The companies are experiencing a windfall-no surprise!

The companies are paying a low stumpage rate-no surprise!

Very little reforestation is taking place-no surprise!

The interior communities depending on forestry will face a crisis when the "beatle" logging is over-no surprise!

While I agree replanting should take place, how long will it be before they can harvest those replanted trees? I do not think they will be ready for harvest in 5-10 years when the falldown comes (being sarcastic here!).

So then what for the communities? Focus on tourism showing the effects of the beatle, climate change and the logging?

Someone should ask what the forest companies will do when the falldown happens!

From its early rape-and-run operations to its give-away stumpage rates, that have aided the U.S. horse traders in their pursuit of sanctions against imported B.C. lumber, B.C.'s history of forestry has been one, I believe, of a monumental cheating of the rightful owners - the province's citizens. All made possible by various compliant or negligent governments.

Even with those dismal stumpage rates, questionable log-scaling records occurred, as those who followed the Shole Island investigation may recall.

The, to me, criminal shipment of whole logs, is too depressing to go further into.

Yes, a Pine Beetle Fund might be useful but let it be fully funded by the industry that is currently enjoying a windfall. Also, I would make it a ruling that BEFORE any harvesting that the company be required to, or be responsible for, replanting in a timely and responsible manner.

Oops!My last posting shouldn't have been. My first one I thought had failed when as I hit "submit", I was told my computer would shut down.

Curiously, Ben Parfitt doesn't comment one way or another in his article on the BC Liberal Govt's primary thesis regarding the mountain pine beetle infestation. Both Ministers de Jong and now Rich Coleman have said on numerous occaisions that the only reason the pine beetle infestation has become so widespread was willful inactionon the part of the previous NDP Govt.

The NDP administration, captive of self-declared environmentalists and parks purists, and confronted by an initial outbreak in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, chose not to intervene. As the de Jong/Coleman story line goes, that incredible, monstrous piece of negligence allowed the beetles to get a major springboard from which to begin their attack of the rest of the Central and Southern Interior pine forests. Had they been stopped cold by decisive actions of a responsible (read L-I-B-E-R-A-L) government, the beetles would not have done even a fraction of the economic and environmental damage that they have now wrought. Down with the NDP ideologues and their destructive disregard for reality, one more time, ends the Liberal parable.

I was hoping Parfitt might comment on this story line and whether or not there's any real truth to it. But he sort of avoided the subject.

I can say that the de Jong/Coleman version is accepted by many people. And many of them go on to say that if the Govt just had the balls to start dropping millions of litres of good old DDT, they could stop the beetles even now. Stop 'em cold! Perhaps that's where the Liberal story line will start to unwind, when it turns out in two or three year's time that the Liberals aren't prepared to drop the DDT Bomb either.

In 1972 the EPA banned DDT. This has resulted in millions dying of Malaria and other tropical diseases. Just Google 'DDT junk science' and you will see that this chemical is far less harmful than we have been brainwashed to believe. If DDT can get us out of this Pine Beetle problem, I say go ahead and do it. Nobody will be harmed. The bugs will be dead.

What your "junk science" heros fail to do erwin, is acknowledge the damage that ddt does to marine ecosystems. Those who advocate against ddt do not dismiss the facts put forth by science debunkers ron, they do, however, tell the complete story.

While it would be irresponsible to not take lessons from what has occurred in our forests, I'm less into blame than seeking resolutions to the problems.

We cannot discount our milder winters that have failed to kill off or reduce the pine beetle infestations - resulting, no doubt, from global warming.

I would rather live with the beetles than DDT which in addition to, perhaps, killing the beetles would certainly take a toll of eagles, owls, rodents and other forest critters - plus do little for the health of those working in the forests and living near them.

Consideration must be given to introducing other tree species and also, in suitable areas, substituting the much more versatile hemp.

Steel stud has replaced much lumber use, as have other materials in fencing, roofing etc.
I see this as positive,

The logging (and trucking) industry is also quickly spreading the mountain pine beetle infestation - hauling whole logs, bark on, through our national parks and into Alberta. Isn't it interesting that the hauling corridors and Alberta now have mountain pine beetle? Coincidence?

