red cedar (thuja plicata) is found in the temperate coastal ......tial component of the coastal...

Red cedar (Thuja plicata) is found in the temperate coastal rainforests of North America. Meares Island. Adrian Dorst photo.

A Vanishing Heritage:A Vanishing Heritage:The Loss of Ancient Red Cedar

from Canada’s Rainforests

02 | Vanishing Cedar

David Suzuki FoundationThe David Suzuki Foundation is a registeredCanadian charity that works through scienceand education to protect the balance ofnature and our quality of life, now and forfuture generations.

The Western Canada WildernessCommittee is Canada's largest membership-based citizen-funded wilderness preservationorganization. We work for the preservationof Canadian and international wildernessthrough research and grassroots education.The Wilderness Committee works on theground to achieve ecologically sustainablecommunities. We work only through lawfulmeans.

Author Note

John Nelson has over 10 years experience researching forestry andenvironmental policy.

Also contributing to this report were: Cheri Burda, Jean Kavanaghand Bill Wareham of the David Suzuki Foundation, and AndreaReimer of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

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A Vanishing Heritage:The Loss of Ancient Red Cedarfrom Canada’s Rainforests

Introduction 05

Western Red Cedar• Cultural and Ecological Heritage 06

• Cultural Traditions and Wealth 07

Logging Red Cedar: History and Current Status• Targeting Cedar 08

• Summary of Analysis (Table) 10

• Methodology 11

• High Grading 13

• Trade and Tariffs 15

• Prices and Markets 15

Effects of Cedar High Grading• Cultural Impacts 16

• CMTs and the Courts 16

• Ecological Impacts 18

• Bear Den Case Study 19

• Species at Risk 20

• Economic Impacts 22

Conclusion 24

Recommendations 25

Appendix 1: Methodology and Sources 26Appendix 2: Cedar Raw Log Exports 28Appendix 3: Open Markets 29

Endnotes 31

Red cedar. John Nelson photo.

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A Vanishing Heritage:THE LOSS OF ANCIENT RED CEDAR FROM

CANADA’S RAINFORESTS

A Vanishing Heritage:

Whitebeach Passage: This cedar cabin was constructed bythe Namgis First Nation of northeastern Vancouver Island aspart of their cultural rediscovery program. It is located on anancient village site that has been used for over 5000 yearsby the Namgis Nation. The white beach in the foreground iscomposed of tiny pieces of clam shells discarded frommeals over thousands of years. John Nelson photo.

Red cedar in Eve River drysort. Bernie Pawlik photo.

The western red cedar (Thuja plicata)1is a true

icon of British Columbia and so significant itis the province’s official tree. It is profoundly

important to coastal aboriginal people, and an essen-tial component of the coastal temperate rainforestecosystem. In recent years, timber companies operat-ing on the BC coast have increasingly targeted old-growth red cedar to maintain profit margins.

These highly valuable trees are processed intoboth commodity lumber and unfinished cants2 forexport, mainly to the United States. Researchconducted for this report revealed that in twentyforest management areas on the BC coast, redcedar now comprises a substantially greaterpercentage of the timber actually cut than itsproportional presence within the natural forest

inventory.Giant ancient cedars are becoming increasingly

rare, leading to concern that in the future tower-ing red cedar will become a relic found primarilyon protected lands and that most forests willeventually only contain small, second-growthcedar trees. This would result in the loss ofecological, cultural and economic values associ-ated with old-growth cedar forests.

This report examines the extent that red cedaris currently being logged on the BC coast, andlooks at what will happen if this unsustainablepractice continues. We examine some of thereasons why this targeting, or high grading, of redcedar is occurring and what the effect will be ifthis practice continues.


Western red cedar can grow to 70 metreshigh and frequently reach a diameter ofover two metres at the base. The largest

living specimen in the province measures 19 metresin circumference.3 Growing at low to mid-elevationson the BC coast, and in the wet belt of the RockyMountain Trench, this species thrives in cool, moistclimates with wet soil conditions. Favouring shadyconditions, red cedar is a climax species whosebuttressed tree trunks withstand the coast’s highwinds and whose supple branches bend under theweight of heavy snow. These trees provide uniquehabitat for a diversity of wildlife. In geological time,red cedar is a relatively recent addition to BC forests.Following the most recent ice age, some 14,000years ago, the ecological process gradually estab-lished shallow soils that accommodated the reestab-

lishment of forests. Emerging from along succession of plant growth,red cedar and hemlock were thelast species to take root in BC’smodern forest.

Glacial refugia, such as theBrooks Peninsula and HaidaGwaii (Queen Charlotte

Islands), provided a seed source for the establish-ment of cedar in land exposed after the retreat ofthe last glaciers.4

Carbon dating has chronicled the arrival of cedarin southern British Columbia some 6,600 years ago5

and on the north coast four to five thousand yearsago.6 Archeological evidence reveals that coastalaboriginal people, or First Nations, readily employedred cedar three thousand years ago.7

Despite this ancient legacy, ecologists are only justbeginning to understand the tree’s role in BC'sclimax coastal and inland rainforests, where it serves

many biological func-tions includingimprovement of soilconditions bysupplying calciumthrough the litter ofcedar foliage onthe forest floor.8

Additionally,wildlife and plant

Drawings from Cedar. © 1984 by Hilary Stewart. Published in Canada byDouglas & McIntyre Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Western RedCedar Western RedCedarCULTURAL AND ECOLOGICALHERITAGE

For thousands of years, aboriginal people removed bark and wood fromstill-standing trees to make clothing, dwellings and canoes. Known asculturally modified trees, they are found throughout British Columbiaforests and hold great historical and anthropological significance.

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interactions are many. Cedar is often favoured as aperch for many species of birds of prey. Red cedar’sproduction of thujaplicin, a naturally produced fungi-cide, prevents rot and allows portions of a tree –called snags – to last centuries in the forest evenafter a tree’s death.

9Cedars provide habitat for birds

that nest in tree cavities and mammals, includingseveral species of bats. The hollow cores in ancientcedars are favoured by black bears as winter hiberna-tion dens.

CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND WEALTH

If salmon was the fuel for the indigenous peopleof coastal BC, then cedar formed their founda-tion. Ethnobotanist Wade Davis has concluded

that the combination of salmon and cedar “. . .forged the most complex civilization ever to emergewithout benefit of agriculture.”10 World renownedHaida artist Bill Reid wrote: “Oh, the cedar tree! Ifmankind in his infancy had prayed for the perfectsubstance for all material and aesthetic needs, anindulgent god could have provided nothing better.”11

First Nations used cedar in all aspects of theirlives. The wood was used to make canoes, paddles,planks and posts for traditional longhouses, bent-wood boxes, bows, masks, bowls, and dishes. Thefibrous inner bark was fashioned into clothing, hats,mats, masks, rattles, nets, twine, blankets, diapers,

towels, and rope. The coarse outer bark was used forroofing material, canoe bailers, and canoe coverswhile the flexible branches were valued for makingrope, fish traps, and baskets. Even the roots wereused to make baskets and cradles.12

While First Nations did cut down entire cedartrees for canoes, ceremonial and house poles, moreoften they harvested bark and planks from livingtrees without killing them. Bark was stripped bygroups of women and children while planks wereremoved from living trees, which continued to growdespite the missing part.

These cedars, called culturally modified trees orCMTs, include both living and dead trees. LivingCMTs display a variety of different cultural marksincluding bark stripping, plank removal, tinder gath-ering, and test holes. These activities allowed FirstNations to use the tree without killing it, ensuringthat it could be used again by future generations.Dead CMTs include remnant stumps from felledtrees, bark-stripped trees that have died, and wind-fallen logs from which planks were taken. Overcenturies, stands of trees – and even entire islands –were managed sustainably by First Nations for theproduction of cedar products.13 Some trees werepeeled as soon as they reached the minimum size forbark harvesting, while others are believed to havebeen left to grow to a great size in anticipation offuture canoe and plank production.

Longhouse: Cedar is the foundation of West Coast First Nations’ culture. As shown in this 1880 photograph at Skidegate on Haida Gwaii, it was usedfor dwelling construction, fish-drying racks, and even clothing. Detail of British Columbia Archives: B-03823.


cedar.16 This historical treatment of cedar is thevery definition of high-grading: logging one speciesto the exclusion of another. Today, instead of cedarbeing ignored, it is the target of coastal timbercompanies.

