2025 - ELF Reports - ELF Trails and Research

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Resources
- BCTS 5 Year Plan 2023 – 2027 Directory
- BCTS 5 Year Plan 2023 – 2027 – Mount Elphinstone
- BCTS – Updates
- SCCF Operating Plan
- Engagement Plan for South Elphinstone – 2022
- Assessment of the Burnett Creek Tributary Landslide
- Elphinstone Medicinal Plants
- Forest Related Research
- Maps
  - SCCF Age Class claims vs reality
  - BC Gov Old Growth Maps
  - Sunshine Coast Forest District
  - Sunshine Coast Landscape Unit – OGMA – BioGeoClimatic Zones
  - BEO Zone Maps – biogeoclimate forest zones on the Sunshine Coast.
  - Sunshine Coast-remaining natural forests
  - OGMAs in Howe and Chapman Landscape Units
  - Google Earth – Maps – Dakota Bowl Watershed
  - Google Earth – Maps – Dakota RidgeThe following Google Earth image shows the close proximatey of the Dakota Ridge Recreation Area to the proposed TSL:A84612 cutblocks of the Ministry of Forestry. For the many reasons layed out within the website the Dakota Ridge Ancient Forest need to be saved to become part of a protected area and enjoyed by all.
  - Google Earth – Maps – Wilson Creek Forest (EW002)Wilson Creek Forest is situated on the lower slopes of Mt Elphinstone a short 10 minute drive from the Hwy 101 intersection at Roberts Creek. It sits directly above the Wilson Creek Plaza. As these pictures show it is one of the few remaining intact forests close to an urban center. It is an Inter-Urban Forest never before logged. It contains many old-growth features, including beautiful stands of tall, old Coastal Douglas-firs. The Wilson Creek Forest is on the books of Sunshine Coast Community Forests (SCCF) to be logged. A stay of execution was ordered until further studies are undertaken. Directly below this forest is an 2010 Island Timberlands clearcut, and above it are a series of BCTS blocks. If this patch of forest was allowed to be logged, it would link up clear-cuts to the north and south, creating a massive logged out area. The Wilson Creek Watershed has experienced 50-60% forest cover loss which should trigger a moratorium on all future logging. Over logged watersheds are known to lead to wild fluctuations in water flow levels which leads to bank instability, increased sediment levels and because Wilson Creek is a salmon bearing stream it all adds up to a…
  - Google Earth – Maps – Mt Elphinstone AreaThis aerial view (provided by Google Maps) shows the extent of logging on the lower slopes of the Mt Elphinstone area, above the village of Roberts Creek. The largest of the clearcuts is the infamous 160Ha (400 acre) CNI (Columbia National Investments) cutblock on their private lands. CNI was later charged on a fisheries violation for logging completely through a fish bearing stream. The other cutblocks seen are BC Timber Sales clearcuts. A proposed BCTS Block A87124 would connect up with the CNI clearcut on its southern boundary, adding to the total de-forested area.
  - Community Interface Zone – Closely Matches Park ExpansionCheck out the map link below in pdf form and see how closely the Ministry of Forests ‘Community Interface Zone’ in Roberts Creek matches our proposed Park Expansion. Regarding the proposed Elphinstone Park expansion it is interesting to note that the proposed expanded boundaries of the park match very closely an area above Roberts Creek identified on a Ministry of Forests map as a ‘Community Interface Zone’. In other words an area where the Ministry of Forests has for some time recognized that there is an overlap of logging interests and Community Interests such as recreation, environmental protection, water source protection, etc. Surely the Community and Environmental values far outweigh the short term value of clear cut logging in this Zone. Another reason in favour Elphinstone Park Expansion Proposal. Map Community Interface Zone
  - Age Class Maps
  - Area Maps – 5 Year Logging Plans
  - Community Forest Logging Maps
  - shíshálh Nation swiya Map
- Gibsons Integrated Stormwater Management Planning
- LRUP (Local Resource Use Plan) – call for moratorium on BCTS cutblocks…Sunshine Coast residents are upset watching the 1,500Ha lower slopes of Mt. Elphinstone being logged out. Sure trees grow back, however I want to express that BC Timber Sales’ plan to turn this, high-value multi-use area, into a continuous series of tree farms is unacceptable based on several environmental and economic reasons. This area has a few isolated forest patches protected, i.e.: the 139Ha Elphinstone Prov. Park (along with some surrounding OGMAs) while logging of the last remaining intact forests continues. The 1,500Ha mountain slopes is used by a diverse set of stakeholders, but the area is being compromised by a lack of an integrated plan. This situation calls for a LRUP (Land Resource Unit Plan), so that increasing tensions can be resolved. After the popular TrailFest-Wagon Forest was logged, it became clear that the public is not being listened to. BCTS was approached to find 27Ha (the cutblock size) outside of the 1,500 lower slopes as a solution, however our voices went unanswered. The public (including 1st Nations) must be invited to roundtable meetings to discuss and resolve this land use management problem. Its essential to impose a moratorium on all future BCTS cutblocks planned within the 1,500Ha area…
