Dear editor:
Although Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) contributes significantly to Cochrane’s economy, problems of indiscriminate clear-cut logging must be addressed.
As a homeowner on the Ghost River, I have increased concerns about how SLS’ clear-cutting in the Ghost watershed is damaging the landscape and its ecological functions.
Removing this vegetation increases flood risk, a reality supported by reams of research. Trees absorb water in the spring and release it slowly for downstream use. Timing of flow is crucial. Too much at once means flooding. Too little means water rationing. Both extremes are costly and undesirable. Protecting our upper watersheds from rampant industrial use is a much less costly alternative for our tax budgets and our ecology.
As a community, we need to stop allowing clear-cut logging in our upper watersheds. A moratorium on this practice would allow the region to fully recover the ecological functions, which support downstream communities.
SLS should be more than a member of our business community…they need to be responsible stewards of our future.
Susan Cooper Parker
