This section summarizes the responses to the questions the Nisga'a Tribal Council posed in the appendix of the Discussion Paper. The number of respondents providing similar answers is noted in brackets following each response.
Whose needs are addressed with the approach taken by this Timber Supply Review?
• large corporations and major licensees (2)
• not local residents (2)
• wishes and aims of Stewart and processing facilities outside the region (1)
• not indigenous people (1)
One submission notes that the chief forester must consider information that best reflects current forest management practices, public input, and the social and economic implications of his decision
Will current forest management practices, as defined by the Ministry of Forests, sustain the forest in the Kalum North (Nass)? Will they sustain the societies that depend on the forest? For how long?
• no (2)
• forests in the Kalum North (Nass) and the societies and economies that depend on these forests will be sustained forever at a lower rate than the current allowable annual cut (1)
How do we move from today's economy and social structure to a more diverse, sustainable economy and social structure?
• a value-added facility is needed within the timber supply area (2)
• more small scale alternative logging operations, more community forests, smaller tenures (woodlots), and an infrastructure to implement these initiatives (2)
• diversifying an economy takes time and a free market economy, with less government intervention and more risk-taking is preferred (1)
• a more equitable public input process is necessary (1)
• forest and ecology research, restoration programs and equal consideration of other values (1)
Shouldn't we consider reducing our logging to sustainable levels now rather than leave the problem to our children, and theirs?
• yes (3); one suggests the decision be deferred until the Nisga'a forestry studies are incorporated in the analysis, one mentions that a processing facility within the timber supply area and a reduction of fibre flow outside of the timber supply area would compensate for the local economic impacts of timber supply adjustments
• decision should be conservative (1)
• Nisga'a knowledge about forestry in Kalum North (Nass) is being ignored; the Ministry of Forests has a narrow perception of forestry, and the probable inaccuracy of the timber supply analysis could result in an unsustainable harvest rate (1)
• the analysis did not consider where the Nisga'a live or their willingness to experiment with non-conventional forestry (1)
• the long-term timber supply level may actually be higher than stated in the review, thereby making the need for an immediate harvest level reduction less critical (1)
• recent yield revisions, which increased the long-term timber supply level, are an attempt to justify the continuation of unsustainable harvesting (1)
• the review dealt exclusively with timber quantity rather than quality (1)
• the review failed to note the Kalum North (Nass) area has been massively overcut (1)
• if utilized, opportunities in back country recreation, education and research could double employment in five years (1)
• the Ministry of Forests’ suggestion of partial cutting in stream-side zones and harvesting in physically and environmentally marginal areas is not acceptable (1)
In addition to answers to the questions posed in the Discussion Paper, the Nisga'a received the following general input from single respondents:
• the Minister of Forests' social and economic objectives should not be considered by the chief forester
• Kalum North (Nass) resources have been undervalued and squandered; Orenda's wood supply should be restricted to ensure that demand drives the economic return from the forest resources and thereby enhances the future of Nass timber supply area communities
• there was a discrepancy between the discussion paper and the analysis report, in that the discussion paper states that volumes may be overestimated by "as much as 10 per cent" while the timber supply analysis report states "by about 10 per cent"
• if commercial thinning becomes a widespread practice, it will decrease rotation ages, which will then limit the capacity of the site to sustain economic activity and biological vitality; increased production demands on poor and medium sites without incremental silviculture can lead to site degradation and reduced site productivity; the 250 year rotation age recommended by the Nisga'a is more acceptable
• since losses to pests and fire will increase, the land base is smaller than defined for the timber supply analysis
