By Keven Drews
TOFINO — Environmentalists are asking local businesses to oppose a logging company’s plans to establish four helicopter drop zones in Clayoquot Sound.
The Friends of Clayoquot Sound sent an email through the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Thursday, asking businesses to send their concerns about Coulson Forest Products Ltd.’s plans for waters around Warne Island to the B.C. government by Friday.
“Aside from the logging itself, which we are strongly opposed to, Friends of Clayoquot Sound’s concerns of this operation are both environmental and economic,” said Kevin Bruce, FOCS office coordinator, in an email to the Westcoaster.ca.
Sea mammals, including transient orcas, frequent the area, he added.
“Extreme helicopter noise and boat traffic of the log drops, processing and towing and debris will hinder local commercial tourism operators such as kayak, bear/nature watching companies. These companies are essential to the local economy.”
Although Coulson Forest Products Ltd. has promised to retrieve floating bark and wood, Bruce said the material will still remain a problem in the area.
Warne Island is located in Clayoquot Sound and at the entrance of Tofino Inlet. At least one salmon farming company, the Creative Salmon Company Ltd. has operations nearby.
Ken Matthews, forestry manager for the Coulson Group of Companies, confirmed the company has applied to the B.C. government for a foreshore lease so it can operate the drop zones.
Drop zone operates much like a boom and allow pilots to drop logs in a contained area so they don’t float away.
However, Matthews said heli-logging plans for Gunner Inlet and even the drop zones may not even happen because of treaty negotiations between the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and the B.C. government.
This past fall, the TFN and B.C. government announced they were embarking on a new, incremental treaty process.
If logging does take place and the drop zones are approved, Coulson plans to harvest about 25,000 cubic metres of wood according to Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel standards by the late summer or early fall of 2009, said Matthews.
The Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel was written by a 19-member panel over two years and consisted of five reports and 170 recommendations. The panel followed the arrest of more than 800 logging protestors in 1993.
“The duration of logging at each of these four areas is brief and expected to be less than 10 days at any site if all goes well,” said Matthews. “Logging with the helicopter normally produces 800 m3 per day (weather permitting).”
Matthews said Coulson is applying for foreshore lease now because the approval process takes about six months. If logging does not take place, he added, the foreshore lease will be returned to the provincial government.
Matthews said the company is working with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Navigable Waters and local licence holders like Creative Salmon.
“They addressed all our concerns quite quickly,” said Tim Rundle, Creative Salmon’s general manager.
He said Coulson agreed to not fly logs over salmon farms and pick up debris by using sweeper boats.
Coulson also told Creative Salmon the benthic impact of any debris on the ocean floor would only be temporary, said Rundle.
Keven.drews@westcoaster.ca
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