• The Quesnel Timber Supply Association provided a review of the Socio-Economic Analysis which states that the economic contribution of the forest sector is dramatically underestimated. Their input included the following specific issues:
• the use of person years as a measure of employment does not adequately recognize the number of workers or families which depend on forestry jobs and thereby underestimates the real levels of forest industry employment.
• the benefits and taxes generated by the forest industry are not considered.
• disagreement with the inclusion of public sector jobs, unemployment insurance, transfer payments and income assistance as "basic sector" employment as they are not independent of levels of activity within the TSA. A change in definition, as suggested by the industry group, would significantly raise the contribution of forestry to the basic sector.
• concern that wood processing facility "thresholds" are not expressly addressed.
• future inclusion of areas temporarily deferred from harvest for mule deer will have an upward effect on future employment levels.
• emphasized the importance of considering the effects of increased stumpage levels after May 1994 on revenues to the crown.
• concern that increased wilderness and tourism opportunities associated with lower timber harvest scenarios may be influenced by local population decline associated with lower forestry activity.
• concern that the degree to which signs of community and individual stress will manifest themselves is not "impossible to determine" as stated in the Socio-Economic Analysis. They suggest that scenario one would result in no impact until year 70, scenario two would have measurable increased stress impacts and scenario three would have no impact or may decrease individual and community stress due to increased employment opportunities.
Community and employment impacts
C&C Wood Products Ltd. indicated that the employment coefficients used do not adequately reflect the employment created in the value-added industry. They estimate the value-added sector employs twice the number of people per unit of timber harvested and stressed the importance of maintaining the component of the AAC which supports this sector.
The Quesnel River Watershed Alliance is critical of the Socio-Economic Analysis methodology as it relies too heavily on the relationship between the number of trees harvested and the number of jobs created. They advocate a connection between economic success and healthy ecosystems.
The Cariboo-Chilcotin Wildcraft sector input stresses the importance of the wildcraft resource as an opportunity to improve the economic diversification of local communities.
Environmental impacts
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks input suggests that impacts to fish and wildlife are not treated thoroughly in the Socio-Economic Analysis and that emphasis placed on economic values associated with timber resources versus fish and wildlife resources is very uneven.
One individual highlights the comment in the Socio-Economic Analysis which states that movement of the accessible forest into younger age classes will have negative consequences for some wildlife species and for biodiversity conservation, and some positive impact on early seral dependent species such as moose. They also note that the increased road access associated with harvesting would have negative impacts for many wildlife species and sensitive habitats.
