Gaming the ecosystem: the truth about salvage logging

Salvage logging webinar with experts from BC and the US.

 Prince George, BC – What are the effects of salvage logging on wildlife, communities and the climate? These questions and more will be answered by a panel of five experts from BC and the US at a free webinar next week called Gaming the ecosystem: the truth about salvage logging. The event will  feature Dakelh strategic advisor Seraphine Munroe of the Maiyoo Keyoh Society, and Drs. Karen Price, Diana Six, Phil Burton and Dominick DellaSala.

 Salvage logging is the practice of industrially logging forests that have undergone fire or insect disturbances.  It is usually done in primary (never-logged) forests. The BC government streamlined the process of salvage logging this spring, which has alarmed members of the public and groups concerned about watershed health and nature.

 Conservation North spokesperson Michelle Connolly explained: “Salvage logging is a controversial practice and we are quite proud of having pulled together a panel of this caliber, all of whom have direct experience with and knowledge of the impacts of salvage logging primary forests.” The webinar is hosted by four interior-based groups: the Interior Watershed Task Force, the Fraser Headwaters Alliance, Conservation North (all volunteer-based community groups) and Wildsight (an environmental non-governmental organization).

 “We’re concerned about the effects the BC government’s new salvage logging program might have on  biodiversity,” explains Eddie Petryshan of Wildsight. Taryn Skalbania of the Interior Watershed Task Force added: “What is the risk to community drinking water of industrial-scale salvage logging? BC needs to answer these questions before bringing in sweeping forest policies that will degrade primary forests further.”

 Gaming the ecosystem: the truth about salvage logging

Monday, July 15, 2024

7:00 pm PST

Registration required: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NU27SyBdTveh8lmMZFKCww#/registration

Webinar speaker biographies:

Seraphine Munroe is a proud Dakelh and Sto:lo First Nations member. She serves as a strategic advisor and provides technical support for Indigenous Forest management collaboration initiatives. With a deep commitment to addressing the cumulative effects of large-scale logging practices, Seraphine works to ensure that Indigenous perspectives are integral to forest management practices, especially in the context of climate change and necessary changes in governing systems. On a personal side, Seraphine spends her free time on the land, cabin building, hunting, fishing, and being with family.

Karen Price is an independent ecologist based near Smithers BC on unceded Witsuwit’en Territory. She has worked on old growth and land-use policy for 25 years, aiming to bring science and transparency to decisions. Karen focuses on how to maintain ecological resilience given cumulative effects of management and climate. Peer reviewed publications address old growth species from epiphytic lichens to stream insects and birds, forest structure, ecosystem-based management and the status of BC’s old growth.

Diana Six is a professor of forest entomology and pathology at the University of Montana. She is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a recipient of the E.O. Wilson Award. She has degrees in microbiology, agriculture, and entomology and chemical ecology. Her research is broadly focused on the ecology and evolution of bark beetles, including how bark beetle outbreaks influence forests and may accelerate their adaptation to a changing climate.

Phil Burton is an Emeritus Professor with the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Northern British Columbia. His research has focused on vegetation dynamics associated with the disturbance and recovery of BC forests following natural and human disturbances, resulting in publication of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. He was coauthor of the 2008 Island Press book, “Salvage Logging and its Ecological Consequences".

Dominick A. DellaSala is Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, and former President of the Society for Conservation Biology, North America Section. He is an internationally renowned author of >300 peer-reviewed papers and 9 award-winning books on forests, climate change, endangered species, and speaking truth to power. Dominick has appeared in National Geographic, Scientific American, Time Magazine, NY Times, WA Post, NPR and many nature documentaries. He has served on the spotted owl recovery team, USGS National Biodiversity and Climate Assessment team, Oregon governor's task force on forest carbon, and the White House task force on sustainable forestry.