“To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally. " This is the definition of 'beating around the bush.' Unfortunately, it's often the chosen tactic when a contentious issue is debated in the public forum. This is particularly the case when a person or organization has an agenda they are trying to push.
“To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally. ”
This is the definition of ‘beating around the bush.' Unfortunately, it's often the chosen tactic when a contentious issue is debated in the public forum. This is particularly the case when a person or organization has an agenda they are trying to push.
Let's talk about beating around the bush, or more specifically, Canada's forests.
Canada's forests are an important part of the country's identity, both from an environmental standpoint and an economic one. Harvesting has been a contentious topic in the Cochrane area with clear-cutting occurring in areas like West Bragg Creek and the Ghost watershed area, and some residents are unhappy with the end result.
A recent study done by the group Global Forest Watch indicates that the world's virgin forests (defined as one that is 120-140 years old) are being lost at an increased rate, and Canada is the main ‘villain' behind that decline.
This claim was swiftly posted on Twitter by a Greenpeace campaigner who posted the study telling Brazil to ‘move over', as Canada was now the global leader in forest decline. A photo depicting a section of forest that had been harvested accompanied the post, leading people to believe that the reason Canada's forests have reduced was due to harvesting. The person in question solidifies the fact that his agenda is politically motivated by hash-tagging Canadian and Alberta politics into his post, a way of pointing the finger and blaming government for the forest decline. Those commenting on the tweet were angry, saying things like, ‘This infuriates me. Just destroying everything,' because that's exactly what one would believe by looking at this person's misleading post.
The whole story, however, is quite different, which more often than not is the case. This is not to advocate for the destruction of Canada's old-growth forests, just the relaying of information in a clear manner, free of misleading information that is intended simply to push one's agenda.
Here are some statistics for you: According to the Conference Board of Canada, there are around 348 million hectares of forest land in Canada (National Resources Canada says 397 million hectares of forest and other wooded land), and that number has remained unchanged for the past two decades; each year, 2.5 million hectares of forest is lost to fire; the mountain pine beetle has destroyed approximately 19.5 million hectares of forest (18 million in B.C. and 1.5 million in Alberta); in 2009, 15.2 million hectares were affected by insect defoliation; and harvesting accounts for .6 million (600,000) hectares each year.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations, the mountain pine beetle ‘prefers mature timber,' which for lodgepole pine trees is those 80 years or older.
The ministry also indicates that B.C. has three times more mature lodgepole pine trees than it did 90 years ago due to better equipment and techniques for protecting against and battling wildfires.
Deforestation (the loss of a portion of forest permanently) accounts for around .01 per cent of Canada's annual forest loss, and has been reduced over the past 20 years. In 2010, 45,000 hectares was deforested in Canada…13 million hectares are deforested annually around the globe.
Tree planting companies help replenish forest lost at the hands of fire and the pine beetle, while harvested forests are reforested (managed) by the companies that are given a mandate to clear-cut them for economic purposes.
Nearly 200,000 people are employed in Canada's forest sector; it contributes $23.5 billion to the country's GDP; and we are the second largest forest product exporter in the world.
Unlike Canada, which loses the majority of its forests to fire and the pine beetle, Brazil's forest has declined solely at the hands of humans - logging, soybean production, infrastructure and mining.
According to the book Climate Change, Deforestation, and the Fate of the Amazon, 600,000 square kilometres of the rainforest have been permanently lost since 1970…that's 60 million hectares.
Virgin forests have been on the decline for hundreds of years. The World Resources Institute indicates that around 21 per cent of old-growth forests remain worldwide. In Canada, there are just over 20 of these forests remaining, most in Nova Scotia.
According to an article in the Globe and Mail, in B.C., anyone can cut down one of these ancient trees; no special permit is required.
There are several factors that need to be looked at when an area is harvested, including how it will impact area residents, flood mitigation and wildlife. And although harvesting is an issue for many, including in the Cochrane area, there are those who would like you to believe humans are the sole cause of Canada's forest loss, which is misleading to say the least.
