Thank you, Island Timberlands
To the Editor,
There was not a small amount of surprise when the news came on Monday that Island Timberlands would not be logging up to the roadside at the Hump.
Print and radio interviews with the company spokesperson indicated that they had heard the concerns of the community and there would be no logging of the buffer “indefinitely”. Again, this is great news and a great relief.
It seems the issue was a lightning rod because many people have come to see Island Timberlands as unresponsive and possibly even arrogant in the way it has conducted its operations in the past.
We all agree they have the right to log their land, but given that that land is gigantic and affects us all in very critical ways, we as the public do rightly feel some stake in how the land is managed.
My hope is that a vigil or protest will never have to happen again. My hope is that this change of direction was a sign, perhaps a proverbial cedar branch, offered to the community that Island Timberlands would be consulting, and listening, more in the future.
This is not just so confrontation can be avoided, as that should be a last resort, but so we can all work cooperatively so that the forests around Port Alberni can bring us all jobs, joy and health for decades to come.
Thank you, Island Timberlands.
Chris Alemany,
Port Alberni
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