Tsain-Ko Logging - Part 1

I am reposting the logging areas for Ruby Lake and the corner of Hwy 101 & Egmont Road. This will be followed by all the other planned cutblocks so that you can have a complete overview of what is planned for this area. On the maps, I have coloured the main roads so you can see them clearly. At the Tsain-Ko Information meeting it was mentioned that the Ruby Lake cutblock would be about 40 acres in size giving about 12,000 cubic metres of timber and this would work out to 240 truckloads heading down Hwy 101. The cutblock on the corner of Hwy 101 & Egmont Rd (across from the community's new tourist sign) looks larger. No where on the logging maps or in the document accompanying them (Forest Stewardship Plan Submission) does it indicate the size of any of these cutblocks. I find this hard to understand since these documents are part of the public consultation process by which we supposed to make informed decisions whether we accept or reject the logging plans. That being said, the community has rejected Tsain-Ko's logging plans because it does not want logging on the watersheds which supplies its drinking water and no longer wants to see clear-cut logging which it views as unsustainable and a threat to its economic existence.

Tsain-Ko Logging - Part 2

In this posting, we will show you the cutblocks planned for the North Lake to Waugh Lake area. The four cutblocks outlined in solid red have been "engineered" and the large block outlined in a dotted line is "planned" at this stage. The dotted green line is the boundary of the community watershed that feeds the source of our drinking water - Waugh Lake.

Here is a close-up look at the cuts on the one side of North Lake. All these cuts are in the North Lake Watershed and the long cut above the lots on the lake could have an impact on their wells. The timber extracted from these cuts is to be trucked down Egmont Road and then down the highway.

This is the huge cutblock planned for the elevated area sandwiched between Egmont Road and Maple Road. If the cutblock at Ruby Lake will put at least 240 logging trucks on the road, can you imagine what this cut will produce! As you can see, about one third of the cut is in the Waugh Lake Watershed. As well, there is concern this cut could have an impact on all the Maple Road homeowners' wells. Now, if the Tsain-Ko's map legend is to be believed, the logging roads into this cut are discribed as "permanent reconstruction." Why permanent?

Tsain-Ko Logging - Part 3

This is the scan showing the planned cut (EG273) butting up to the southern edge of the Provincial Park (dotted red line because it has not been "engineered." To access this cutblock, Tsain-Ko wants to recommission the old North Lake logging road and extend it the extra 3-4 km (purple dotted line). As you can see that new logging road swings into the SIB reserve land. The Tsain-Ko reps said there are plans to log the Band's land and develop it for recreational purposes. Therefore, they want to make that new extension a "permanent" road which is how it is indicated in the map legend. The North Lake logging road lies in the heart of the watershed. Opening it up permanently to traffic is a major concern for this community and for the residents of Doriston which is south of the Band's holding.


Finally, we would like to show you the two BC Timber Sales cutblocks (outlined in black) . BCTS put these on the market some time ago; but, surprisingly no one has purchased them to the best of our knowledge. These, too, are a great worry to the community's Water board and members have been in contact with BCTS protesting these proposed cutblocks.

Tsain-Ko Logging Map

FOE now has the logging map that was displayed at the May 23rd Information Meeting in Egmont. We have scanned the proposed logging areas and will now begin putting them up on this blog. As well, we are taking advantage of Google Maps and putting an outline of those cuts on satellite images of the area. It's a bit time consuming so it will take a few days, but here are the first two images. These are the cutblocks planned for Ruby Lake and the corner of Hwy 101 & Egmont Rd. At the information meeting, Ken Snedden said about 240 truckloads of logs would be coming out of the Ruby Lake cut and travelling down the highway.


Below, are this same cuts on the satelitte image. The orange lines are paved roads (Hwy 101, Egmont Road, etc). The yellow lines are the logging roads within the cutblocks. Tsain-Ko has indicated in the map legend that these logging roads are: "Located Road (permanent)." Can anyone verify if there are roads already in existence into these cuts? If not, why would they be indicated as permanent and not temporary?