By the 1990s, as the demand throughout NorthAmerica for old-growth timber rose significantlyand supply declined, red cedar became one of themost valuable trees in BC’s forests. During thisperiod, the price of hemlock plummeted due to alack of markets, specifically the loss of Asianmarkets due to severe economic problems. The lossof these important markets for hemlock creatednew stress on the BC coastal forest industry.

The serious financial challenges experienced overthe past eight years by timber companies operating

Cedar trees are often used as perches for birds of prey, such as thiswestern screech owl, as they hunt for song birds, mice, and rabbits. IanMcAllister/Raincoast photo.

Logging RedCedar: Historyand CurrentStatus

Logging RedCedar: Historyand CurrentStatus TARGETING CEDAR

Indigenous only to North America, western redcedar is under threat because of a coast-widestrategy by timber companies to log the most

valuable older stands in order to bolster revenues.This practice, commonly called high grading, seestimber companies target forest stands with thehighest-grade trees to the exclusion of areas withinferior species or grades of trees. Companiesoften clearcut an area to get a specific tree species,and it is no accident that many clearcuts on the BCcoast in the late 1990s were located in standscontaining a high percentage of red cedar.

The price of cedar fluctuated greatly during the20th century. At times cedar was considered noth-ing more than a weed or nuisance tree. 14 In theearly part of the century, cedar trees were oftenignored by fallers because they required too muchphysical energy to saw down. Cedar prices fluctu-ated wildly during the 1960s and loggers sometimesabandoned cedar logs they had just cut because theprice had crashed. Some loggers even dumpedcedar in lakes. Logging historian Ken Drushkaremembers that “at one point, Florence Lake onSonora Island had seven million feet of cedar float-ing in it – [all] number one grade.”15 Years laterwhen the price of cedar increased, timber compa-nies returned to these lakes and salvaged thediscarded trees. In BC, cedar prices stabilized in thelate 1960s after Oregon and Washington had liqui-dated their domestic supply of old-growth red

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on the BC coast are due to a number of issues:depressed Asian markets, the Canada-U.S. softwoodlumber trade dispute, low prices for hemlock, andthe fact that easily accessible old-growth areas havebeen logged, causing the high operating costs oflogging in remote, steep terrain. To counter theseproblems, timber companies operating on the BCcoast have increasingly focused their logging effortson cedar, which continues to command a highprice. Cedar has kept companies solvent because itis used to make products considered recession-

proof, such as roofing shingles, fences, siding, andoutdoor furniture. And instead of expandingmanufacturing industries in BC, timber companiessell BC old-growth cedar to U.S. manufacturersbecause it commands a higher price there than inBC.17

High grading of red cedar on the BC coast iswell documented. The statements above show thatcedar high grading has in fact been a deliberatestrategy even though industry and governmentknow the practice is unsustainable.

“We have been logging more cedarthan is in the [forest] profile andthat is a reflection of the economics.” 18 Rick Jeffrey, TruckLoggers Association of BC

“We’re fairly heavily involved inharvesting cedar. Over the lastseveral years, with hemlock pricesso poor, most companies that havethe opportunity have been targettingcedar because it's a high-value product in high demand. Mind you,government sees the value as well

so there's been a struggle overstumpage at the same time.” 19 DonBendickson, Ben West Logging,which harvests timber for Interforand TimberWest

“The coastal industry has beensurviving by selling a greaterpercentage of cedar products. Asmost of the coastal forest ishemlock, the current dependenceon cedar cannot be sustained.” 20

Brian Zak, president, Coast Forest &Lumber Association

“[the coastal industry is] living off a65-cent dollar and cedar.” 21 DuncanDavies, president, InternationalForests Products Ltd.

“Forest companies have beenharvesting cedar, which onlyaccounts for 22 percent of thecoastal forest, because it is one ofthe few species that they can prof-itably log.”22 Vancouver Sun

Logging truck loaded with old-growth cedar logs. Joe Foy photo.

Arrowsmith TSAFraser TSAKingcome TSAMid-Coast TSANorth Coast TSAQCI TSASoo TSAStrathcona TSASunshine TSATFL 6 & TFL 25 Port McNeill (WFP) TFL 10 (Interfor)TLF 19 (WFP)TFL 25 (WFP) (South Island FD)TFL 25 (WFP) (Campbell River FD)TFL 25 (WFP) (Mid Coast Forest District) TFL 25 (WFP) (QCI Forest District) formerly TFL 24

TFL 37 (Canfor)TFL 38 (Interfor)TFL 39 (Weyerhaeuser) (Sunshine FD)TFL 39 (Weyerhaeuser) (Campbell River FD - Blocks 2&5)

TFL 39 (Weyerhaeuser) (Port McNeill FD - Blocks 3&4)

TFL 39 (Weyerhaeuser) (Mid-Coast FD)TFL 39 (Weyerhaeuser) (QCI FD)TFL 43 (Scott Paper) (Chilliwack FD)TFL 43 (Scott Paper) (Sunshine FD) TFL 43 (Scott Paper) (Port McNeill FD)TFL 44 (Weyerhaeuser)TFL 45 (Interfor) (Campbell River FD)TFL 45 (Interfor) (Port McNeill FD)TFL 46 (TimberWest)TFL 47 (TimberWest) (Campbell River Forest District)

TFL 47 (TimberWest) (Port McNeill FD)TFL 47 (TimberWest) (QCI FD)TFL 54 (Interfor)

Most recentlycompleted cut-control period

1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1997 - 2001*1995 - 19991995 - 19991997 - 20011994 - 19981994 - 19981994 - 19981994 - 19981996 - 20001997 - 20011996 - 20001996 - 20001996 - 20001996 - 20001996 - 20001995 - 19991995 - 19991995 - 19991995 - 19991993 - 19971993 - 19971993 - 19971995 - 19991995 - 19991995 - 19991995 - 1999

Cedar as a % of themost recentlycompleted cut-control period

33%13%54%41%27%34%15%30%21%26%29% 24%22%28%43%39%12 %33%19%13%19%33%40%4%

37%11%28% 27%16%25%12%10%57%49%

Red cedar as a % of the inventory on theTimber HarvestingLand Base

22%7%34%21%21%27%5%18%12%23%19%17%13%42%42%24%11 %12%14% 8%

11% 31% 25%

0.3% **7%**8%**16% 14%8%15%9%5%19%36%

50%86%59%95%29%26%200%67%75%13%53%41%69%-33%2%

63%9%

175%36%63%73%6%

60%1233%429%38%75%93%100%67%33%100%200%36%

Note: all figures rounded* Cut-control periods differ for each Forest Licence (FL) within a TSA. FLs have the same cut-control period, this time period (1997-2001) is a close approximation for the cut-control periodsof major Forest Licences in each TSA.** Inventory data from Scott Paper is for all conifers, not just red cedar, as it is unlikely that redcedar would comprise more than 1/3 of the conifer inventory. It was estimated that red cedar

was 1/3 of the following proportions of conifers in the TFL 43 inventory: 0.8% in the ChilliwackForest District, 21% in the Sunshine Forest District, and 24% in the Port McNeill Forest District. Note: inventory and cut figures for TFLs 39 and 44 include Schedule A private land - all othermanagement units are for public land only.

Source: Author's analysis. See appendix 1 for details on data sources.

The difference betweenthe % of red cedar in theactual cut versus thepercentage of red cedarin the inventory


Summary of Analysis:Summary of Analysis:

• Arrowsmith TSA

• Fraser TSA

• Kingcome TSA

• Mid-Coast TSA

• Soo TSA

• Strathcona TSA

• Sunshine TSA

• TFL 10 - (Interfor)

• TFL 25 - South Island Forest

District (Western ForestProducts)

• TFL 25 - Queen Charlotte Islands

Forest District (Western ForestProducts)

• TFL 38 - (Interfor)

• TFL 39 - Campbell River ForestDistrict (Weyerhaeuser)

• TFL 39 - Port McNeill Forest

District (Weyerhaeuser)

• TFL 39 - Queen Charlotte IslandsForest District (Weyerhaeuser)

• TFL 44 - (Weyerhaeuser)

• TFL 45 - Campbell River ForestDistrict (Interfor)

• TFL 45 - Port McNeill ForestDistrict (Interfor)

• TFL 46 - (TimberWest)

• TFL 47 - Port McNeill ForestDistrict (TimberWest)

• TFL 47 - Queen Charlotte Islands

Forest District.(TimberWest/Teal CedarProducts/JS Jones)

METHODOLOGY

The analysis on the opposite page used the HarvestBilling Reports purchased from the BC Ministry ofForests, which indicate the annual volume of wood,by species, billed in each Timber Supply Area (TSA)or Tree Farm License (TFL). The billing and wastedata for each species was added together for eachyear, and this allowed us to determine the percentageof red cedar in the actual cut for the most recentlycompleted five-year cut-control period. This infor-mation was then compared to inventories for eachTSA and TFL.

