Immediate Protection of All At-Risk Old Growth Forests in BC

Whereas ancient high productivity big tree old growth ecosystems are globally one of the most valuable climate mitigation and resiliency assets in terms of carbon storage, sequestration, protection against wildfire, storage of water and bank of biodiversity; And whereas of the 2.7 of the original high productivity big tree old-growth forests less than 1 of BCs total current forested area, 75 are still slated to be eliminated through logging; Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Government of British Columbia to immediately defer logging in all high productivity, rare, oldest, and most intact old-growth forests as recommended by the Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel, until all 14 of the panels recommendations have been implemented; including such at-risk old-growth forests as the head waters Fairy Creek, the Upper Walbran Valley, Nahmint Valley, Eden Grove, Edinburgh Mountain, Upper Tsitika Valley, East Creek, Klaskish Valley, Nimpkish Lake and the Inland Old-Growth Temperate Rainforest; And be it further resolved that UBCM call on the Government of British Columbia to allocate funding to enact deferrals in an economically just manner, in the full spirit of reconciliation and to support the economic transition of affected First Nations and non-first Nation communities from unsustainable old-growth logging for the development of long-term sustainable local economies.