 400, not 40. FOUR.

It looks like Adam Carolla pretty much called this one, doesn’t it?

 

https://www.thegatew...-days-after-ca/

[Victoria Watcher]

Protecting B.C. old-growth forests could yield $10.9B in benefits, report finds

 

 

That number could quadruple to $43.1 billion over the next century if 100% of old growth trees were protected in the Okanagan and Prince George timber supply areas

 

 

 

Jens Wieting, a senior policy and science advisor with the Sierra Club BC — which partially funded the report — said the emerging trade war with the current U.S. administration appears to have placed the environment on the back-burner in favour of expanded resource extraction. 

 

 

 

That's quite a report.   It never really says how those billion of dollars materialize in real life.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-finds-10500619

 

 

Stefan Labbé covers climate and environment solutions for Glacier Media's Central Desk.

That means he tells stories about how people are responding to problems linked to climate change — from the energy transition to migration and everything in between.

Labbé has broken stories on the B.C. government's unexpected axing of a municipal climate adaptation fund, the development of a federal atmospheric river warning system, and a story of the first doctor in the world to diagnose a patient with climate change, among others.

His on-the-ground reporting has been featured in interviews with national broadcaster CTV, and on such podcasts as The Big Story.

As a freelancer he has reported on returning jihadist fighters in Jordan, the fallout from a government-guerrilla peace deal in Colombia and the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean.

Labbé's writing, photography and documentary work have appeared in dozens of publications, including The Guardian, The Tyee, the Globe & Mail and PBS NewsHour.

He holds a Master’s of Journalism from the University of British Columbia and previously worked as a staff reporter at a local newspaper, where he wrote features, shot photos, and covered the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

B.C. statistics show a significant rise in the value of all wood products exported over the past two years, which includes softwood lumber, cedar shakes and singles, and raw logs. In 2022, the value of those exports was more than $11 billion, up from $8 billion in 2020

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...billion in 2020.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 April 2025 - 01:52 AM.

[Barrister]

The problem remains that the US is increasing its tariff regime and that is going to reduce sales moving forward.

[dasmo]

Maybe a cedar 2x8 won’t cost us $45 anymore.

[Mike K.]

A human caused wildfire is burning west of Port Alberni, approaching 100 acres in size. Crews are fighting it. There is no risk to Port or Tofino and area.

[max.bravo]

If there’s no risk to human settlements why are we fighting it?

Fires are an important natural part of a forest ecosystem. We’ve suppressed them for far too long.

[Mike K.]

Human caused, human fought, I suppose.

Looks like it could be in a logging area. We certainly don’t want to lose valuable timber, if we can help it.

But with each fire, we come closer to restricting access to natural areas. More gates and less access will be the outcome.

[max.bravo]

Fire suppression is bad Forest management, and leads to an eventual mega fire.

I suppose it’s the annual time to post this Forestry TED Talk again. Our forests are way too dense. It’s unnatural and unsafe.

https://youtu.be/O6V...tm_source=ZTQxO

[Mike K.]

I’d wager we have far less trees today than before European contact. Our logging practices have removed more trees than forest fires ever did.

[Victoria Watcher]

I’d wager we have far less trees today than before European contact. Our logging practices have removed more trees than forest fires ever did.

 

 

 

 

Age of Trees

 

 

Today, BC has more forests that are over a century old than it did 40 years ago – 25 million hectares (62 million acres) compared to 18 million hectares (44 million acres). And there are 13 million hectares (32 million acres) of forests older than 160 years, compared to only 10 million hectares (25 million acres) four decades ago (based on MoF comparison with 1957 inventory).

 

Before 1900, fires burned an average of 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of forest per year. Currently, due to fire control efforts, fires burn an average of 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of forest per year. Logging currently occurs on about 190,000 hectares (470,000 acres) per year. The net result is an overall decrease in area disturbed, which has allowed many forests to survive to older ages.

 

 

 

 

Protection

 

In eight years, BC has doubled its protected areas to 13.8 percent of the province – one of the highest percentages in North America.

 

BC’s protected areas are larger than all of the forest area ever logged in the forest. BC’s protected areas total 11.7 million hectares (29 million acres). A total of about 9.4 million hectares (23.2 million acres) of the province’s forested area has been logged over time (5.6 million hectares or 13.8 million acres are forests).

 

BC’s protected areas size comparisons:

• Same size as the Cuba
• The same size as either the United Kingdom or Romania
• Three times the size of Switzerland
• Same size as Louisiana or Pennsylvania
• Larger than the size of Kansas
• 2/3 the size of Washington State

 

 

Amount of Trees

 

BC is 95 million hectares (235 million acres) in size (about double the size of California). Almost 64% of the province – about 60.3 million hectares (149 million acres) – is forested.