The proportion of red cedar for the five-year cut-control periods have been averaged, demonstratingan important trend of whether or not cedar is beingtargeted in a specific area. High grading was definedwhere the proportion of red cedar was higher in theactual cut than in the natural forest inventory. Ourresearch determined that out of 34 managementunits on the coast, 20 areas have a serious high grad-ing problem, which for the purpose of this paperwas defined as an area having an actual cut for redcedar at a rate of 50 percent or more than the inven-tory. The definition of a serious problem excludedthose management areas where the actual cut was ata very low volume, such as TFL 43.

Map: David Suzuki Foundation

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AREAS OF IDENTIFIEDCEDAR HIGH GRADING

Graphs for Selected TSAs and TFLs The graphs to the left demonstrate the differencebetween the proportion of red cedar in the actualcut for the cut-control period (higher of the twostraight lines) and the proportion of red cedar in theinventory (lower of the two straight lines). The gapbetween the two lines demonstrates that the relevantforest company is not harvesting the species profileof the management unit.

Red cedar as a % of the actual cut in TFL 47 on the QueenCharlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii)

Red cedar as a % of the actual cut in the Mid-Coast TSA

Red cedar as a % of the actual cut in the Kingcome TSA

TFL 47, Queen Charlotte Islands: JS Jones left this CMT standing, whilecutting the tree growing out of the CMT base. Unfortunately, logging aroundCMTs destroys the ecological context of the site and places the standingCMT at the risk of being blown down. David Suzuki Foundation photo.

Mid-Coast TSA: Logging in the Parker Creek watershed by the BCTimber Sale Program. David Suzuki Foundation photo.


Kingcome TSA: An Interfor clearcut next to a non-fish stream in theKlaskish Valley on northern Vancouver Island. Much of Interfor’slogging in the last 5 years in the Klaskish has focused on red cedarstands. John Nelson photo.

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was an objective driven by industry’s desire toincrease market demand for cedar:

It is apparent that the expansion of cedar logsupply, apart from full development of NorthCoast forests, must rely on an upward revision ofthe allowable annual cut on the coast. . . Changes inrotation age or other methodology of calculatingallowable cut [can increase the cut]. . . It followsthat if producers of cedar products anticipateincreased sales demand, then industry effort toenlarge allowable cut is a matter to be put high onthe agenda. . . If future promotion is aimed atexpanding the market for the species, then thequestion of log supply to fill the demand created isa consideration. Thus, it would seem that tradepromotion to increase volume of cedar salesshould be accompanied by, if not preceded by,activity to gain increased allowable cut.26

This industry approach of determining how muchforest to log based on economic and not ecologicalcriteria remains a driving force of AAC calculationsto this day. During the 1995 Timber Supply Reviewfor the Kingcome TSA on the central coast, theMinistry of Forests suggested a 35 percent reductionin the AAC was necessary to protect the long-termharvest level. International Forests Products Ltd.(Interfor), the company that had the logging rights

Timber companies have been targeting huge,ancient cedars in BC’s rainforests fordecades. A 1964 report from the BC

Council of Forest Industries (COFI), which lobbiesfor timber companies, reveals that overcutting redcedar was happening in Rivers Inlet on the centralcoast and the northern Kitimat supply area 40 yearsago.23 The COFI report also stated that the supply ofhigh-quality coastal cedar was already in decline.

The grade mix of cedar logs has deterioratedmarkedly since the early 1920s. The historicalgrade decline does not seem to be the result ofchanges in grade specifications. The upcoastmigration of logging, away from fir types and intohemlock-cedar stands and the movement backfrom tidewater, lakeshore, and valley floor tohigher elevation timber is providing cedar oflower quality than historically available.24

Industry’s drive to target red cedar has not onlyaffected that tree species. In order to cut more cedar,timber companies clearcut large areas of forest toget the red cedar scattered throughout. The follow-ing excerpt from the COFI document demonstratesthat increasing the Allowable Annual Cut (AAC)25

HIGH GRADING - A DECADES’-OLD PROBLEM

The cedar stumps in this photo demonstrate how logging companies often target the largest, most-profitable trees. This is an example of high gradingwhere the best trees are removed and the smaller, less-economically valuable ones are left behind. Weyerheauser, Haida Gwaii.David Suzuki Foundation photo.


for this area, lobbied strongly and convinced officialsto reduce the cut by only 15 percent, saying thisrepresented a “…transitional phase to deal with theimpacts of reduced timber and job supply…”27. Theresult of this decision is that the AAC for theKingcome TSA has remained at an unsustainable 49percent above the Long Term Harvest Level, whichis the amount of wood the ministry has estimatedcan be logged on a perpetual basis.

Some companies argue that current cedar loggingpractices are not problematic since the proportion ofred cedar in their inventories has not changed overthe last three to four decades. For example,Weyerhaeuser’s timber inventories show that for TreeFarm Licence 39, which consists of seven blocksover a huge area from north of Vancouver to HaidaGwaii, the proportion of red cedar in the inventoryremains unchanged from 1974 to present at 20percent.28 However, this does not tell the whole story.It is important to note that the total volume of theinventory for TFL 39 has increased over time. This isbecause the area of land designated for timberharvesting is redefined every five years to includetimber that was excluded from earlier inventories.And, this occurs because of market forces: timbercompanies will only log a particular tree species whenit is economically viable to do so, i.e. when a marketexists for that species. So at any given time, certaintree species are excluded from timber inventoriesbecause there is no market for them. Therefore, anincrease of red cedar in a timber inventory can bethe result of several factors, including: the inclusionof uneconomic or marginal timber in the harvestingland base, changing utilization standards, new tech-nology, and improved market conditions.

Smaller diameter cedar trees in remote, difficult-to-access areas of the BC coast are now consideredeconomical to log because of current market condi-tions that place high value on cedar. The inclusionof these smaller trees in the inventory, however,does not mean that today's inventory is reallycomparable to those of years past. While the

volume and diversity of species may be equal, largeold-growth red cedars are becoming increasinglyrare. Therefore, while the proportion of cedar inTFL 39 today is perhaps the same as 25 years ago,this does not mean the quality of the remainingstanding trees is the same as it was in the 1970s.You cannot compare the value and timber quality oflarge quantities of smaller, spindly trees tocenturies-old behemoths.

If timber companies continue to target ancient redcedar, it won’t be long until the largest and oldest redcedar trees are found only in protected areas. Mostred cedar will only be found in second-growth plan-tation forests that are cut on rotations of less than100 years, which is not enough time to restore theattributes of an old-growth cedar forest. A recentreport based on a detailed computer model commis-sioned by the Heiltsuk Nation shows that if timbercompanies continue to log cedar at current rates“most of the operable old-growth cedar in Heiltsuktraditional territory will be gone by the year 2026”.29

Heiltsuk traditional territory is found in the BellaBella-Bella Coola region of BC’s central coast.

In the heart of Heiltsuk traditional territory, the forests along SpillerChannel contain important reserves of red cedar. With forest compa-nies targeting red cedar, computer modeling reveals that “most of theoperable old-growth cedar in Heiltsuk traditional territory will be goneby the year 2026”. David Suzuki Foundation photo.

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TRADE AND TARIFFS

For months prior to the U.S. imposing tariffson Canadian softwood lumber in May 2002,BC forest companies and industry analysts

complained30 that tariffs would make cedar productsunaffordable in U.S. markets and would kill the BCcedar industry.

This never happened. When the tariffs wereimposed, BC companies actually raised cedar pricesto absorb the tariff costs.

