B.C.’s Old Growth Scandal
In recent months, British Columbia’s government has made a show of protecting old growth through deferrals, when really it is approving forest destruction at alarming rates.
On-the-ground evidence and satellite research
Advocacy groups and communities across the province have documented proposed deferral areas that have been logged. Additionally, Stand.earth Research Group has been conducting satellite research to verify this documentation and monitor at-risk old growth areas.
Candidate deferral in the north-central interior, logged by Sinclair Group.
Deferral outlined in green, logged area shaded red.
Download the new report from Stand Research Group
In November 2021, British Columbia finally released detailed maps showing 2.6 million hectares of old growth forests across the province that needed to be immediately set aside from logging, through a process known as deferrals.
In the 10 months since deferral maps were released the province has largely failed to stop the logging of the most at-risk deferrals: those that overlap with active and pending forest harvesting permits.
Download the Report
A long overdue commitment
The B.C. government committed to deferrals in all at-risk old growth in September 2020 when they made a promise to implement all 14 recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review Panel. We are 2 years into a 3 year suggested timeline, and they haven’t completed the first step. Though the struggle to protect ancient forests in B.C. has been decades long, here’s a timeline of what has transpired in the past 2 years.
The Whole World Is Watching
B.C.’s grandstanding has been a jarring contrast to reality: the most at-risk old growth forests are being cut down, while Indigenous peoples, scientists, advocacy groups and celebrities continue to call on B.C. to immediately stop logging in proposed old growth deferral areas.