The mayors of North Cowichan and Nanaimo are urging the province to increase the amount of timber that can be harvested annually in the province.

In a letter to Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas and Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said that despite its recent struggles, the forest industry continues to be a major part of the local economies of both municipalities, providing high-paying jobs while contributing millions of dollars in taxes every year that help pay for municipal services and build critical infrastructure.

The mayors said that in North Cowichan, the Domtar pulp mill in Crofton and the Western Forest Products sawmills and remanufacturing plant in Cowichan Bay and Chemainus employ 655 workers and contribute $7.7 million per year in property taxes, while Nanaimo’s Harmac Pacific mill has 350 employees and contributed more than $2.3 million in property taxes in 2024.

But they said that in the face of softwood lumber duties, U.S. tariffs, and the declining annual-allowable cut in the amount of timber that is permitted to be harvested in B.C., they are increasingly concerned about these companies' ability to continue operating.

The mayors point out that while softwood-lumber duties and tariffs are beyond Parmar’s ability to control, setting the annual allowable harvest is a responsibility of his ministry.

They said the province’s budget for 2025 projects that only 30 million cubic metres of timber will be allowed to be harvested on Crown land this year, further declining to 29 million cubic metres by 2027, while more than 60 million cubic metres were allowed to be harvested in 2024.

Douglas said the effects of the fibre shortage are already being felt in North Cowichan, where Western Forests Products has announced a two-week shutdown in March and April due to a lack of timber.

“Your mandate letter from Premier David Eby includes as a priority to ‘work with all partners, including Indigenous governments, toward ensuring a sustainable land base to enable harvest of 45-million cubic metres per year, while fulfilling our commitment to protect old growth’,” the mayors said to Parmar.

“We want the government to commit to the promised allowable cut of 45 million cubic metres for 2025 and maintain these levels for future years. We anticipate a continued decline in volume harvested, compounded with softwood lumber duties and U.S. tariffs, will potentially devastate the forest industry and result in the closure of more mills, meaning communities like ours will lose family-supporting jobs and major taxpayers, exacerbating the already high cost of living that our residents are facing.”

The mayors also said they want to see the province’s permit and regulatory processes for timber harvesting streamlined.

“Your government has made commitments to fast-track approvals for the housing and mining sectors, and we would like to see a similar approach to timber harvesting, with metrics to allow the government and industry to measure success,” they said to Parmar.

“The backlog of cutting permits and the performance of BC Timber Sales are major concerns. These issues reduce the overall wood availability for sawmills and impact the supply of residual chips, which are vital for the operations of our pulp and paper mills. Prompt resolution of these issues is critical for maintaining a steady log flow.”

Source: vancouverislandfreedaily.com