“American consumers want BC cedar productsbadly enough to pay the U.S. softwood duty them-selves, pushing up the price of cedar – and alongwith it shares in local cedar producer InternationalForest Products – since the duty was imposed May22.”31

The U.S. continues to be the main export marketfor BC cedar lumber.

PRICES AND MARKETS

The price of cedar logs in British Columbia issubstantially less than prices in Washingtonstate and Oregon even though cedar prod-

ucts like deck furniture, siding, and roof shinglescommand high prices in Canada and the U.S.. Redcedar has been the top money-maker for the BCcoastal forest industry in recent years, yet thesecompanies do not pay market value for these valu-able logs.32 A 2001 study examined the VancouverLog Market and concluded that the price for cedarlogs from coastal BC is substantially lower thanprices in U.S. jurisdictions. This is especially true forI-grade logs from BC, which are comparable to theU.S. Sawmill #2 grade. The graph33 below demon-strates that the price for BC I-grade domestic34 cedarlogs (dotted line) over the past 5 ½ years was consis-tently much lower than the price paid in Washingtonand Oregon for similar U.S.-grade logs (solid lines).

By shipping dimensional cedar lumber to Washington andOregon, BC actually helps create two jobs in cedar remanu-facturing plants there for every job in the BC cedar industry. 35

BC companies are forced to ship cedar cut on public land aslumber to the U.S. rather than as logs because the BCgovernment “does not favourably consider applications”36 forthe export of red cedar and yellow cedar (cypress) raw logsfrom public land resulting in a de facto ban.

Exporting mass quantities of red cedar lumber from BCbenefits the U.S. economy because of the number of reman-ufacturing jobs created and the profits made by multinationaltimber companies that log BC’s forests. Cost is a major factorin sustaining the U.S. appetite for this lumber, and becauseBC forest policy keeps the price of cedar below true marketvalue, timber companies lobby the provincial government tomaintain the status quo. In order to ensure that prized BCcedar sells for fair market value, an open log market shouldbe created so that large timber companies and smaller busi-nesses, which often create more jobs per board foot becausethey make more highly manufactured goods, can competeequally for the best wood. (See appendix 3)

Quarterly prices for Grade 1 cedar logs (BC) and No. 2Sawmill cedar logs (U.S.)

Source: Log price comparisons in the Vancouver log market, December 2001.


CMTs and the CourtsLocated just south of Prince Ruperton BC’s north coast, the KumealonInlet and adjacent watershed is anecological oasis. This watershed isrenowned for its ancient red andyellow cedar trees that grow upon afoundation of limestone karsts,resulting in trees much larger thanusual for the area, which is limitedby poor soils and tough growingconditions. In 1994, InternationalForest Products (Interfor) sought tolog Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs)that are claimed by several area

First Nations, including the KitkatlaBand. While CMTs have limitedprotection under the HeritageConservation Act, the Act does allowCMTs and other cultural artifacts tobe altered with Ministerial approval.Interfor required and received thenecessary Site Alteration Permitfrom the Provincial government tolog 178 CMTs. The Kitkatla Bandwent to court arguing that, constitu-tionally, only the Federal govern-ment, not the province, couldauthorize destruction of FirstNations' cultural artifacts. Interfor

and COFI wrote amicus briefssupporting their position of loggingCMTs.

On March 28, 2002, the SupremeCourt of Canada affirmed theprovince's right to issue suchpermits. Timber companies continueto legally log CMTs and Interfor onlyaltered their logging plans in theKumealon case after the KitkatlaBand went to court. While ultimatelynot successful, this case raisedawareness of CMTs with both thepublic and the courts.

When these trees are logged, irreplaceable archeo -logical information is lost forever. Not only doesthe historical significance of an individual treedisappear when it is logged, but logging in theforest surrounding CMTs also erases all knowledgeof aboriginal forest management. If previousgenerations of aboriginal people purposefully leftgroves of trees for future canoe or pole produc-tion, that knowledge is lost when those trees arelogged. CMTs and remnant stumps illustrate thehistorical techniques First Nations used for treeselection, falling methods, and to extract logs andplanks.37 A member of the Haida First Nationexplains: “. . . . culturally modified trees [are]important evidence of the long-standing use andpossession of the cedar forests by the HaidaPeople.”38

Some of the best-preserved examples of CMTs

Effects of CedarHigh GradingEffects of CedarHigh GradingCULTURAL IMPACTS

Cedar is an essential element of FirstNations culture on the British Columbiacoast. Throughout the coast and on Haida

Gwaii, remnants of totem poles, canoes and tradi-tional longhouses carved from cedar more than acentury ago can be found in ancient forests.Massive, towering cedars were needed to createthese icons, and that need continues as FirstNations strive to sustain their culture into thefuture. Today in villages along the coast, traditionalcarvers transform cedar into totem and housepoles, canoes and masks. Conserving ancient cedaris essential for the survival of these traditionalcultures, and therefore, the continued high gradingof red cedar is a real threat to BC’s coastal FirstNations culture.

Culturally modified trees are a testament to theimportance of cedar to First Nations culture.

17

in British Columbia are found on Haida Gwaii,particularly at the World Heritage Site GwaiiHaanas Reserve. Haida carvers are internationallyacclaimed, and Guujaaw, current president of theCouncil of the Haida Nation and a master carver,has learned the technical and artistic secrets of hisancestors by studying partially carved canoes theyleft in the forest.39 He explains that knowledge likethe specific steps for carving a canoe are only“found within the culturally modified tree sites inunlogged virgin forests.”40

On northern Graham Island, along the shores ofMasset Sound, lies a site in the forest with fivepartially completed canoes, as well as test holes,bark-stripped trees, stumps, and other types ofCMTs. A visit to the site in May 1990 wasextremely distressing says Guujaaw.

[I found] … desecration and destruction of thesite beyond anything I would have expected. Manyof the features within the site have been disturbedand destroyed. Because they are remarkable andobvious features, I believe that the destruction hasbeen conscious and wilful. There is no way toundo the damage that has been done. I could seeno evidence of any attempt to avoid damage tothe culturally modified trees. The CMTs were notavoided but were simply cut down or cut over.The method being used is regular clear cutting,which, if allowed to continue, will totally andcompletely destroy the cultural values of the site. 41

Fortunately, a court order obtained by theCouncil of the Haida Nation prevented furtherdamage to this unique archaeological site. However,clearcut logging continues in Canada’s rainforests,putting similar sites at risk. While CMTs havelimited protection under BC’s Heritage ConservationAct, timber companies may obtain a special permitto cut them, and First Nations have reported inci-dences of timber companies logging CMTs anddelivering them to the local village, destroying aliving legacy. In one case, Interfor allowedmembers of the Squamish First Nation to stripbark from logged cedar trees sitting in their logsort yard.42 However, this cannot be compared tothe traditional method of bark stripping where thetree remained standing and could be used by futuregenerations. Even if CMTs are left standing in anarea that has been logged, they can blow downbecause there is little forest protection around themand the result is the same as if they had beenlogged. Under the Heritage Conservation Act, BritishColumbia actually allows cultural artifacts to bedestroyed if a permit is obtained. Only a courtchallenge by a First Nation under Section 35 ofCanada’s Constitution Act would override the HeritageConservation Act and provide protection for theseliving pieces of history. To date, no coastal FirstNation has embarked upon this legal test.

Haida artist Christian White, speaking at a 1996cedar symposium, described how such actions andthe continued high grading of red cedar contribute

In May 1990, Guujaaw, president of the Council of the Haida Nation, walked through a logging site and found that trees were being cut within 45metres of this unfinished canoe. The Haida Nation would later secure BC's longest-standing court injunction for a cultural site in order to protect thisand other archaeological artifacts. David Suzuki Foundation photo.


to the destruction of First Nations culture.