Since they are going to log large stands of infected timber, perhaps it's time they are made to process the logs locally too. As Canadians, we need to stop thinking of ourselves as exporters of raw materials and start doing our own processing and manufacturing.

I suppose Ron would bring back thalidomide and store nuclear waste in his basement!!!!!

Obviously Ron, you have a very limited knowledge of ecology.

I'm all for spending money on smart reforestation, using windfall proceeds that are coming in now. That's simply smart investment in the future. Next time, let's not plant monoculture stands of pine trees that are susceptible to this type of infestation.

What we should *NOT* do is what Carole James has advocated: set aside money to subsidize the economies of resource based towns in the future when the wood runs out. It is natural that logging communities will decline when the wood supply declines in a few years. It is the natural consequence of a resource-based economy, in the same way mining towns die when the mine closes. It's not a problem that calls for subsidies, it's simply a change in the economy that should be accepted.

Whatever happened to harvesting trees at a sustainable rate for the community's particular "catchment" area. In other words log at a rate that would sustain the community indefinitely, notwithstanding ecological catastrophes.

Of course this would mean a steady state and not the subscribed to "growth, growth and more growth"!!!!!!!!!!

I fail to see how reforesting unlogged, dead stands of pine will ensure a future crop of healthy, harvestable trees. What is to stop the pine beetle from attacking the new trees? Also, won't the forest naturally regenerate itself? It seems to me that if we are to set up a fund, it should be to invest in economic diverisifcation initiatives.

What miniture minds the leftists have, it jus6 amazes me!

The issue here is one that ought to be politically neutral. We are trying to save or invigorate a forest structure that has been devastated by a natural pest. The past NDP government, along with the current Liberal government and, the Federal and Alberta governments are spending substantial dollars to address this issue. Problem is that there is no easy answer and it will take significant time to heal the forest.

It is polictically stupid not to marshall forces to solve this problem, but all one sees from the NDP is negative stupidity!

If the only thing that can kill the Pine Beetle completely is an extended cold snap, aren't we just kidding ourselves here?

We need to replant a diverse forest, and address the fundamental issues that have caused BC's average temperature to rise, eliminating the long cold winter we all know people in Prince George really like.

A pinebeetle fund is a noble and wonderful idea. The idea of a "pinebeetle fund" should be Mr. Coleman and the Ministry of Forests top priority.

Unfortuntately, the BC government in their Golden Decade would rather blame the federal government and of course, the fast ferries under the NDP.

the pine beetle has been around since the mid seventies and it would have been easy to use controlled burning to get rid of them! The forest companies discovered a nice cheap source of wood and exploited the situation to improve their bottom line. They lobby well.

Greed rules and to hell with doing things the right way, in as little as five years the forest based communities will be screwed and I have to shake my head since most of them vote for the likes of gordo and harper, these two will in my opinion happily sell us out to the americans. Interesting how the american ron irwin hasn't posted on Rafes last view but he is over here blathering how wonderfull gordo is! Yeh right. ronny it must have been the fast ferries that brought the beeltes eh!

I wouldn't be too comfortable in the city because the loss of revenue for the province will be huge and a lot of city jobs depend on supplying the forest sector with products, shipping jobs etc.

We might lose a few shipping jobs in the lower mainland to the new and improved c.n. rail that used to belong to Canadians, that bought behind closed doors a railroad that used to belong to us British Columbians before our useless premier sold it on us.

Behind closed doors I might add. If there was a raid on the leg when the N.D.P. were in power how long do you think it would have been before the players were in court?

I am amazed at how the discussion always seems to dumb itself down to NDP, Lefties, Commies, etc., and NeoConsFiberals, Right Wingers, etc. (no disrespect intended).

What about just talking about the facts or realities of the particular situation, and possible solutions?

I do not care anymore about the blame game, because its just a distraction-seems to mean it doesn't really matter who has political power, because depsite some ideological differences, or nuances,most political parties still cater to the corporations wishes.

It appears are relatatively young country in the 21st century is still one that practices the 4 Fs - Farms, Fish, Fuel and Forests (i.e. hewers of wood), and that other countries see us a their "hinterland" to be used as a source of raw material supplies.

