Day 056 - 28 Nov 94 - Page 22

     
     1        species will suffer, is that correct?
     2        A.  Many other species would migrate to the remaining
     3        forest areas.
     4
     5   Q.   So it causes enforced migration of many species?
     6        A.  Clearfelling of a forest without subsequent management,
     7        leaving an area in any form more barren than it was, will
     8        have some effect upon the environment, and will cause the
     9        movement of certain animals and certain species into areas
    10        where a more familiar habitat exists.  On the other hand,
    11        it can regenerate a kind of wildlife which was not there
    12        and has not been for many years.
    13
    14   Q.   But in terms of the intentions of the Helsinki resolutions,
    15        signed by all the relevant governments and industries or
    16        adhered to by industries, whatever, clearfelling of large
    17        amounts of forests is being discouraged for both
    18        environmental and economic reasons; is that correct?
    19        A.  There is a statement made by the Finns that
    20        clearfelling of large areas is not economically beneficial,
         that, in fact, smaller areas can be managed extremely well
    22        with clearfelling of small areas of forest at any one
    23        time.  Certainly, in this country that applies because the
    24        restructuring of forests requires that we clear quite small
    25        patches in order to get uneven aged forest to develop in
    26        the future.  So, there is general pattern moving towards
    27        smaller areas of felling at any one time.
    28
    29   Q.   That is because clearfelling of large areas is ecologically
    30        damaging; is that correct?  Is the clearfelling of large
    31        areas in one go of forests ecologically damaging?
    32        A.  The clearfelling of extremely large areas can have an
    33        ecological effect.  The question is how large is "large"?
    34        That really has to be addressed specifically on a situation
    35        of regional forest condition and the objectives of the
    36        organisations concerned with felling.
    37
    38   Q.   Clearfelling of forests beyond, I think you gave later on
    39        the largest allowable figure is 40 hectares, I believe, but
    40        clearfelling on a larger scale than that is taking place,
         is it not, in Canada and in America?
    42        A.  I think it is a question of where we are and when we
    43        are.  Certainly, there were large areas, larger than 40
    44        hectares, being cleared a decade ago.  The situation today
    45        is ---
    46
    47   Q.   In America and Canada?
    48        A.  -- in America and Canada, larger than 40 hectares was
    49        cleared.  The average in British Columbia over the last two
    50        to three years has been under 40 hectares, in fact, under 
    51        35 hectares in the last year. 
    52 
    53   Q.   Private land in America and Canada does not have the same
    54        kind of restrictions that public land has, does it, in
    55        terms of what companies are allowed to clear and how much
    56        space?
    57        A.  Well, if you are talking about Canada, certainly as far
    58        as British Columbia is concerned, 94 per cent all the
    59        forest land is Crown land.  When you are talking about the
    60        United States, very, very large areas of the mature forest,