Dear editor:
I am writing to express my opposition to the current plan for logging in the Ghost River Valley.
I’d like to summarize some problematic aspects of the current logging plan so that others might also be moved to act against this plan.
Use of Jamieson Road and Highway 1A:
• Traffic: The plan calls for 5,300 truckloads in two years. This works out to one every 20 minutes during logging season.
• Danger: Jamieson Road is a narrow, hilly, winding residential/agricultural road. Residents and other users will be in greater danger of an accident while using the road.
• Highway safety: The Jamieson Road / Hwy 1A corner has no turning, passing, or acceleration lanes. Traffic will have to be stopped in order for trucks to make this turn.
• Highway congestion: The Hwy 1A / Hwy 22 corner is already congested at busy times. The intensity of this operation will only make this situation worse.
• Emergency vehicles: The added congestion on Hwy 1A could make it impossible for emergency vehicles to reach residents west of Cochrane and return to town in a timely manner.
• Damage: Jamieson Road was not built with a base for heavy industrial trucks. The surface will certainly suffer heavy wear and damage.
• Repair: SLS is under no obligation to repair or rebuild the damage that will occur.
The current clearcutting plan:
• Areas too large: Some sections of the plan exceed maximum areas set out for spruce and pine. This will slow the rate of reforestation.
• Wetlands: Some sections are too close to rivers, creeks, wetlands and springs.
• No replanting: The plan does not require SLS to replant the harvested areas.
• Flood mitigation: Without trees, the Ghost River watershed will no longer have as much water storage capacity and this will result in much faster runoff of heavy rains.
• Accelerated plan: Compressing a 20-year harvest plan into two years should require that the plan be re-examined for environmental and other impacts. No such formal re-examination appears to have occurred.
• Outdated plan: Two floods and other environmental changes have occurred since the plan was originally made, over eight years ago.
What can we do?:
• Learn more at stopghostclearcut.com.
• Write to your MLA requesting a stop to the current plan until these issues have been addressed.
• Spread the word to others.
Jeff Allan and Theresa Voigt