There’s not many of these [ancient cedar] treesleft on the Islands [Haida Gwaii]. They’re gettingharder and harder to get at. They’re in smaller andsmaller pockets. But our people have a hard timegetting material to work on. In my village ofMassett over the past 10 years or so we’ve gottenmaybe a dozen logs to work on. There aremillions of dollars of logs going by our villageand there’s probably less than a handful of peopleworking in the logging industry. So, you can see,that it’s really starting to bother us quite a bit. Andwe know that even if there were a few pockets oftrees left, and the mature stands were saved rightnow, that within a 100 years there might not beanything the right size and shape that is needed[for poles and canoes].43

ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS

When timber companies high gradecedar, they don’t just remove cedartrees but log large tracts of forest,

removing all the trees from a specific area called acutblock. For animal and plant species that requireold-growth forests to survive, their habitat is lostforever. These forests provide critical habitat for avariety of wildlife, including black bears that den inhollow old-growth cedar. Removal of massiveamounts of old-growth red cedar from Canada’srainforests will result in many species vital to the

ecological integrity of coastal forest ecosystemsbecoming threatened and even endangered.

Examples of the effects of high grading andclearcut logging on black bears in two northernVancouver Island watersheds are particularlydisturbing. Government studies of environmentaltrend factors determined that 48 percent of theforested area likely to contain bear denning trees inthe Artlish watershed has already been logged. Agovernment report written in 2000 44 showed thatanother 10 percent of this forest, also containingdenning trees, was in an area proposed for logging.In the Nahwitti watershed, also on VancouverIsland, approximately 83 percent of the forestedarea capable of containing denning trees has beenlogged, and at the time the government report waswritten in 2000,45 of the remaining 570 hectares offorest suitable for black bear dens, 250 hectareswere scheduled to be logged. This loss of denninghabitat poses serious threat to specific bear sub-populations.46

SPECIES AT RISK

Marbled murrelets are a rare species ofseabird that nests in old-growth forests.The murrelet is on the British Columbia

red list of endangered or threatened species.47

Government biologists have concluded that“Logging of breeding habitat has been identified asthe greatest threat to the marbled murrelet inNorth America.”48

Log barges ship cedar down the coast to centralized sawmills, which results in few jobs or benefits for communities near the logging sites. As old-growth trees continue to be targeted by timber companies, First Nations have difficulty finding sufficient large trees from which to carve poles andcanoes. David Suzuki Foundation photo.

19

Bear Den Case Study

As an example of how forest companiesdisregard the ecological importance ofred cedar, nothing quite captures theindustry's high grading practices thanInterfor's callous disregard for a beardenning tree in the Stoltmann Wildernessnorth of Squamish.

In 1997, Interfor applied for andreceived a new cutblock in the SimsCreek watershed. The cutblock includedMagic Grove, a spectacular stand ofancient red cedar trees that was a much-loved hiking destination. Within MagicGrove grew a massive red cedar with asmall opening at the base leading into alarge hollow centre. The cavity was bigenough to hold ten people and had bearsigns indicating it was an active denningtree.A concerned hiker phoned the BC ForestService office in Squamish to tell themabout the tree. The Forest Serviceinformed the company they would send abiologist to verify the finding.

The response from Interfor was incredi-ble. The company immediately sent fallersinto the centre of the cutblock to find andcut down the tree!Informed the redcedar had been felled,the Forest Service told the distraughthiker that they were powerless to prose-cute Interfor because the Forest Servicehad previously approved the CuttingPermit authorising Interfor to cut downthe trees in Magic Grove .

Hollow cedar trees make great winter dens for blackbears. Ian McAllister/Raincoast photo.


Murrelets don’t actually build nests, but rather sitin depressions on wide mossy conifer branches.While inventories of nest sites are not comprehen-sive, the research to date shows that this seabirdprefers old-growth “yellow cedar, western hemlock,Sitka Spruce, Douglas-fir, and western red cedar”49

as nesting platforms. Recent research has deter-mined that there is “. . . strong evidence that thewatershed populations of marbled murrelets aredirectly proportional to the areas of old-growthforest available. There was no evidence thatmurrelets pack into remnant old-growth patches inhigher densities as areas of old growth are reducedby logging. Breeding populations of murrelets arepredicted to decline as areas of old growthdecrease.” 50 A decrease in old-growth red andyellow cedar will directly impact the nesting sites ofthis unique seabird.

Several species of bats utilize the hollow cavitiesthat are characteristic of old large live and deadcedar trees. Research in Clayoquot Sound, on thewest coast of Vancouver Island, showed that batsexclusively roosted in old-growth cedar trees orrock crevices. They did not roost in other speciessuch as Yellow Cedar, Western Hemlock, SitkaSpruce or Amabilis fir that were common in theseforests.51 While the Keen’s Long-eared Myotis hasnot yet been documented roosting in red cedartrees (mostly due to the difficulty of radio-trackingthis rare and tiny species), it is believed that cedar

trees are the most likely used as roosts. Old forestscontaining red cedar are definitely used as impor-tant foraging habitat.52 This small, rare bat is a red-listed species found in the old-growth forests ofBritish Columbia. Ongoing logging in BC’s forestswill affect this species as it is believed to be“dependent on tree cavities associated with old-growth or mature forests for roosts, and thereforevulnerable to large-scale logging practices.”53

BC’s beleaguered northern spotted owl popula-tion is also affected by high grading of red cedar.This red-listed species is found in red cedar,hemlock, and Douglas-fir forests and habitat loss isconsidered to be the “single greatest threat to thesurvival of the species throughout its entire rangein North America.”54

Even when a spotted owl was observed only 20metres from a new logging road in the SiwashValley east of Vancouver, Ministry of Forestspersonnel refused to act to halt any logging plansclaiming: “This is not a nest site, just a female owlon a branch. Owls fly around. There’s no specialneed to do anything at this point.” 55 Old-growthred cedar was one of the leading tree species foundin the Siwash Creek cutblocks56 that overlappedwith the spotted owl habitat. The Western CanadaWilderness Committee subsequently took theprovince to court, arguing that a small provision ofthe former Forest Act (which was replaced with theForest and Range Practices Act in 2003) required the

Marbled murrelets require wide, mossy branches on old-growth trees to make their nests. Red and yellow cedar are two tree species favoured as nestsites by this threatened species. Mark Hobson photo.

21

Ministry of Forests to set aside logging planswhere it could be proved that species were notadequately managed and conserved. After theWilderness Committee successfully obtained thefirst injunction in Canada to stop logging in endan-gered species habitat while the case was heard, thegovernment withdrew from the case and theMinistry of Forests rescinded approval for three ofthe four cutblocks the Wilderness Committee hadtried to protect. In a separate spotted owl courtcase, the judge ruled that BC’s Forest PracticesCode does not have the necessary authority to stoplogging from causing local extinction (extirpation)of endangered species.

Much remains to be done, however, if the spot-ted owl is to be saved in BC. In 2003, governmentbiologists estimated that only 25 spotted owlsremain in BC.57 These birds are located at ten activesites, of which three are currently scheduled to belogged.58 Alarmingly, there are only three breedingpairs remaining among the 25 owls. 59 Becauselogging continues in areas surrounding nest siteswhere the owls feed, environmentalists and govern-ment biologists agree that the spotted owl will beextirpated from British Columbia by 2007.60 Theprovince’s Spotted Owl Recovery Strategy appearsto have failed, having been hampered by both alack of funding and a focus on accommodation oflogging interests: “If there was a balancing actbetween the spotted owl and the industry and jobs,it turns out now that the balancing act didn’t favourthe owl,” said Brian Clark of the B.C. Ministry ofWater, Land and Air Protection.61

Current forest practices do not protect wildlifebecause provisions were not included to restrictwhere and if timber companies can log in criticalwildlife habitat. This lack of implementation hascreated a crisis:

“On the ground, forest practices continue toimprove in BC’s public forests, but the govern-ment still needs to provide direction to forest

companies to ensure the protection of threatenedwildlife habit,” the board stated. In an interview,acting chair Liz Osborn said the board can onlymonitor what it sees going on. The standardsforests companies are using on the land areimproving, but even improved practices will notprevent harm to species at risk if they are notprovided with protected habitat.

“This problem has come up repeatedly in theboard's work,” she said. “The process [by govern-ment] has been very slow and very few wildlifehabitat areas have made it through the process, eventhough it’s recognized that many more are required.

