B.C. won't stop old-growth logging: forests minister

B.C.'s minister of forests and range has dismissed calls from an environmental group to end old-growth logging in the province.

B.C. is home to the world's largest Red Creek Douglas fir, at 73.8 metres tall, and Canada's tallest Sitka spruce, 62.5 metres tall — and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee wants those trees protected.

The group is calling on the government to establish a provincial heritage trees designation that would grant the province's 100 oldest and largest trees legal protection from logging.

Ken Wu, the committee's campaign director, has called for all old-growth logging on B.C.'s south coast to be phased out.

"How many people are still arguing it's OK to finish unprotected old-growth, except a minority fraction of the population, which unfortunately involves [Forest Minister] Pat Bell and the B.C. Liberal government," Wu said.

However, Bell dismissed the group's concerns, saying the practice would continue.

"We do think there's a place for effective and very moderate harvesting in old-growth stands," Bell said.

"I will put my money on organizations with a lot of credibility in the environmental community. I have a lot of faith in organizations such as ForestEthics, Sierra Legal [Defence Fund and] Greenpeace. All of those organizations have a lot of credibility. I hate to say this, but Ken Wu is just looking for publicity."

Bell said B.C.'s old-growth trees are already sufficiently protected.

"We monitor them on an ongoing basis, and clearly no district manager would allow the cutting of those particular trees," he said.  However, the Wilderness Committee's movement is gaining support.

In October, the group organized a protest against old-growth logging at the Victoria legislature, which it says attracted nearly 3,000 people.

The group has also collected more than 30,000 signatures on a petition calling for the protection of B.C.'s ancient trees.