self-regulation
by
David Wiwchar
Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Feb. 24, 2005
West Coast First Nations have uncovered a huge hole in government bureaucracy
that illustrates the dangers of industry self-regulation.
Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht forestry workers documented 20 landslides in their territories after recent heavy rains. Landslides up to 1.5 kilometres in length have put fisheries enhancement projects in jeopardy, and are raising concerns about hillside stability in logging areas.
Huu-ay-aht Chief Councilor Robert Dennis said his Nation has spent $300,000 a year for the past ten years on salmon enhancement, and those projects could be wiped out if something isn't done.
"The province hired people to do terrain assessments, and we've been asking for those reports to no avail," said Dennis. "We want to know what BC and Weyerhaeuser are going to do about these landslides, why there is harvesting like crazy where there is terrain instability, and why there is no money for hillside stabilization," he said.
Huu-ay-aht forestry consultant Heath Krevesky surveyed the damage to some streams, saying trees and roots were stacked 15 feet high, and mud and silt-laden runoff was coating gravel spawning beds, possibly destroying incubating salmon eggs.
"Harvest plans are not taking unstable lands into consideration, and this is compromising fish habitats," said Krevesky. "It's shoddy logging at the expense of other resources," he said.
According to Krevesky, a 1.5 kilometer long slide came down one hillside straight into the Darling River, blocking a mainline logging road and dumping tons of dirt into the river. After clearing off the road, Krevesky said logging company contractors "haphazardly tried to clear out the stream with an excavator", but he fears they did even more damage as a result.
Krevesky is also concerned terrain analysts fail to take into account the heavy rains that often occur in the winter months when they do their assessments. "It rained 800 millimeters in five days just before the landslides, and although that seems like a lot of rain, it's fairly normal out here," he said.
According to Ministry of Forests District Manager Jack Dryburgh and Compliance and Enforcement supervisor Al Cross, the slides are under review and investigation, so they could not comment on the investigation specifically. "We will determine the cause and if legislation was complied with," said Dryburgh.
Dryburgh claimed the Ministry of Forests does not see the terrain assessment reports, which are the responsibility of the leaseholder. But it is the responsibility of MoF to approve harvest plans. How MoF can approve logging plans without appropriate information on terrain stability remains an outstanding question.
Hayes Forestry holds the terrain assessment reports on Weyerhaeuser's behalf, and according to Weyerhaeuser Operational Planner Mike Davis, the province entrusts companies to comply with basic rules and make sure they're being followed. "They're relying on the professional Foresters qualifications, and if there's an issue the professional association can be brought in," he said.
Our request to see
the terrain assessment reports caused a flurry of e-mails over the weekend
as Weyerhaeuser officials scrambled to determine whether they were legally
required to share the information. As of press-time, Weyerhaeuser had
still not returned our calls.
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Copyright Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper,
published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Reproduction of this article
or photographs, in whole or in part, is illegal without the written consent
of Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper (hashilth@nuuchahnulth.org)
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