“When we do audits, we audit compliance withthe code. But if there isn’t something to complywith in respect to a marbled murrelet, for exam-ple, logging companies can still be in compliance

Northern spotted owl. It is believed that as few as 25 breeding pairsremain in British Columbia. C.Swift/First Light photo.


and still be harming marbled murrelet habitat.That’s where the full implementation of the legis-lation is necessary so that there are wildlife habitatareas that are taken into account and need to becomplied with.”62

With the provincial government now implement-ing a ‘results-based’ code that virtually allowscompanies to regulate themselves, it is likely thatlogging of old-growth red cedar will increase andadversely affect wildlife.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

When profits drop in the logging indus-try, timber companies that operate inBritish Columbia have been able to

offset their losses by cutting more cedar. There is afinite amount of accessible, large, high-qualityancient red cedar in coastal forests, and by targetingit all today there will be less opportunity for futuregenerations. The economic and ecological value ofone old-growth red cedar is incomparable to evenseveral second-growth cedars because a replantedforest will never replicate ancient, original forests.

While the province does not allow export of rawcedar logs taken from public land, timber compa-nies routinely sell minimally processed cedar cantsand commodity lumber to sawmills in Washingtonand Oregon. There, this prized wood is remanufac-

tured into products of greater value, creating twojobs for every job involved in logging in BC.63 Soinstead of supporting the growth of remanufactur-ing operations in BC, which are called value-addedindustries, provincial and federal politicians actuallysupport exempting cedar lumber from U.S. tariffs.Sending huge volumes of cedar lumber to the U.S.benefits large timber companies in BC, some ofwhich are U.S.-owned, but limits the economicopportunities for BC value-added remanufacturers.

Manufacturers in British Columbia need access tored cedar in order to create high-end, value-addedproducts. Supporting such efforts would createemployment and use less cedar, maximizing thevalue of this prized wood. It is not just wood,however, that is exported to the U.S. In the case ofan Interfor cedar remanufacturing facility in FortLangley, south of Vancouver, the entire plant wasmoved to nearby Sumas, Washington, putting 56British Columbians out of work. 64 When Interforpresident Duncan Davies announced the move inSeptember 2002, he said the reason was to avoidpaying duties on the cedar products they exportedfrom the BC facility.65 By opening a plant inWashington State, Interfor can make the sameproducts and get away with paying less duties thanif the company was operating in Canada.

The table on the following page shows howInterfor is high grading cedar around Squamish,northwest of Vancouver. This community is espe-

Most of BC’s cedar lumber is exported to the U.S. where two jobs are created in Washington state remanufacturing this cedar into value-added products for every job created in logging and milling the logs in BC. Wilderness Committee photo.

23

cially concerned that a troubled sawmill, retooled in2001 to process red cedar, might share a similarfate to other Interfor cedar mills that have perma-nently closed. BC’s forests cannot sustain highgrading and over-cutting indefinitely. As well, BCcommunities pay the price for the industry’s desireto be a low-cost, high-volume producer ofcommodity lumber. While volatility in internationalcommodity markets has contributed to industryinstability, timber companies that operate on BC’scoast have been reluctant to embrace tenurereform, recapitalization and sustainable forest prac-tices, which has exasperated their problems.

Soo TSA(various licensees)

TFL 38(Interfor)

Most recentlycompleted cut-controlperiod

1997-2001

1997-2001

Cedar as a % of themost recentlycompleted cut-controlperiod

15%

33%

Red cedar as a % of theinventory on the TimberHarvesting Land Base

5%

12%

The difference betweenthe % of red cedar inthe actual cut versusthe percentage of redcedar in the inventory

200%

175%

*While this time period is not an official cut-control period, it represents an estimate for the cut-control period of different licences within the TSA.

TFL 38 - red cedar as a % of the actual cut

The table below shows the level of high grading in forests around Squamish, northwest of Vancouver.

In the last five years, timber company Interfor closed two sawmills and a remanufacturing plant. With red cedar being high graded in both the SooTSA and TFL 38, many wonder if the company's Squamish cedar mill (above) has a future. Wilderness Committee photo.


The targeting or high grading of western redcedar is just one of many unsustainableforest practices in British Columbia, and

the problem cannot be resolved in isolation. Eitherwe can acknowledge the environmental and culturalbenefits of the remaining old-growth cedar andconserve it, or we can continue to diminish thecultural, environmental and economic options thatthese forests provide. We can look to the future orconcentrate on the short-term and maintain profitsfor the logging industry.

This study found that old-growth cedar, espe-cially the largest, most-valuable trees, will disappearfrom the BC coast if the current methods oftargeting these forests continue. And, the likelihoodof this increases as the provincial governmentderegulates the forest industry and places moremanagement control in the hands of timbercompanies. The incentive to log as much cedar aspossible is tremendous as it is not anticipated thatthe market for high-quality cedar products willdiminish. Unless the logging of cedar is morestrictly regulated, we could soon see the disappear-ance of old-growth, leaving only the less-valuablesecond growth forests.

If future generations are to benefit from old-growth western red cedar forests then we musturgently reform how these forests are managed.Such policy reform must include adequate conser-vation of old-growth cedar forests, protection ofculturally modified trees and surrounding forest,and implementation of ecosystem-based forestmanagement that eliminates large-scale clearcuttingof cedar forests and maintains a diverse range ofage and size classes of cedar forests.

When determining the allowable annual cut(AAC), the government must exclude both uneco-nomic timber as well as western red cedar forestswith high cultural and ecological values. Also, areasthat connect across the entire forest landscapemust be permanently conserved.

The unique benefits provided by old-growthwestern red cedar forests are irreplaceable. Weencourage the government of British Columbia,coastal First Nations, and others with rights to logto negotiate and honour land-use plans andforestry agreements that will ensure these forestsare managed to provide cultural, ecological andeconomic benefits for centuries to come.

British Columbia’s western red cedar forests are a globally unique natural heritage.

Specific plant and animal species, rich First Nations cultures, and a valuableeconomic niche in BC’s forest industry are sustained by the old-growth cedar

forests of Canada’s Pacific coast. Today, however, old-growth cedar is increasingly

rare as timber companies target these older, extremely valuable trees in order tomaintain revenue in an otherwise challenging forest economy.

Conclusion Conclusion

25

• Through the assessment of land-use planningrecommendations and formal government-to-government negotiations with First Nations,conserve the ecological integrity of western redcedar forests, especially vital stands of old-growth in BC's coastal rainforests, by designatinga system of permanent protected areas andforest ecosystem reserve networks.

• Ensure that sufficient old-growth red cedar isconserved to meet the cultural and economicneeds of coastal First Nations, and increasefunding to them in order to identify and protectculturally modified western red cedar trees.

• Legislate restrictive regulations in the BC govern -ment's new Forest and Range Practices Act tolimit the forest industry's opportunity to highgrade old-growth western red cedar.

• Amend BC's Forest Act to ensure that licenseesare required to log the species profile withintheir operating areas so that red cedar and otherspecies are not logged at an unsustainable rate.

• Change BC forest policy to ensure that raw logsand minimally processed wood are not exportedso that value-added industries can expand. Thisshould include reforming the forest harvestlicensing system (tenure) so that manufacturingcompanies in BC have an opportunity to buylogs and lumber, including red cedar, instead ofallowing the bulk of this wood and Canadianjobs to be exported to the U.S. and other juris-dictions.

• Amend government policies to ensure that infor-mation regarding Tree Farm Licenses (TFLs) isavailable to the public from government andforest licensees.

• The current provincial policy of not acceptingraw log export applications for red and yellowcedar from public land must be upheld. This willallow BC manufacturers to make wood productswith greater value than what is paid for logs andcants. The federal policy of allowing export ofred and yellow cedar logs from private land mustend in order to provide BC manufacturers moreaccess to wood, which will create more jobs hererather than abroad.

• Cancel the forest management arrangement forTimber Supply Areas (TSA) known as DefinedForest Area Management (DFAM), under whichTSA licensees manage all aspects of the TSA,including conducting the Timber Supply Review.

• Reform the Timber Supply Review process toensure that each Timber Supply Report is writ-ten by government officials, and contains clearand accurate information about the volume ofeach species on the Timber Harvesting LandBase (THLB) and that the AAC for each TSAand TFL are set at an ecologically sustainablelevel.

