The preservation of so-called monumental cedars, those used to create native totem poles and canoes, is a key objective of a new forest management system that has been established for part of British Columbia's central coast.
The new ecosystem-based scheme was legally established yesterday through a ministerial order signed by Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell.
It covers a portion of the south central coast about three times the size of PEI and is an extension of an agreement of the province's land-use plan for the north and central coast areas.
Dallas Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council representing seven native communities, said resources will now be developed and managed so cultural values are included in decision-making.
"This is just something that has been unheard of in our territories," said Mr. Smith, noting that much of the area has been the subject of industrial logging for more than a century.
He says this partnership is a direct result of the new relationship between the B.C. government and native communities.
"As we see the new relationship develop, you're starting to see the ability for us to work at different technical levels that we never even comprehended in the past," he explained at a news conference at the B.C. Legislature.
"Just to be where we are now is amazing to our nations."
Under the new management system, forest companies or licensees will be required to adhere to 15 objectives in their development plans, including the protection of giant cedars.
Those are trees that are more than 100 centimetres in diameter and range from 160 to 230 years old.
"We're able to identify the areas where monumental cedar traditionally grew and write objectives that protect those values to ensure that we have room for economic growth but we can also go back to the past and use that monumental cedar," Mr. Smith explained.
"So it's very important for us to identify not only where monumental cedar exist now, but where it will be in the future for our future generations."
Other objectives include a new take on traditional native forest uses, such as mushroom-picking areas, and a recognition of the need to protect heritage sites.
There are also measures to protect watersheds that are deemed critical to supporting wild salmon.
Areas of grizzly bear habitat will also be maintained under the new system, but Mr. Bell noted the map identifying those specific areas is still being drawn and should be ready by Sept. 30.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the provincial chapter of the Sierra Club, have given the province a "countdown clock" to remind the government of its commitment to fully implement ecosystem-based management over the entire coast by 2009.
"Today is a significant step forward in that process," said Mr. Bell, who noted the clock now reads 608 days to go. "The work is not all done, there's more to do, but we think this is a great step."The Globe and Mail
