Woodlot update

Posted on by nielsschwarz

April 2, 2018 The need for action is great given that logging is expected soon.

We are in process of obtaining opinions from provincial parties in regards to the Minister of Forests response to the District of Lantzville’s supported Knarston Creek proposal.
MLA Stilwell has said she is supportive but she also supports Mr.Gregson and hasn’t expressed an opinion in regards to whether the Ministers response has been adequate.
Minister Donaldson only supports registering the trail leading that follows Knarston Creek but isn’t interested in reducing the allowable cut or changing the management plan even though we can fund the compensation that would be due to the license holder. Any reduction in government revenue would be trivial give how small the woodlot is.
We are not only interested in trail protection but seek to protect the Knarston Creek Corridor from any further logging. The proposal asks for a change in the Woodlot management plan and this is what the majority of citizens want and this is why the District of Lanztville has supported the proposal.
The fact that other areas of crown land have been protected doesnt address our concerns.
We have reached out to the Green Party and MLA’s Sonia Furstenau and Adam Olsen.
There will be further news stories in the coming

Ministry Ignore DOL

Posted on by nielsschwarz

March 14, 2018  Bad News. The Ministry of Forests(FLNRO) have up until now ignored a request by DOL to meet and discuss the proposal to spare the Knarston Creek Corridor from logging. At this weeks council meeting another request was made to have staff contact the Ministry. Mr. Gregson is planning a huge cut.  Minister Donaldson has provided NO CREDIBLE reason for why the proposal isn’t worthy even though  solution to compensating Mr. John Gregson(COPCAN) has been found. According to our sources logging will start during March break and clear cutting will affect the Knarston Creek area. Let the NDP and Greens know what you think. Why wont the government even consider the DOL and community supported proposal? Does the government still respect small communities and democratic principles?

Lantzville councillors request meeting with B.C. government over woodlot Community group calling for protected corridor within Woodlot 1475

Posted on by nielsschwarz
https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/lantzville-councillors-request-meeting-with-b-c-government-over-woodlot/

Lantzville councillors request meeting with B.C. government over woodlot

Community group calling for protected corridor within Woodlot 1475

Dear friends, it is heartening to see so much concern over the environment in our community. Photographs of clear cuts on private land in Lantzville are powerful BUT wait till you see the images of the next round of logging within the forest of Upper Lantzville. This forest is crown land i.e PUBLIC LAND that has an extensive trail system and waterfall that many of us currently enjoy as a recreational area and is also of high ecological value. WE own this land and should have some say over what happens even if it has been designated as a Woodlot. We may not have much say over what happens on private property but surely we should be able to protect some of our public land especially with so much future development in Lanztville.
The Knarston Creek Proposal which seeks to protect only a portion of the woodlot is supported by our community and the DOL. This a compromise solution supported by the community and been championed and endorsed by Councillor Mark Swain and other councillors. Action is requires ASAP before we all regret it and view further images of destroyed wildlife habitat.

Inform yourself by reading this news article and checking out savelantzvilleforest.com. The DOL and our community deserve a meeting with the Ministry. A meeting with all involved parties could result in a lasting solution. The Woodlot licence holder Mr. Gregson who is involved in other ventures (COPCAN) deserves fair compensation for his investment and the DOL with the Nanaimo Area Land Trust are willing participants. We are looking to the community for help in persuading the government to represent all of us.

 

Big Cut planned for next month

Posted on by nielsschwarz

In a personal communication with a savelanteville.com member it was revealed that the Woodlot license holder plans to cut 3 years worth of trees or 75 logging trucks worth of trees sometime in the next month or so.

The proposal supported by council and Nanaimo Area Land Trust to protect a portion of the forest from logging has been rejected without a credible explanation.

Why would the Ministry and Minister Donaldson reject a compromise plan that the majority of citizens support with a plan in place to compensate the woodlot license holder?

Hopefully a meeting can be called with the Ministry to discuss and come up with a solution that also represents the interests of our community.

