Calls for B.C. to boost oversight of Quadra old-growth forest [Video]

British Columbia’s independent forest-practices watchdog says there’s a risk that a coastal island won’t have enough old-growth trees in the future due to inadequate monitoring of harvesting.

The Forest Practices Board says it began looking into old-growth forests on Quadra Island about 250 kilometres northwest of Vancouver after receiving a complaint from an environmental group.

The board says it looked into the situation and found licensees “did not comply with some aspect of forestry legislation” and more government oversight is needed “to identify and conserve old forests.”

Board chair Keith Atkinson says in a release that the review found “no one is responsible for monitoring or ensuring that Quadra Island’s old forests are conserved, or that enough mature forests are protected from logging.”

The review concludes that old-growth management must be improved to ensure enough old growth is present on the island in the future.

According to the board, Quadra …