Leaked map suggests B.C. has approved less than half of proposed old growth deferrals

By Brenna Owen THE CANADIAN PRESS A report from the B.C. branch of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says a leaked map suggests the province has approved a pause for logging in less than half of the old-growth forests identified as being at risk of permanent biodiversity loss. Ben Parfitt, a resource policy analyst with the centre, says a comparison of the maps against 2.6 million hectares of old-growth proposed for deferral in 2021 found 55 per cent of the areas with large and very large trees had been removed from the ministry’s map. At the same time, Parfitt says it shows the ministry has added deferrals in forests with smaller trees that offer little or no commercial value to the logging industry. A statement from Forests Minister Bruce…

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