Write the Minister and District Manager to voice your displeasure with the dismissal of the proposal and ask them to reconsider

FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca, Rhonda.Morris@gov.bc.ca

September 9, 2017 NEWS

Posted on by nielsschwarz
Dear all, on Monday night, September 11, 7-? PM, the Lantzville Council will debate the following motion at the District office (7192 Lantzville Road):

“That the District of Lantzville send a letter to the Honourable Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, stating the District of Lantzville Council(DOL) supports the Proposal for the Creation of the Knarston Creek Forest Corridor in Woodlot 1475 as authored by Ted Gullison, Derek Riley, Glen Dunsworth and Niels Schwarz;
 
And that the District of Lantzville Council will consider a level of compensation, in partnership with other funders including but not limited to the Province of British Columbia, to the current licensee of Woodlot 1475 for the reduction in timber harvest to establish the ‘Knarston Creek Forest Corridor’ as outlined in the Proposal for the Creation of the Knarston Creek Forest Corridor.”



The basis of the proposal is for the forest to remain as a working woodlot, but to increase the amount of forest protected from logging by another c. 60 ha.  This would create a wider recreational corridor along Knarston Creek (the heart of the woodlot), and increase the protection of some stands of the most endangered types of Coastal Douglas Fir.  While this proposal falls short of complete protection of the woodlot, we feel that it represents the greatest amount of reduction in logging that will be acceptable to the provincial government.
It is important to show council that Lantzville residents strongly support greater protection of Copley Ridge.  We have a once in a lifetime chance to protect mature globally endangered forest right on our doorsteps.  Once logged, the forest that regrows will be like a plantation, composed of single species even-aged young stands, rather than the diverse old forest that supports many threatened species and that still occupies much of the woodlot. This forest is worth much more to society in terms of its cultural, recreational, and biodiversity values than it is turned into pulp and lumber.  Help us try to conserve as much as we can.
The proposal is attached below.  Please feel free to contact Niels Schwarz (250) 616-6275, Ted Gullison (250) 618-0754, or  Derek Riley (250) 741-4844 if you have any questions.  We hope to see you Monday night. If you cannot make this meeting, please send an email of support to the Mayor and councillors. Their contact info is available at:   http://www.lantzville.ca/cms.asp?wpID=465
MLA Michelle Stilwell has volunteered to raise the proposal with the new Minister of Forests later this month. Support from our DOL will help her make a good case for enhancing protection.
Please feel free to forward this email and attachments to others. A good turn out and show of support would go a long way!

Meeting with MLA Stilwell

Posted on by nielsschwarz

March 10, 2017 Meeting at MLA and Minister Michele Stilwells office to discuss proposal put forward on behalf of Lantzville community and supporters. A compromise proposal was put forward to MLA Michelle Stilwell and Krista Bryce. The proposal is much more modest and limited in its scope but may satisfy some of the conservation and recreation requirements. The proposal is for 60 hectares of protection – 30 ha for conversation and 30 ha of forest for recreation. The majority of this area is around centered around Knarston creek and we seek to have a buffer zone on each side of the creek. This proposal would create a corridor that would be protected forever so that users can understand that at least part of the forest will actually be protected instead of the status quo which is ongoing uncertainty about what areas will be logged next. The proposal seeks to find a balance between social, economic and conservation needs. This proposal has already received support from DOL councillors. MLA Stilwell also expressed support for the proposal and will review and discuss with Minister Steve Thomson. We hope to hear from her soon and shall keep you posted. See attachment for details.

Woodlot Proposal v2PDF

Good News

Posted on by nielsschwarz

February 21, 2017

Members of the SaveLantzvilleForest will be meeting with our local MLA Michelle Stilwell at her Parksville constituency office on March 10. We are thankful to have this opportunity and look forward to having a good conversation about how to increase protection within the woodlot. The Minister of Forests Steve Thomson has indicated that the woodlot could be purchased. However,we have already explored this option with the license holder and potential supporters but this possibility doesnt look feasible and doesnt guarantee increased protection.

Last year we spoke with the Deputy Minister Craig Sutherland and he indicated that ideally Woodlots should only have a small negative impact on local communities and be “low key”. This is no longer the case in our community and our views are supported by District councillors and the majority of residents. Our petition with thousands of hand drawn signatures and addresses attests to the fact that we enjoy a lot of support.

We wish to present a plan that enhances the preservation of the most important ecological and recreational areas within the woodlot. Many locals wish to entirely end logging in the woodlot but is there a compromise solution that is better than the status quo? Can we find come up with a scenario whereby the majority of us feel represented and satisfied instead of only a few?

We shall explore all possibilities and keep you posted. Wish us luck!