Recommendations:Recommendations:

APPENDIX 1:METHODOLOGY ANDSOURCESMethodology and Data Sources Source of Billing Data The analysis in this report is basedupon data from Harvest BillingReports purchased from the BritishColumbia Ministry of Forests todetermine the annual volume ofwood, by species, logged in eachTimber Supply Area or Tree FarmLicence. The data purchased was fora time period starting at the begin-ning of the most recent cut-controlperiod and ending on December 31,2001. The start date for each cut-control period varied by licence. TheHarvest Billing Reports were forpublic land, except for TFLs 39 and44, which included data for ScheduleA private land. This data wasincluded in the analysis because thelicensee’s Timber Harvesting LandBase inventory did not distinguishbetween public and private land inthese two TFLs.

To show a complete picture of thevolume of all wood actually cut ineach area, waste data were alsopurchased in the customized reportfrom the Ministry of Forests. Thebilling data and waste data for eachspecies were added together for eachyear, and this was used to determinethe percentage of red cedar loggedduring the most-recently completedfive-year, cut-control period.

Some of the Tree Farm Licencesare broken into smaller sections,known as blocks. These blocks, not to

be confused with cutblocks, are identi-fied by the forest district in which theyare located. The billing data werepurchased for each of the TFL blocks.

Point of ComparisonThe billing data were used to deter-mine the composition of red cedaras a percentage of the actual cut forthe most-recent, cut-control period,which was then compared to thepercentage of red cedar in the inven-tory for the TSA or TFL. The termcut-control period was defined byForest Act regulations prior to 2002,which have subsequently changed. Acut-control period is typically for a5-year period, the term of whichvaries with each licence.

Each Timber Supply Area maycontain forest licences with differentcontrol periods. However, mostmajor forest licences on the BCcoast have a common start date fortheir cut-control period. Therefore, acommon start date was used for thepurposes of analysis, even thoughthe actual date for each cut-controlperiod may not have started at thesame time.

Inventory SourcesInventory data were obtained foreach management area from anumber of sources. Where possible,the data were obtained directly fromthe TFL holder, while the Ministryof Sustainable ResourceManagement supplied the data forthe remaining TFLs and for theTSAs. Unless otherwise stated, the

inventory data were organized byvolume (m3), by tree species on thenet Timber Harvesting Land Base(THLB), which was used to deter-mine the proportion of red cedar inthe standing volume on the THLB.It is believed that the inventory is forall age classes. All inventory data setsare for public land only, unlessotherwise noted. All attempts weretaken to obtain the best-availableinventory information, however, thequality of the information could notbe independently verified..

Inventories for standing volumewithin the Arrowsmith, Fraser,Kingcome, Mid-Coast, North Coast,Queen Charlotte Islands, Soo,Strathcona, and Sunshine TimberSupply Areas were supplied by theMinistry of Sustainable ResourceManagement. The data for theTimber Harvesting Landbase weredefined as land available for long-term, integrated resource manage-ment. The net volume in cubicmetres is gross volume less decay,waste, and breakage based on a 17.5cm+ stump diameter inside barkutilization level. The data of inven-tory varied by TSA, but representedthe most-recently available data set.

TFL 6: Western Forest Productssupplied the inventory informationfor the Timber Harvesting LandBase. The data source was theManagement Plan #9 Timber SupplyInformation Package, less the esti-mated volume harvested by speciesfrom 1998 to January 2001.


TFL 19: Western Forest Productssupplied the inventory informationfor the Timber Harvesting LandBase with inventory current toJanuary 2000. The data source wasthe Management Plan #9 TimberSupply Information Package.TFL 25: Western Forest Productssupplied the inventory informationfor the Timber Harvesting LandBase from Management Plan 10 withinventory current as of Jan.1, 2001.

TFL 37: Canfor supplied the currentestimated volume by species for theTimber Harvesting Land Base basedon TFL 37 Management Plan 8, lessthe estimated volumes harvested byspecies from 1997 to September2001.

TFL 43: Scott Paper supplied theinventory for the Timber HarvestingLand Base, current as of December31, 1998. The inventory did notdifferentiate between conifer species.

TFLs 39 and 44: Weyerhaeusersupplied the inventory data for thegross THLB in these two TFLs. Thedata is believed to be the most-recent available to the company. Theinventory data set is for both public(schedule B land) and private land(schedule A land). The TFL 39 datais from 1999 and the TFL 44 data isfrom 2000.

TFL 46 and TFL 47: (CampbellRiver & Port McNeill ForestDistricts): TimberWest supplied the

species breakdown, by percentage,for the Timber Harvesting LandBase. TimberWest did not providethe actual volumes of timber withinthe THLB. No date of inventorywas provided, but is believed to bethe most-recent information.TFL 47: (Queen Charlotte IslandsForest District): While TimberWestis the tenure holder for TFL 47, allmanagement of this portion of theTFL was sub-contracted to JS JonesLogging. Dick Jones of JS JonesLogging was contacted in an attemptto obtain data, but he would notrelease this information pertaining topublic land. The Ministry ofSustainable Resource Managementsupplied the inventory informationfor this section of the TFL withvolumes projected to January 1,1999. The year of the aerial photog-raphy was 1990.

TFL 10, TFL 38, TFL 45, andTFL 54: Interfor was unable toprovide the inventory by species byvolume for the Timber HarvestingLand Base. Because it is not a legalrequirement to do so, the companydoes not organize the inventory databy species. Interfor stated that for afee they could provide the inventoryby volume, but that it would beorganized by species mix (hembal,cedar-hemlock, etc.), which would beincompatible with the reportmethodology. The necessary infor-mation does exist in a raw form, butInterfor said the expense of collatingthe data would be prohibitive and

they were unwilling to pay thisexpense. The inventory was obtainedfrom the Ministry of SustainableResource Management, and TFL 10,TFL 45, and TFL 54 data wereacquired by the government in 1995from the companies that hold thelogging rights with volumesprojected to January 1, 1999. TFL 38data were acquired by the govern-ment in 1995 and 1996 with volumesprojected to Jan. 1, 1999.

27

APPENDIX 2: CEDAR RAWLOG EXPORTSCanadian federal government regula-tions allow the export of raw cedarlogs from private lands, and recentdata show a significant increase inred cedar log exports as documentedin the adjacent graph.67


Raw log export of red and yellow cedar trees under federal export permitfrom coastal BC

29

APPENDIX 3: OPENMARKETSBritish Columbia’s logging industryis structured to benefit large, mostlymultinational timber companies,often at the expense of localcommunities, First Nations and theenvironment. Approximately 20companies control two-thirds68 ofthe Allowable Annual Cut on publicland, which limits the amount ofwood available to small and medium-sized companies. These smallercompanies, both logging and manu-facturing, generally create value-added products, which require fewertrees to be cut than with the large-scale industry where trees of greatvalue are often shipped abroad withminimal manufacturing performed inBC or are converted to pulp. Insteadof large companies automaticallyhaving access to the best wood, oneway to provide opportunities tosmaller companies would be theestablishment of an open logmarket.

Currently on the Vancouver LogMarket, five large companies domi-nate sales and trading whereas a trulycompetitive log market would ensurethat all timber companies send afixed percentage of the logs they cutto the market and then when acompany needed a specific log itcould buy it from that open market.This is especially important forsmall- and medium-sized companiesthat need cedar to create value-addedproducts because such companiesgenerally have difficulty accessing

this highly desirable wood. Growth of the value-added

sector – sawmills and remanufactur-ing plants – would lead to increasedinvestment and employment and lessdemand on our forests becausefewer trees could be cut if biddingon an open log market increased theprice so that companies did morewith less timber.

Instead, timber companies withlogging rights on the BC coast todaykeep the logs they cut and oftenactually subtract value from thiswood instead of creating a morevaluable product. Large timbercompanies can't or won't invest innew equipment that would maximizethe value of a log, and they oftenrefuse to sell it to another BCcompany that could.

Paul McElligott, president ofTimberWest, which is one of thelarge companies operating in BC,recently observed:

He [McElligott] warned a further15- to 20-per-cent reduction inemployment is on the horizon,noting the coast does not haveany sawmills equivalent to theefficient Interior sawmillscompeting in the U.S. marketdespite softwood tariffs. “Wedon't have one mill that is capa-ble of efficiently processing afive- to seven-inch-diameter log. Igo out on operational tours and Ilook at logs that are beautifulwood, dead straight. Logs thatguys in the Interior would cry

over. They go into the chipperbecause nobody is geared up.They go as pulpwood, not asawlog.” 69

1. The use of the term western red cedarin this report refers to western redcedar(Thuja plicata), which is the proper taxo-nomic name for this tree species.