 

Less than one-third of one percent of BC’s forest land is harvested annually.

 

Only 42% (25 million hectares or 62 million acres) of BC’s provincially owned forests are available for logging.

 

58% percent of BC’s forests (35 million hectares or 86 million acres) will remain as original forests. How large is that? Almost as large as California (which is 100 million acres) and considerably larger than Nevada (70.3 million acres).

 

Original forests are areas that have never been logged or reforested. Original forests include parks; protected areas; areas unsuitable for logging; reserves around streams, lakes, and wetlands; and environmentally sensitive areas.

 

There are more forests growing in North America today than on the first Earth Day in 1973 (Canadian Wood Council).

 

https://canadaslogpe...bc-forest-facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously, forestry has an effect on trees and forest.  But we should harvest trees.

 

 

Less than one-third of one percent of BC’s forest land is harvested annually.

 

 

 

100 years from now, that's still only 33%.  And of course we re-plant where we log.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 June 2025 - 08:21 PM.

[Mike K.]

Statistics can tell any story you want, right?

This is what a random part of Vancouver Island looks like right now.

[dasmo]

Age of Trees

[color=rgb(0,0,0)][font=Montserrat][size=4]
Before 1900, fires burned an average of 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of forest per year. Currently, due to fire control efforts, fires burn an average of 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of forest per year. Logging currently occurs on about 190,000 hectares (470,000 acres) per year. The net result is an overall decrease in area disturbed, which has allowed many forests to survive to older ages.

Because they got all the data of pre colonial forests across this great land from Santa Clause!

Edited by dasmo, 09 June 2025 - 09:38 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Statistics can tell any story you want, right?

This is what a random part of Vancouver Island looks like right now.

 

Is it preferable to have a uniform green look, from space?

 

I don't think so.  I like the jobs and prosperity that come from harvesting lumber.  It's a very renewable resource.   Like any farming.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 June 2025 - 10:33 PM.

[max.bravo]

Watch the video. Even just the first 5 minutes.

We have way MORE trees today than we did before euro contact. Way more.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yup, solid video:

 

https://youtu.be/O6V...FIl9VYRpNH-nnhS

 

But we will ignore it, of course.

[dasmo]

We don’t have more trees than ever before. Hahahaha!

[Victoria Watcher]

We don’t have more trees than ever before. Hahahaha!

 

Yes, scientists estimate that there are more trees on Earth now than there were 35 years ago. While there has been deforestation, the overall global tree cover has increased, particularly in subtropical, temperate, boreal, and polar regions. A 2015 study also revealed that there are about 3.04 trillion trees on Earth, according to the Washington Post. 

 

 

 

Maybe not than "ever before" but it should be no concern.

 

Watch the video.  It's all accurate.  And we will ignore the logic.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 June 2025 - 05:01 AM.

[dasmo]

I can believe we are in better shape than peak clearcut slash burn first contact. Where we can see anyway.
But read Bull of the Woods. Gordon Gibson Sr’s biography.
He made it rich logging here and recounts old growth giants right to the beach everywhere when he arrived. It’s how he made his fortune. He was also a whaler and noted that “you could walk across the straight on the backs of the whales” they were so plentiful. I suppose there are more whales too….

[dasmo]

Yes, scientists estimate that there are more trees on Earth now than there were 35 years ago. While there has been deforestation, the overall global tree cover has increased, particularly in subtropical, temperate, boreal, and polar regions. A 2015 study also revealed that there are about 3.04 trillion trees on Earth, according to the Washington Post.



Maybe not than "ever before" but it should be no concern.

Watch the video. It's all accurate. And we will ignore the logic.

I’ll watch it. But we already took a back seat to forest fires and have horrible management of our working forests. In the 90s they stopped going hard and fast to stop them based on the notion that it’s better to let them go because they are natural. However…. We also spray them with glyphosate that kills the natural fire stops and dries them out. We also replant mono crops. So I’m am absolutely not in favour of our management policies.

[Victoria Watcher]

I can believe we are in better shape than peak clearcut slash burn first contact. Where we can see anyway.
But read Bull of the Woods. Gordon Gibson Sr’s biography.
He made it rich logging here and recounts old growth giants right to the beach everywhere when he arrived. It’s how he made his fortune. He was also a whaler and noted that “you could walk across the straight on the backs of the whales” they were so plentiful. I suppose there are more whales too….

 

Well,12,000 years ago Canada had almost no trees.  I guess it's all relative.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 June 2025 - 05:17 AM.