The Quiet Battle for Cai Creek's Old-Growth Forest

The Cai Creek watershed is a hotspot for controversy. It is home to old-growth trees, and some people want to protect it. Others want to log it. The government has a role to play in this. They are trying to balance public opinion with their own goals. The government has a special group called BC Timber Sales. They plan and design logging operations. They also sell the timber to the highest bidder. The government says that public comments are important. They say that they consider these comments when making decisions. However, a biologist named Matt Casselman disagrees. He thinks that the government mostly ignores public comments. He thinks they do the bare minimum to show they have considered them. Casselman tried to stop the logging. He collected 450 signatures and sent them to the forest minister. He asked the minister to cancel or postpone the logging. The minister declined to accept the petition. Casselman then filed a complaint with the Forest Practices Board. He wants the board to recommend that the government delay or halt the logging plan. The Forest Practices Board investigates how well industry and government follow forest practice laws. They do not impose penalties. They make recommendations. The board's investigation is not yet concluded. However, BC Timber Sales has already put the contested cut blocks up for public auction. Casselman wants to protect the Cai Creek watershed. He says it is an intact watershed with extensive old-growth trees. He thinks the logging will irreversibly disrupt the ecological integrity and resilience of the watershed. The government has a different view. They say that the timber sale license includes protections for individual large and old trees. They also say that it includes retention areas for individual stems, trees, and wildlife tree areas. The government and Casselman agree on the definition of old-growth trees. They say that old-growth trees are 140-plus years old. However, they disagree on where old growth exists. Casselman thinks the government is using this disagreement to its advantage. He says that the area BC Timber Sales plans to harvest overlaps with intact forest. He wants the Forest Practices Board to recommend that the government look more deeply into the overlaps and shifting boundaries. The government has two recent clear directions. They have undertaken a review of BC Timber Sales. They believe the agency is not meeting its cutting targets. The stated goals of the review do not mention the environment. They downplay environmental protection and old growth in favor of maximizing timber volume.