We return this week with our own Senior Forest Conservation Manager, Dave Pearce, to cover the wider implications of Wildlands’ Logging Scars report. In our last episode we learned that Wildlands League’s study showed an average of 14% of the forest is not regenerated after one cycle of full-tree harvesting. While that may not seem like a significant impact to the forest, Dave explains why this isn’t the case. In addition to reducing our resilience to climate change, logging scars spell serious trouble for biodiversity as well.  We give context to degradation in Canada’s forests and why ..read more

What happens to the areas of Canada’s forests that have been impacted by full-tree harvesting? According to international rules the term ‘deforestation’ only occurs when a forest is converted into another land use, like a shopping mall, farm or housing development. We don’t count formerly forested areas that are now barren as deforested, if the area remains designated for forestry. But could it, should it be classified as forest degradation? Our own Senior Forest Conservation Manager, Dave Pearce unpacks Wildlands League’s 2019 Logging Scars report on the subject. We discuss the genesis of thi ..read more

In part 2 of our conversation with Conservation North, Michelle Connolly gives us a lesson in forest ecology and forestry semantics. How does British Columbia and the forestry industry use seemingly ‘green’ language to justify more logging of the province’s natural forests? Who is forestry sustainable for? The planet? The species? Or the companies? We also get  a sneak peek into Conservation North’s new report on U.K. biofuel producer Drax, and how they’re continuing to source materials from rare old growth forests. Learn more about Conservation North on their website and read the report ..read more

If natural forests are ‘self-willed, self-managing, and self-replacing’ to respond and adapt to disturbances like fire and pest-outbreaks, should we be logging more as some suggest? Or should our approach be more precautionary? This week, Michelle Connolly from Conservation North takes us back into the forests of British Columbia. She breaks down for us the severity of B.C.'s industrial logging impacts that her organization has documented through spatial mapping. While logging is advertised as a necessary means to manage B.C.’s forests, including for pests and wildfires, we unpack why fire an ..read more

This week, we return to our conversation with Richard Robertson and Tegan Hansen from STAND.Earth on forestry issues in British Columbia. Wood pellets, or biomass fuels, from B.C.’s forests are being touted as a large-scale, carbon neutral energy source. Does the carbon accounting behind those claims add up? What are some alternative solutions for the future of the forestry industry? Richard and Tegan also share their experiences at last year’s climate COP in Dubai with us. Find out what it was like to be an observer at the biggest stage for international climate negotiations and how Canada’s ..read more

We’re in beautiful British Columbia this week with STAND.Earth’s Richard Robertson and Tegan Hansen talking forestry on Canada’s west coast. In the first of two episodes, we talk to our guests about STAND’s forest campaigns in B.C. We cover the province’s approach to forest policy, how government and industry see B.C.’s forests as a tool in the renewable energy transition, and what the shocking carbon implications are. Learn more about STAND.Earth on their website. Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources. You can help this community ..read more

We return to the second part of our conversation on caribou policy with Wildlands’ own, Anna Baggio. If the Ontario government won’t protect caribou ranges from the looming encroachment of industry, who will? What’s the role of the federal government, and what has been done so far? All this, and more. We each play a crucial role in shaping a future where  Caribou, and the forests they call home, continue to thrive for generations. Tell your Member of Parliament to protect habitat in Ontario here.  Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpf ..read more

Hot on the heels of our caribou science conversation with Justina Ray, we turn to the policy side of the equation with Wildlands’ own  in-house  policy expert on Caribou conservation, Anna Baggio. You’ll hear her unvarnished take on implementation of both the federal Species At Risk Act and Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. In spite of agreements and lofty goals, governments continue to prioritize harmful industrial activities in threatened habitat instead of giving caribou time and space to recover. All is not lost though. Anna shares her passion and drive and how you can make a dif ..read more

We return to our conversation with Justina Ray, President and Senior Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, to pick her brain on caribou. What do caribou conservation strategies look like in practice? Do they lead to self-sustaining populations? What are some of the current challenges? All this and more. Learn more about WCS Canada and their work on their website. + More info in the Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Boreal population, in Canada (2020) Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources. You can hel ..read more

We sit down with Justina Ray, President and Senior Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, to talk all things caribou. Why are they important from a conservation and a forestry standpoint? How are they monitored? What are the cumulative effects of disturbance to their habitat? Tune in to find out! Learn more about WCS Canada and their work on their website. + More info in the Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Boreal population, in Canada (2020) Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources. You can help this c ..read more