comment: old-growth trees worth more if we leave them standing - air purification

Are old-
The growing forest is more valuable than the harvest?
This is what tourism thinks.
In October 2018, wilderness tourism enterprises and environmental protection organizations stood on the steps of the legislature.
We filed a petition there with the names of 185,000 people from all over the world calling for B. C.
The government protects the ancient temperate rainforest of the province from deforestation.
Why should tourism care?
There are many reasons.
Some are economic, but we are more concerned about the management of natural resources in the future.
Tourism is one of them. C.
The biggest economic contributor.
In 2016, tourism contributed more to the province's GDP than any other primary resource sector except for oil and gas extraction.
Adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing industries.
Its environmental footprint is very low, contributing more than $2 billion in revenue in 2016.
It is easy to understand why, according to destination B. C.
Visitors make the province's stunning natural scenery and diversity, as well as a range of outdoor recreational opportunities, the main reason for choosing to go on a B holiday. C.
Visitors visit Vancouver Island and other rainforest areas to experience the complete nature that most other places on earth do not have.
Adventure Tours depend entirely on the high level of entry into the province
Quality of natural environment. It’s the No.
1 reason why adventure travelers come to BC.
Without it, they will spend their travel expenses in other areas.
However, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to experience large uncut forest landscapes in B. C.
That's why these unique forests are so important to adventure tourism.
The bad news is that, with some exceptions, the old
The harvest of growth forests still rarely takes into account other types of business that depend on them.
Once the trees are harvested, the economic opportunities of the tour operators will stop for decades and will never even stop.
So is the forest industry. Low-elevation old-
The growing forest has unique features.
Once the ecosystem is destroyed, it cannot be copied.
Plant and animal species that depend on these forests either move on or perish.
Without immediate action to shift forestry from the old
Economic growth, economic losses in the province will be long-termterm.
In addition, the environment and the surrounding communities have lost important ecological services.
Unfortunately, the province focuses on the return of forest resources in the stumps, not on other income generated by the same resource, nor on the ecological services they provide, such as carbon fixing, water and air purification of wildlife habitat, species protection, etc. The B. C.
Government's approach to managing the natural environment
For a long time in the past, the exploitation of resources has been stagnant.
Forestry and Mining continue to give priority to any other economic or environmental interests in legislation.
For the benefit of all, it's time to change that.
For the forest industry, this means focusing on second place.
Maintain growth and avoid areas with high tourism value. Keeping old-
The growth of forests is also essential to protect indigenous cultural values and to make cultural tourism opportunities an alternative to logging.
It is worth mentioning that from the perspective of tourism, the protection of old relics
Growing forests in Vancouver Island and other placesC.
This is reasonable both economically and ecologically.
These magnificent old stations
Growing trees play a key role in maintaining B. C.
"Super, natural" image, and support the development of communities and businesses, providing unparalleled travel opportunities.
It is also important that these ancient forest ecosystems provide important habitat for wildlife and many other important ecosystem services. A win-
It is possible to win the economy and the environment, but only commitment to change and strong leadership can achieve this goal.
The Wilderness Tourism Association urged the provincial government to have the courage to start land modernization --
Use Planning and forests
Management policy.
Because B is running out of time. C. ’s old-growth forests.
Scott Benton is executive director of the B. Wilderness Travel AssociationC.