The Forest Practices Act requires logging companies to present their Forest Stewardship Plans (i.e. logging plans) before the public who could have an interest in those plans. The public can comment on those plans and the logging companies are required to address any concerns and to respond back to members of the public who have made submissions. Well, we waited and waited for Tsain-Ko's response to our submissions but no response came and then a Friends of Egmont member received a call from Tsain-Ko's Consulting Forester. He, um, had lost all the emails sent to him. He had neglected to save them and when his ISP went down in in the summer....whoosh, all gone! Well, FOE obliged Mr. Cam Forrester (who by the way, has never formally thanked us) and he could now prepare the required FSP Public Response Letter and send it out. However, to give insult to injury, FOE has never received this response letter; but, someone gladly shared their letter with us and we are now going to post it to this blog. It is a long letter and so we recommend you grab a cup of coffee or tea and make yourself comfortable. Here goes...
December 13, 2007
FSP Public Response Letter
Tsain-ko Forest Stewardship Plan
Dear...
This letter is a general response to public input into the Tsain-Ko Forestry Development Corporation's (TKFDC) Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) for the Sunshine Coast and the shishalh Traditional Territory, received during May - June, 2007. The source of comments and concerns were overwhelmingly related to the Egmont, North Lake and Waugh Lake areas. There were also several general comments directed to concerns related to operating areas outside of the Egmont area. This letter relies on a review of all comments received but with emphasis on the June 6, 2007 "complaint" letter form the Friends of Egmont, which is considered to have solicited a broadly representative segment of the citizens of Egmont presented an exhaustive and articulate airing of concerns with the TKFDC's FSP and operating plans.
The form of the responses which were received by representatives of TKFDC were as follows:
1) Friends of Egmont, formal complaint letter and petition with approximately 469 signatures;
2) Approximately 63 e-mails;
3) 21 letters;
4) 3 phone calls; and
5) 35 post cards were received by representatives of TKFDC. (See attachment 1: TKFDC FSP Communication Ledger)
The TKFDC FSP consultation process has followed this timeline:
- March 30, 2007 draft FSP submitted to the Sunshine Coast Forest District;
- March 23 & 30, 2007 - Notice placed in the Coast Reporter announcing the public review and consultation period;
- April 05, 2007 - Copy of FSP deposited with the Egmont Museum
- April 05, 2007 - Open house held at the TKFDC office in Sechelt:
- May 4, 2007 - Notice placed in the Coast Reporter announcing a public meeting for May 23 and an extension of the official review and comment period to May 30, 2007. Notices also placed in public space in Egmont in early May, 2007;
- May - June, 2007 - Receipt of numerous responses mainly related to concerned residents and other concerned by forestry developments in the Egmont, North Lake and Waugh Lake areas.
Since the open house in Egmont, Chaskin Management has been working with an Sunshine Coast Regional District directed advisory group to review our current harvesting plans. This group is comprised of various members of the community within the Ruby Lake, North Lake and Egmont areas. To date, the group has met several times including three site visits of the proposed harvesting. Although the group is in its early inception, we are encouraged with the group's deep commitment to ensuring that community values are held paramount.
The comments received can be categorized into several main themes:
A. Opposition to forestry and road building around watersheds based on concerns for water users and water quality;
B. Logging adjacent to the Skookumchuck Provincial Park;
C. Concerns over impacts to local recreation and tourism;
D. Windthrow and visual management buffer issues for cutblock boundaries adjacent to Egmont Road shown on the FSP maps;
E. Plans for other non-Egmont operating areas;
F. Perception that the public consultation process is flawed;
G. Interest in a sustainable approach to forestry and logging;
H. Comparisons with the "Courtnall" property.
(to be continued)
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