Clearcut Forecast: Cortes Island

Long considered "socially inoperable" due to local opposition, now the mixed-age forests of Cortes Island may be on the chopping block. A visit from Island Timberlands' operations manager is described in vivid detail here. (The manager seems to be suffering from a touch of social operability himself.) Island Timberlands has offices in Nanaimo and Vancouver, but the company is now owned by Wall Street conglomerate Brookfield Asset Management.

Cortes Island is known as a cradle of the early Greenpeace movement and home to Hollyhock, the influential eco-wellness institute. Yet our forests are under threat. Islanders were notified last year that logging would begin in mid-January. Saxifrage says she is "cautiously optimistic" the efforts of residents and supporters will thwart that plan. Two groups, WildStands and Island Stance, are promising spirited protests if the logging goes ahead. On January 14, Ken Wu of Ancient Forest Alliance released a report on groves of rare old-growth trees on Cortes Island.

On January 12, 2012 activists Tzeporah Berman and Carrie Saxifrage delivered 6200 petition signatures to Brookfield's corporate offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and Toronto, the Vancouver Observer reports.

The battle is just beginning, but the troops are gathering and many thousands of people are standing together in solidarity against the destruction of the Cortes Island forests.

Zoe Blunt is a well-known Canadian activist and writer and we hope to include more of her blogs in the future to keep people updated on the increasingly heated battle on Cortes Island to protect the forests.

Via ClearCuts.Blogspot.com

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