Carrier Lumber president Bill Kordyban is among a growing chorus of dissent getting louder in protest over how B.C. forests are being managed by the provincial government.
He’s convinced there’s a better way to support an ailing forest industry left reeling from the impacts of mill closures and job losses. To do that, Kordyban says the province’s forestry ministry has no choice but to give up a large chunk of its fiefdom. Right now, according to industry stakeholders, it’s a broken system, with loggers waiting months for permission to go in with their heavy equipment to cut down trees, and Kordyban is not alone when he says there needs to be a change in policy that recognizes how dire the situation has become.
Kordyban attended a meeting last week in Prince George that gathered forest industry leaders, three local mayors and two B.C. First nation chiefs - Dolleen Logan of Lheidli T’enneh and George Lampreau of Simcw – for a discussion that centred around the long delays it takes for foresters to be granted permit approvals from the province that allow commercial harvesting.
“My takeaway from that meeting is more deference has to be given from Victoria to those who want to manage the forest for the greater good, rather than just simply consuming it and leaving it to chance what happens in the forest,” said Kordyban. “By chance, you can end up with a beautiful ecosystem, untouched, but you’re just as likely, maybe more likely, you’ll end up with a wildfire.
