When it comes to commercial logging, BC parks are off-limits.

In a letter to the Ancient Forest Alliance and Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, Minister of Environment and Parks Tamara Davidson confirmed that there’s no commercial logging happening in provincial parks and it isn’t permitted under the BC Parks Act.

The letter comes following reports of potential commercial salvage logging and fuel load reduction projects happening in these parks.

Ecosystems Alliance Executive Director Ken Wu says this is good news.

“Logging for profit in parks and protected areas, in this case under the guise of reducing the risk of forest fires, is a red line that must not be crossed under any circumstance,” said Wu.

“This contrasts against non-commercial thinning, controlled burns and ecosystem-restoration efforts that sometimes are needed where decades of fire suppression have unnaturally altered fire-driven forest ecosystems.”

The Ancient Forest Alliance says this kind of logging poses serious risks to the environment like disrupting natural fire cycles, increased fuel loads, and dense fire ladder trees.

Along with these risks, logging for profit in these areas could lead to larger, more commercially valuable trees to be targeted, with them being the most resistant to fires.

With parks off-limits, the conservation groups still have concerns about conservation areas like Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) and Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHAs).

Forest Alliance Campaign Director TJ Watt says logging under the guise of fire management within these areas is another clear red line for them.

“Commercial logging has no place in BC’s protected areas, now or ever,” said Watt.

Both groups are calling on the BC Government to ensure this type of commercial logging is prohibited in protected areas and reserves, to close logging loopholes for OGMAs and WHAs, and to work with First Nations on protected areas in priority ecosystems.