The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is calling on the provincial government to regulate private land logging.
The regional board voted on Thursday to take a resolution to the September conference of the Union of BC Municipalities, asking that body to lobby the forest ministry to develop regulations for the harvesting areas of private land measuring more than four hectares.
Ramona Faust, the regional director for Area E, told the Star that the initiative springs from private land logging by the Nelson Land Corporation near Cottonwood Lake and near Wynndell. In the case of Cottonwood Lake, she said the logging threatens a regional public investment.
“It is adjacent to the rail trail and the Cottonwood Lake Park and the cross country ski area. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone into developing these, and it seems to me that at a provincial level we need to have some assurances, if you are investing in rural areas, that it won’t be impacted negatively by logging that is not regulated like other logging is.”
Faust also suggested that non-regulated private land logging competes unfairly with regular crown land logging.
“These logs (on crown land) are competing with logs that people do not have to put a lot of forethought and planning into. I think that it would a great time for the province to take a look at regulations that are proactive rather than reactive, on private land.”
In a news release, the RDCK stated this week that it has been receiving calls from many upset residents and is in discussions with Nelson Land Corporation and that it has directed its staff to “explore the options that might be available” but provided no further detail.
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com
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