- Mount Elphinstone – History of Conflict 1983 Logging on Mt Elphinstone causes disastrous flooding in neighbouring residential area during heavy rains. 1985: B.C. Ministry of Forests ( MoF ) sets up a short-lived Elphinstone Local Resource Use Plan( LRUP ) process that excludes community involvement. MoF continues to issue logging permits on Mt. Elphinstone. 1990: MoF plans to spray herbicides in clearcuts within Mt. Elphinstone domestic watersheds. Local residents successfully blockade the attempt. 1991: MoF resurrects the Elphinstone LRUP process. MoF refuses to participate in public meetings. Community members form a Concerned Coast Residents group and submit a silviculture plan to the LRUP. MoF rejects their proposal and continuous to allow industrial logging on Mt. Elphinstone. 1992: Mof opens the LRUP process to local input and makes assurances “that nothing will happen” without the “sanction” of the LRUP committee. 1993: MoF advertises Mt. Elphinstone cut blocks and continues to allow road building and logging without LRUP committee report. 1993: MoF places arsenic-treated structures in Flume Creek, the source of water for more than thirty licensed water users in the Elphinstone area. 1994: Concerned Coast Residents, Elphinstone Electors, Roberts Creek Community Association and Forest Watch members re-state their concerns regarding clean water, biodiversity and sustainable jobs…
- Overview of Community ForestAttribution: The Following overview is taken from the SCCA (Sunshine Coast Conservation Association) Introduction The Sechelt Community Forest is a logging company. It is licensed by the provincial government to log within certain mandated areas and required to meet a minimum annual cut. This business venture is owned by a single shareholder – the District of Sechelt. Although the District claims to maintain an “arms-length” relationship, we suspect that the purpose of this policy is to insulate the District of Sechelt from public pressure related to the community forest. A History of Public Concerns Ignored The SCCA is not categorically opposed to community forests, per se. We were the original proponents of community forestry in the Sunshine Coast Regional District, and so we were very interested when the District of Sechelt announced its intention to apply for a “probationary community forest agreement” in 2003. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that the District’s application was entirely about opening up the Chapman/Gray drinking watershed (and other sensitive areas) to logging and that the District did not intend to genuinely consider the concerns of the community about this. Just about everyone imaginable (including the Sechelt Indian Band, the SCRD, the Town of Gibsons,…
- Economic Value Ecosystems Provide[gallery link="file" columns="1"] Article: Vancouver Sun – October 28, 2010 David Susuki Foundation and Pacific Parklands Foundation – Report Examines the extent of the regions ‘natural capital’ – forests, fields, wetlands, watersheds and other ecosystems and estimates the economic values the ecosyetms provide. The study found that the ecosystems with the highest values are wetlands($4,000 to $6,000 per hectare) and forest ($5,900 to $7,400 per hectare)per year…..
- Ancient Forests – the Canopy – EcosystemsTED Talks – Richard Preston on the giant trees http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_preston_on_the_giant_trees.html Science writer Richard Preston talks about some of the most enormous living beings on the planet, the giant trees of the US Pacific Northwest. Growing from a tiny seed, they support vast ecosystems — and are still, largely, a mystery. TEDTalks2008 – Filmed Feb2008 [hr] TED Talks – Nalini Nadkarni on conserving the canopy. http://www.ted.com/talks/nalini_nadkani_on_conserving_the_canopy.html A unique ecosystem of plants, birds and monkeys thrives in the treetops of the rainforest. Nalini Nadkarni explores these canopy worlds — and shares her findings with the world below, through dance, art and bold partnerships. TEDTalks2009 – Filmed Feb2009 [hr]
