Exercise #3
February 11, 2022 By: True St.Denis
There has always been a waging battle between money and preserving the land throughout North American history. This battle still wages into the 21st century. For example, an ongoing struggle in the province of B.C. is logging and conservationism. From what we have learned in the course, conservationism was merely a tactic in the early 1900s to earn more revenue. Now, conservationism has grown into vital preservation of the earth’s few remaining resources. With that said, there is still a struggle between conservationism and economic support for communities. A news article by CBC has stated that the environment movement has historically failed to align our positions with working-class solidarity.1 This statement shows that the historical battle between conservationism and economic gain has not changed drastically over the century. What has now taken place is blaming rural logging families for the more considerable environmental concern. As CBC stated, this failure has created the false impression that you can care about either wild creatures and giant trees or rural family-supporting jobs.2 Interestingly, the article also concludes that conservationists are not to blame for logging job loss.3 Wildfires, pine beetle, and globalization are to blame.4 Additionally, the largest of these job losses are tied to globalization.
Globalization is a new addition to this battle that historically has not been present. Only time will tell how globalization will continue to shape logging and conservation in places like B.C. When it comes to parks, small acts toward reconciliation have taken place in B.C. through the governance of some B.C. parks. Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow stated in an interview with Vancouver Sun that we have a respectful relationship with the city, and it has taken a long time to build that relationship.5 During colonization, the park was ripped from Musqueam people and turned into a B.C. park. Vancouver city has ruled that it will co-manage the park with the Musqueam Nation.6 Chief Sparrow stated that while the motion is a good thing in the bigger picture, there is work to be done to determine what it might mean.7 The park is a direct reflection of colonization in the land. However, co-management is a small step towards giving the land back to Musqueam people.
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1 Torrance Coste, “Don’t blame conservation for forest industry woes,” CBC, January 24th, 2022,
https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-forest-industry-conservation-scapegoat-
1.6247088
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Glenda Luymes, “Indigenous stewardship of B.C. parks a step on path to reconciliation,”
Vancouver Sun, February 5th, 2022, https://vancouversun.com/news/indigenous-stewardship-
of-b-c-parks-a-step-on-path-to-reconciliation
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
References
Coste, Torrance. “Don’t Blame Conservation for Forest Industry Woes.” CBC. January 24th, 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-forest-industry-conservation-
scapegoat- 1.6247088
Luymes, Glenda. “Indigenous Stewardship of B.C. Parks Step On Path To Reconciliation.” Vancouver Sun. February 5th, 2022.
https://vancouversun.com/news/indigenous-stewardship- of-b-c-parks-a-step-on-path-to-reconciliation
The same battle between money and preserving the land is ranging on currently in the Northern Manitoba. For example, the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation and Minegoziibe Anishinaabe in the Northern Manitoba are currently suing the Manitoba government and logging giant Louisiana-Pacific Canada for commercial timber cutting on their traditional lands. The worst aspect is the incessant nature and method of the timber cutting in the region for commercial purposes with total disregard for the environment. We learn in this course that even if you need to cut the timbers, “Do not butcher your forest, but cut only the right trees at the right time, so that nature does the restocking.” Again, it’s only about money-making and the government does not really care about the conservation of the environment. Hence, there is need to create a department that will take good care of the environment and for government policies to gear toward the protection of our ecological system.
*See: Alexander Michael Koroleff. “Fig.1. Woodlot management aims at continuous and increasing profit.” Cartoon. Originally published in Practical Woodlot Management: How to Use the Forest Soundly and Profitably by Alexander Michael Koroleff. (Montreal: Canadian Forestry Association, 1948). http://www.cif-ifc.org/forest-history/.
I really liked your point on rural logging families being blamed for unsustainable logging. Supporting sustainable forestry in BC and in the rest of the world is important and necessary. However not when it jeopardizes the networks and lives of humans and animals, the networks of our natural world and future generations. But, as noted in your post, the blame should not be put on rural logging families.