B.C. needs to end the use of herbicides that are killing broadleaf trees in Okanagan forests, according to members of several environmental groups at a meeting in Peachland last week.
Yearly, the province sprays thousands of hectares of B.C. clear-cut land with the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide known as Roundup, and it’s causing more harm than good, James Steidle of Stop the Spray BC said.
The spraying, coupled with manual brush clearing on cut blocks, is done to prevent the growth of deciduous or broadleaf, trees so that they don’t out-compete more valuable conifers, timber trees such as pine. Under B.C.’s Forest Planning and Practices Regulation, non-conifer trees must be kept to less than five per cent of re-planted cut block.
Steidle said it’s a short-sighted move, aimed only at bolstering the supply of trees most desirable for logging and it’s putting communities that live adjacent to these forests at risk.
“We basically have these really strict limitations on how much deciduous forest we can have out there in the landscape,” Steidle said.
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“The irony of all that … is the only really fire-resistant forest type is a pure deciduous forest, and that’s exactly what they restrict with regulations and rules.”
The use of the spray is also blamed for the decline of several species and Steidle said it’s been identified as a possible carcinogen. It’s particularly considering that it’s being used near watersheds, Steidle said, highlighting the public impact.
A 2023 study by The University of California, Berkeley, found that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen, affecting livers and kidneys.
Other speakers at the stop included local Syilx elders Grouse and Pamela Barnes, as well as Wilderness Committee conservationist Cedar George-Parker, who also is pushing for a ban on glyphosate spraying.
“We have such a vast ecosystem here in B.C. that it’s worth protecting,” George-Parker said.
Steidle said he’d like to see communities to take control of public forests back from private interests.
“Remember, these big companies don’t own our forests, we do,” Steidle said. ” And we have to make sure our forests serve the people, not corporate profits.”
The Ministry of Environment said in a statement that any proposed use of herbicides in the reforestation process must be identified and meet the legal requirements imposed under the Integrated Pest Management Act (IPMA) and Regulation (IPMR). The IPMA and IPMR are administered by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Forest companies are required to consult with the public in the development of a Pest Management Plan; companies may agree to provide annual notices of intended treatments to individuals or groups during the consultation phase and
Ministry of Forests officials said in a statement that since 2017 more than two billion trees have been planted for forest regeneration and wildfire recovery.
“The use of herbicides, like glyphosate, in forestry used to be common, but has declined by over 90 per cent since the 1900s,” the Ministry said. “Manual, mechanical and prescribed burning are much more common. BC Timber Sales is partnering with the BC Wildfire Service to expand the use of prescribed burning.”
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