How sustainable is BC’s Forestry Industry?

How sustainable is BC’s Forestry Industry?

According to the Natural Resources Canada, in 2016, in British Columbia, 183,788 hectares of forestry have been harvested, and 177,573 hectares have been planted. That data proves that the BC forestry industry is relatively sustainable. However, sustainability for the forestry industry would mean ‘balance’, to balance out the economy and the environment. According to Natural Resources Canada, “Sustainable forest management is a way of using and caring for forests so as to maintain their environmental, social and economic values and benefits over time.” If we try to maintain the environment and economy, it can be difficult to balance. Sustainability for the economy could mean destroying more forests for manufacture and industries, however, for ecosystem sustainability, manufacturers and trades with different countries can be disrupted.

Clearcutting is financially efficient, giving consistent and high rates of return for companies, it improves water flow, giving animals and even humans a water source, and clearcutting also provides more farmland for it cuts down all trees in an area, giving farmers more job opportunities. While its disadvantages are loss of recreation land and significant effect on animal and wildlife, destruction of plants and animal habitats. While we cut down all trees of an area, if we also lose recreation land to seed on, that will be the opposite of sustainability. Many advantages and disadvantages seem to be from the human viewpoint. If it is a matter of sustaining our economy and society, forest management will barely have any disadvantages. Selective cutting creates a loss of diversity when selected trees are cut, some species fail to regenerate, fires and wind storms may destroy the area as well. Advantages are that it leaves room for new species regeneration. On the other hand, silviculture provides low cost of forestry activities, establishes a uniform crop and it’s easy to control diseases and insects, but may not be suited for certain animals that require diverse habitats, wasting hazards due to fine soil and high moisture level. BC’s forestry industry may not be as sustainable as we think, while our government plants and seeds a generous amount of trees as well as cutting, continuing our ways of forest management will damage out forests. It is difficult and time-consuming to regenerate through silviculture. Our forestry industry can be more sustainable if careful consideration and decisions are made to balance the economy with the environment.