Employment and community impacts
The technical critique concludes that raising the initial harvest level would not jeopardize the transition to the long-term level. It maintains that, with improved performance in managed pine stands, the average volume per hectare would be even higher than indicated in the base case.
The critique adds that an allowable annual cut increase in the short term would offset potential losses to beetles, disease and fire, and provide economic growth and community stability within the Lakes TSA. Employment would subsequently increase proportionally.
One respondent states there was not enough emphasis on the future employment needs of the local population.
A second respondent contends the socio-economic analysis should include an assessment of employment level differences using alternative harvesting techniques. He advocates the use of horses, small skidders and commercial thinning machines, which he says can maintain the viability of rural communities by increasing the amount of timber harvested, especially as the need for labour decreases due to mill efficiency. He further states that this employment increase would alleviate population pressures in southern B.C., and this stable and growing workforce would provide meaningful healthy outdoor employment for rural communities, alleviate family problems, reduce government financial assistance, and help local businesses and services.
In addition, this respondent maintains that utilizing shelterwood systems would eliminate feller-bunchers and grapple skidders, which have reduced employment in the Lakes Forest District.
Economic impacts
One respondent states that the structure of the Lakes Forest District is perfectly suited for a growing tourism industry to replace forestry jobs. She contends a decline in natural resources impacts back-country tourism, and is concerned that the timber supply review focuses only on the economics of timber values.
She adds that future forests will not be natural; they will be plantations with regeneration uncertainties and susceptibility to disease.
Environmental impacts
One respondent advocates the use of shelterwood systems. The elimination of clearcuts would lead to habitat maintenance for species dependent on extensive forest cover (grizzly bear, pileated woodpecker, hawk, woodland caribou), improvement to water quality for sport and commercial fisheries, and increased tourism values.
Another respondent states that much logging has already occurred and that, judging from a satellite image, the land does not look as if it can sustain much more.
