2024-03-03 TimberWest's proposed cutblocks and roads west of Main Lake Provincial Park

The area within which TimberWest proposes to locate 6 cutblocks and new roads

Comments on proposed cutblocks 11623, 11624, 11625, 11626, 11627, 11628 and roads

[1] The total area of forest cover loss from these six proposed cutblocks would be 15.82 hectares. The permanent forest loss as a consequence of the proposed 2.03 kilometres of logging road, at 4 metres wide, would be 8,120 square metres. This loss of forest cover and permanent forest loss would have significant climate impacts compared to the economic value of the logging. This development would also degrade and fragment five important forest-aquatic ecosystems in the area, as described below.

[2] The small Lake to the southeast of Two-Mile Lake is known to our project as Floating Islands Lake. It’s name comes from six small, apparently floating (or partially floating) islands of vegetation and soil around the lake’s edges that have formed, perhaps the result of trees having fallen into the lake over time. This is the only lake of Quadra’s 80-plus lakes/ponds that has these special habitats. TimberWest’s proposed cutblocks 11623, 11625 and 11626 would degrade the surrounding ecosystems both physically and aesthetically.

Floating Islands Lake looking northwest toward Two-Mile Lake

One of six floating islands on the lake

[3] Proposed cutblock 11625 would encroach on a unique bog to the east of the lake, most of which is inside Main Lake Provincial Park, and around which there is a unique old-forest ecosystem that includes an active osprey nest (on the south side of the bog) and many large, old Douglas firs. The osprey nest tree is about 250 metres from the east edge of proposed cutblock 11625. The Ministry of Environment recommends no blasting within 1000 metres of an osprey nest and a buffer of between 200 and 500 metres between the nest and logging, especially during nesting season.

The osprey nest close to where TimberWest proposes to log

Looking across Cedar Bog from the near the osprey nest to an area (on left side of photo) which TimberWest proposes to log

[4] Proposed cutblock 11628 and the adjacent proposed roads encroach very closely on a beaver pond known to the project as Castor Pond. The pond has supported an active beaver lodge and mating beaver pair for many years. There are very few remaining beaver lodges on Quadra Island and the proposed logging would fragment and degrade the habitat required for their survival. The existing Clear Lake Main road along with the proposed new roads and cutblock 11628 would virtually encircle the pond, degrading its potential as a safe habitat for the beaver pair and the numerous resident and migratory birds that use the pond. Listed species including northern red-legged frog and Hammond’s flycatcher have been recorded in the area by our project, along with cougar, wolf and black bear.

Beaver at Castor Pond, August 2019

[5] Cutblock 11627 is also located close to a wetland area/pond, the west end of Floating Islands Lake and the creek between Floating Islands Lake and Two-Mile Lake. Like the other proposed cutblocks in this area, this cutblock and road would badly fragment what is known to be well-occupied wildlife habitat that includes Douglas fir veterans.

[6] The proposed complex of clearcuts around and between the lakes, the beaver pond, the bog and the wetland will dramatically fragment and diminish this important wildlife habitat area. If TimberWest will log here, they clearly will log anywhere on Quadra Island. By definition, the “timber harvesting land base” only includes forested land which is “acceptable” for logging. This area is completely unacceptable.

[7] We also note that three of the proposed cutblocks are within 50 metres of Main Lake Provincial Park. A more appropriate buffer would be 200 metres in an area that was more acceptable for logging. TimberWest has a history of encroaching on the park along its western edge. In 2004-2005, cutblock 12-44A crossed into the park at the west end of Little Main Lake.

[8] As mentioned in our comments about the other proposed cutblocks, these cutblocks would produce significant deleterious impacts on carbon emissions, forest carbon sequestration capacity and forest fire hazard.

[9] Because this is an exceptionally ecologically-sensitive area right beside a provincial park, we request that TimberWest abandon its plans for these cutblocks.