RARE TYPE OF FOREST FOUND IN PINECONE/BURKE STUDY AREA
Foresters call the type of temperate rainforest predominating at low elevations in BC's coast region the Coastal Western Hemlock Forest. In this forest type grow the huge Western redcedar, Douglas fir, Amabilis fir and western hemlock trees that people associate with B.C.'s cathedral-like ancient temperate rainforests. This mighty forest regulates clean water flows to salmon spawning grounds and is home to a host of oldgrowth forest dependant species such as the tailed frog, Keen's long-eared bat, spotted owl, marbled murrelet and vaux's swift. The Coastal Western Hemlock Forest is in the rainiest zone of BC and harbours more kinds of animals than any other forest type. Because of the dollar value its big trees bring in as lumber the Coastal Western Hemlock Forest has been the prime target of the timber industry for more than a century.
OLDGROWTH FOREST LIFESAVER FOR MANY SPECIES
All these birds need oldgrowth forest for their populations to thrive. All have been sighted in the Pinecone/Burke Study Area by Ministry of Environment researchers.
One species of amphibians was discovered that needs oldgrowth forest to survive.
The Researchers also listed the following mammals as occurring in the Pinecone/Burke Study Area
The following mammal populations have been eliminated from the Study Area due to habitat destruction and over-hunting.
Ecological mapping conducted by the B.C. Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Environment reveals that very little of the Coastal Western Hemlock Forest has been protected in existing parks and that more oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest needs to be set aside to protect biodiversity the variety of life forms that rely on wild, intact ecosystems. These same studies show that higher elevation landscapes including the Mountain Hemlock Forest also known as the Snow Forest, and Alpine Meadow zones are, relatively speaking, much better represented in the current park system.
On the ground, the result of over-logging in the Lower Mainland's Coastal Western Hemlock Forest is evident. Go up almost any valley in the Vancouver area and you will find that the clearcutters have been there first. Huge stumps that stand like grave stones amongst the spindly second growth trees are ghostly reminders of the forest that once was. Other creatures, including fish and mammals, don't leave monuments to lost populations, so their passing is not as obvious. Many more species than just the spotted owl and marbled murrelet need ancient forests to survive. All of these oldgrowth dependant species decline in numbers or disappear altogether when the ancient forest is clearcut and transformed into even-aged second growth tree plantations.
The mountainous area extending north from Vancouver, past Squamish to Toba Inlet, is known as the Southern Pacific Ranges Ecoregion. The Pinecone/Burke Study Area, Vancouver's Backyard Wilderness, is located within this ecoregion.
Boise Valley forest protects biodiversity.
Covering the valley bottoms and the lower slopes of the mountains throughout the ecoregion are 612,900 hectares of Coastal Western Hemlock Forest, much of it previously logged and converted into second growth forest. 42,900 hectares, or about 7% has been set aside in local Provincial Parks, primarily Golden Ears Park. But even in Golden Ears some of this forest has been previously logged. The B.C. government has set as its minimum target for protection 12% of representative areas. Thus, just to meet its own targets, the B.C. government needs to protect a further 31,100 hectares of Coastal Western Hemlock Forest.
The Pinecone/Burke Study Area has exceptionally rare examples of valley bottom oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest in the Boise and DeBeck watersheds. These valley bottom oldgrowth forests and the ecosystems they contain are the most under-represented in the local provincial parks system. In the entire Pinecone/Burke Study Area there is a total of 5,600 hectares of oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest, less than one fifth the amount needed to meet BC government objectives. In fact, no other proposed park in our area has intact examples of valley bottom oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest, such as that which is found in the Boise and DeBeck Valleys. Both valleys are sought after by the timber industry which has largely eliminated the rest of the valley bottom oldgrowth in the region. It is clear that opportunities are quickly running out to increase the amount of protected Lower Mainland valley bottom oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest.
It is not surprising that the timber lobby is advocating that the upper Boise Valley, including Bull Creek, which contains 2,700 hectares of oldgrowth Coastal Western Hemlock Forest, the single largest intact valley bottom tract in the Study Area, not be granted park protection. They have been allowed to log nearly every other valley, so why should the Boise be any different? Yet, it is the untouched upper Boise that today represents, from an ecological and recreational point of view, the rarest landscape and therefore the most critical landscape to preserve for future generations.