I'm not an expert but I believe logging is spreading the beetle infestation. Private land owners are asked to log their infested trees and within two years all around the logged area larger areas of infested trees show up. It's like aggrevating a sore.

One of the nearby sawmills closed down but the logs are still carried to one of their other mills in some cases over 150kms or more away. I agree with MHoule about the transfer of whole logs aiding in the spread of the infestations.

If what Martin says about the NDP suggesting subsidizing communities is true I do not agree with that either. (Where can I get that info Martin?) We'll then become planting communities rather than logging communities. However if we wait that long the lungs of the planet are just that much closer to cancerous.

Given the apparent rate of global warming, perhaps we should be replanting with coconut palms, vanilla trees (shrubs?), cocoa palms, rubber trees, etc. :)

August 13, 2005

ROBBINS Sce Research (1998)
robbinssceresearch.com

For immediate Release-

Question -If an election were held one month from today for which federal political party would you most likely caste your ballot?

(a) Paul Martin and federal Liberal Party-29%
(b) Stephen Harper and federal Conservative Party-31%
(c) Lack Layton and federal NDP-29%
(d) Other/undecided-11%

Question -In your opinion does the government at federal, provincial, and municipal levels spend the people’s tax dollars wisely?

Federal-Yes-38%/No-56%/ Undecided-05%
Provincial-Yes-43% /No-54% / Undecided-03%
Municipal/City-Yes-47%/No-45%/Undecided-08%

Question Which of the following statements in your opinion would you deem BEST fits the model of a necessary and reasonable taxpayer expense of government advertising and notification?

(a) The ‘Beautiful BC, BC is Back’ style of advertising of the in the weeks and months leading up to the 2004 BC general provincial election-07%
(b) Taxpayer funded Government general notifications on radio, television, and in local and daily newspapers-76%
(c) Forestry Minister Rich Coleman’s $79,000 highway signage and Notice relating to BC’s Pine Beetle epidemic-14%
(d) None of the above, each of the statements is an example of government waste of taxpayer money-03%

Question -Are you aware of and are you reasonably familiar with British Columbia’s pine beetle problem in our forests?

Yes-67%/No-33%

Question (only those respondents who answered “yes’ in Question #5)-BC Forestry Minister Rich Coleman is suggesting that the federal Liberal government should commit to a 1 billion dollar investment in BC’s pine beetle problem, while Ottawa has committed 100 million and is waiting a long term strategy prior to pledging more money. In your opinion whose advice would you follow?

(a) BC Forestry Minister Rich Coleman for the 1 billion dollar commitment from the federal government NOW-76%
(b) Ottawa’s commitment of 100 million now and WAIT to develop a long term strategy prior to commitment of more dollars-24%

Commentary- The Pine Beetle problem is a 9-11 emergency.

The current Pine Beetle problem exacerbates any potential for conventional shortfalls experienced in the province and should be considered a national emergency for British Columbia, as it will likely take an additional $50 million per year simply to grow the trees lost to the Pine Beetle forestry harvest alone. New trees generally require four to five years and there are currently no new contracts in place with tree growers in the province. Tree growers will only make provision to grow trees when the money is made available and not before. To solve this, a one-quarter of a billion dollar contract for tree growing alone is required TODAY to avoid a BC economic catastrophe TOMORROW.

Glen P. Robbins

(604) 942-3757
-30-

Let's put Glennie back in charge. He'll sell all the trees as sign space and make lots more money for Jimmy. Such a good little socialist.

Nemises...don't you recall elGordo pinning the blame for the beetle on Glennie ? So, if he couldn't fix it then.......and I think Jimmy will be cringeing at being called a socialist !

No, I would definitely not want to call Jimmy a socialist to his face, but I would love to face off with Glennie the little hypocrite liar.

hey nemisis why are you not angry at el gordo he is the one in charge now and if this were the ndp everyone would be holding them accountable so why are you such a hyprocrite??? If anyone who has lied to the public and been caught is worthy of your scorn then what about your present idealogue?

Why is el gordo not being called for the mistakes and blatant bad policy, are you comfortable with the fact for example he is meeting with chaney and klein in a private party behind closed doors, put on by the head of the fraser institute?

That scares the hell out of me but then I am a REAL CANADIAN CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY at the hands of people like el gordo!!!