2. A cant is a large diameter timber that isessentially a log that has been squared.

3. http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/register.htm

4. Richard Hebda, History of Cedars inWestern North America, page 8 inProceedings of the Cedar Symposium,May 28-30, 1996, Haida Gwaii. (Victoria:Ministry of Forests, Province of BC, 1999)pgs 5 - 13.

5. Hilary Stewart, Cedar (Vancouver:Douglas & McIntyre, 1984) Page 26.

6. Around Stryd and Vicki Feddema,Sacred Cedar: The Cultural andArchaeological Significant of CulturallyModified Trees (Vancouver: David SuzukiFoundation, 1998) page 6.

7. Stewart, page 26.

8. Hal Reveley, Setting the Stage, page 3 inProceedings of the Cedar Symposium,May 28-30, 1996, Haida Gwaii. (Victoria:Ministry of Forests, Province of BC, 1999)pages 2 - 4.

9. Karel Klinka, Update on Silvics ofWestern Redcedar and Yellow-cedar, pages24 & 25 in Proceedings of the CedarSymposium, May 28-30, 1996, HaidaGwaii. (Victoria: Ministry of Forests,Province of BC, 1999) pages 14 - 28.

10. Wade Davis, The Clouded Leopard(Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998)page 214.

11. Stewart, page 8.

12. Stryd, page 5.

13. David Garrick, Shaped Cedars andCedar Shaping. (Vancouver: Western

Canada Wilderness Committee, 1998),page 381 and Pers Comm David Garrick,May 2002.

14. Joanna Piros, Truck Logger, CedarUnlimited Part I, Spring 2003, pages 13-17(17).

15. Piros, page 17.

16. Piros, page 17.

17. John Nelson, Log Price Comparisonsin the Vancouver Log Market. (Bellingham:Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, December2001) page 11.

18. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Coast loggers turn to cedar to stay alive:Harvesting more of the high-value woodonly alternative as hemlock price plunges,Page C1, January 17, 2001.

19. Joanna Piros, Truck Logger, The RealDeal - Cedar Unlimited Part II, Summer2003, Vol. 26 Number 2, p. 14.

20. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Forest-plan deadline shot, executive says,Page C1, Dec. 5, 2001.

21. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,More mills to close because of land deal:Doman Industries plans a closureannouncement and a lumber executivewarns more will come :Page F10, April 20,2001.

22. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,More mills to close because of land deal:Doman Industries plans a closureannouncement and a lumber executivewarns more will come :Page F10, April 20,2001.

23. Council of Forest Industries, Trends inWestern Red Cedar Log Harvest andUtilization BC Coast, (Vancouver: COFI,March 16, 1964), page 13.

24. Ibid, page 3 & 4.

25. The Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) isthe amount of timber that a company cancut for a specific tenure; the actual cut maybe higher or lower than the AAC in anygiven year, as long as the average actual cutis no more than 10% above the AAC for a5 year period.

26. COFI, pages 14, 15, & 17.

27. Interfacts, April 1996, Vol. 2, No. 2,Interfor Publication.

28. Selected inventories from TFL 39Management Plans 4, 7, and 8,Weyerhaeuser.

29. Heiltsuk First Nation, How Long Willit Last? Cedar Logging in the HeiltsukTraditional Territory, Bella Bella: 2001.

30. Petti Fong and David Hogben,Vancouver Sun, Half of coastal mills toshut down: Up to 14,000 B.C. workers idleby next week because of U.S. tariff, indus-try official says. August 17, 2001, page A1.and Gordon Hamilton and Derrick Penner.Vancouver Sun Mills scramble to beatdeadlines: B.C. forest firms take advantageof a brief window of opportunity beforethe costly softwood duty is applied. May21, 2002. Page D1.

31. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Cedar: One of B.C.'s bright spots:Technology can create amazing substitutesbut only nature can create cedar, and we'vegot forests full of it, Gordon Hamiltonreports Page E3, June 15, 2002.

32. John Nelson, Log Price Comparisonsin the Vancouver Log Market. (Bellingham:Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, December2001).

33. Nelson, page 35.

34. Domestic sales is defined as sold withinBC as reported to the Ministry of Forests.

35. http://www.standup

ENDNOTES


forcedar.com/media.html

36. Ministry of Forests. Procedure ofBritish Columbia Procedures for Export ofTimber 1999: Vancouver and PrinceRupert Forest Regions. (Victoria:Government of BC, July 1999), page 4.

37. Ibid, page 7.

38. Guujaaw affidavit. Massett Band,Michael Nicoll, and the Haida Nation vs.Stejack Logging Ltd., et al., Supreme Courtof BC, May 28, 1990. Page 11.

39. Ibid, page 6.

40. Ibid, page 5.

41. Ibid, page 12.

42. Joanna Piros, Truck Logger, CedarUnlimited, Spring 2003, pages 13-17 (15).

43. Christian White, Speaking AboutCedar, page 50 in Proceedings of theCedar Symposium, May 28-30, 1996, HaidaGwaii. (Victoria: Ministry of Forests,Province of BC, 1999) pages 49 - 50.

44. Ministry of Water, Land, Air,Protection, Environmental Report: ArtlishRiver Nanaimo: MoWLAP, October 18,2000, page 10.

45. Ministry of Water, Land, Air,Protection, Environmental Report:Nahwitti River Nanaimo: MoWLAP,October 18, 2000, pages 9-10.

46. Ministry of Water, Land, Air,Protection, Environmental Report:Macktush River Nanaimo: MoWLAP,October 18, 2000, page 8.

47. The Red List "includes any indigenousspecies or subspecies (taxa) considered tobe Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatenedin British Columbia. Extirpated taxa nolonger exist in the wild in BC, but occurelsewhere. Endangered taxa are facingimminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened taxa are likely to becomeendangered if limiting factors are notreversed. Red-listed taxa include those thathave been, or are being evaluated for thesedesignations. CDC website:http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/list.htm

48. Syd Cannings, David Fraser, andWilliam Harper. 1999. Rare Birds of BC,Ministry of Environment, Lands, andParks, Page 95.

49. Alan Burger, Conservation Assessmentof Marbled Murrelets in British Columbia,A Review of the Biology, Populations,Habitat Associations, and Conservation.Government of Canada, Canadian WildlifeService. 2002. Pages 39 & 40.

50. Ibid, page IX.

51. Ruth van den Driessche, MonicaMather and Trudy Chatwin. 1999. HabitatUse by Bats in Temperate Old-GrowthForests, Clayoquot Sound, BritishColumbia. Unpublished report to Ministryof Environment, Lands and Parks. 36pp.

52. Ibid.

53. Syd Cannings et al. 1999. RareAmphibians, Reptiles, and Mammals ofBC, Ministry of Environment, Lands, andParks, p.67.

54. Dave Dunbar, et al. Spotted OwlManagement Options Report, Ministry ofEnvironment, Lands, and Parks, 1994, pagexi.

55. Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, The BattleOver Logging, December 8, 2001.

56. Aran O'Carroll, et al. An InitialScoping Assessment of Logging Threats toSpotted Owl Habitat in the ChilliwackForest District Forest Watch of BC &Sierra Legal Defence Fund. November2001. page 7 of Tab 5.

57. Pers. Comm. Andy Miller, MSc,

September 2, 2003.

58. Ibid.

59. Ibid.

60. Ibid.

61. CBC website, BC's Spotted owl faceextinction, scientists warn, Oct 7, 2003,http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/10/07/spotted_owls021007

62. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Board urges protection for wildlife habi-tats, May 30, 2003. Page H4.

63.http://www.standupforcedar.com/media.html

64. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Interfor to move BC mill to US: Transferof jobs to American workers marks a firstin softwood dispute. September 28, 2002.

65. Ibid.

66. While this time period is not an officialcut-control period, it represents a reason-able estimate for cut-control periods formajor forest licences within the TSA.

67. Graph from Ministry of Forest data:Exported Volume Summary for Federalexport permits from the coast byDestination, for the years 1995 to 2000.

68.http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ftp/hth/external/!publish/apportionment/aptr043.pdf

69. Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun,Forest firm brass join in urging premier toaction, July 9, 2003.

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red cedar (thuja plicata) is found in the temperate coastal ......tial component of the coastal...

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