Hills residents are concerned that logging by Springer Creek will damage their viewscapes and watersheds and depress property values. They also feel that lack of consultation with locals has been a problem. Springer Creek Woodlands Manager Dwane Sorenson says he had discussions with Hills residents Wayne McCrory and Eric Faulks when the winter operations were wrapping up.
The timber license is for three cutblocks – two on the Hills face above Bonanza Creek and one near Wragge Beach. Sorenson says harvesting is roughly two-thirds completed., with a total harvest of 60,000 cubic metres The cutblock openings range from 1-12 hectares, explains Sorenson, with reserves inside the larger openings. The final phase will be cable logging on the steeper terrain of the Hills face, and could take up to two years to complete due to a grade of up to 30%. There are old growth areas nearby, but not within the cutblocks. There are still 2200 metres of road to be constructed in 2007 or 2008.
“That will be the last entry in the Hills face for a while now, possibly 10 years before we’ll go back in there. We are exploring future possibilities near the Wragge Beach cutblock,” says Sorenson.
All the harvesting is being done at the 800-1100 metre elevation, and the closest cutblock to the Bonanza marshes is just two kilometres. Sorenson is confident there will be no significant impact to the Bonanza Creek marshlands. He says streams near the cutblock fell within normal classifications which require no special mitigation measures. No machines are allowed within five metres of the streams except at designated crossings as per standard riparian setback requirements of the Ministry of Forests. About 75% of the newly harvested area on the Hills face has been replanted as of May 18. Some site preparation needs to be done on the Wragge face in order to replant in the spring of 2008.
Hills resident Eric Faulks says many locals are disillusioned by the political process that governs input from landowners affected by logging. An ad hoc watershed group has formed and will be seeking a continuation of stream monitoring that was discontinued four years ago afte collecting about five years' data on Bonanza Creek.
“There are sound scientific studies that show the harm logging does to those important values that caused us to buy into this community,” he says.
- by Art Joyce
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