- Suggested Reading-Books-PapersThe following are a suggested reading list of books, articles and papers on the forest and our environment. Feel free to contribute. Thanks. Reading List on Related Subjects – Rick O’Neal
- Forest Recreation
  - Mountain Biking On The Sunshine Coast
- Forest Bathing – Learn About the Health Benefits of Forests
- FAQQ: What Forest Service Map areas do Roberts Creek, Gibsons, Mt Elphinstone and Dakota Ridge fall under? A: They are all considered as being a part of the Chapman & Howe Landscape Units. [hr] Q: How much of the Sunshine Coast forests (Timber Supply Area – TSA) are protected? A: According to the MOF Public Discussion Paper – the Timber Supply Review that sets the AAC (annual allowable cut) only 2% of the whole area (which extends up into Desolation Sound) is set aside for parks and ecological reserves. Details: Sunshine Coast TSA core area= 1,560,426 hectares 2% of this is parks and ecological reserves (30,481 hectares) 4% of this is private land (62,129 hectares) 67% of this is non-forest (1,041,953 hectares) The remaining 27% is productive forest (425,863 hectares) Of this productive forest, approximately half or 222,894 hectares makes up the timber harvesting land base. Source: Ministry of Forests (MOF) , Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Sunshine Coast District
- Letters to the Editor – Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF)
- Letters to the Editor – Elphinstone Park ExpansionOngoing letters (to the editor) of support and concern for the Elphinstone Park Expansion can be viewed by visting the CoastReporter and thelocal.ca online or by picking up a hard copy. Keep Your lettyers coming. Thank you.
- Media/ArticlesDakota Ridge Ancient Forests The following two articles on Dakota Ridge Ancient Forests have been taken from articles written by Heather Conn and can be seen and read in their entirety at her blog through the links below. Date: September 11, 2011 Giant-yellow-cedars-at-risk-on-Dakota-Ridge: Save-our-ancient-forests [hr] Date: January 23, 2011 A “living museum” on Mount Elphinstone could be logged It’s one thing to seek protection of old-growth forest for the purely theoretical and practical sake of conservation and sustainability. It’s another to stand beneath centuries-old cedars or Douglas firs and absorb their size and wonder in your heart and gut, witnessing the canopy and life they provide for so many creatures, big and small. At such times, it’s hard to imagine an ancient forest without all of its trees and flora and fauna that thrive in symbiosis, from a creek to the nurse logs to the mushrooms to the moss to the birds and so on. I still remember, decades ago, standing amidst the vast array of stumps of old-growth trees in the Carmanah Valley on Vancouver Island, B.C., feeling sickened by the gutted, clearcut landscape. Right next to it stood a thriving forest of cedars and firs. I stared at…
- VideosThis 8 minute video of the Wilson Creek Forest shows this beautiful forest in all its pristine glory and lays out the reasons why it needs to be protected from the threat of eminent logging. This never-before-logged area is just a 10 minute drive from Roberts Creek and has a wonderful community trail that winds down to the pristine and untouched forest edges of Wilson Creek. [highlight]It is the last large intact forest in the entire Wilson Creek Watershed and the key western most forest that lies within the proposed Elphinstone Park Expansion boundaries. Click the Button To See the Video[/highlight] Among its many important features, are a number of groves of the threatened Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem which the government states are threatened province wide.This forest was under deferment(for further study) from being logged because of the efforts of many of the community, however the logging company has restated its intentions to log… this area is worth permanently saving…Click the Button To See the Video… we are sure you will agree…
Get Involved

At December 3 – Elk impact assessment required Blk TU-5 (Elk Alley Forest)

The forest within the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) Blk TU-5 (wildfire treatment unit) overlaps with “critical winter habitat” for Elk and Deer – a value not acknowledged to date in any planning reports. A biologist with an understanding of Elk behavior and dependency on winter habitat should be contracted to perform a survey in this area. Until that assessment is completed and reviewed no tree cutting or roadbuilding should proceed.

Map: Critical Elk Winter Habitat

Note that forest elevation is 100-110 m above sea level, which puts it as one of the last low elevation forests on the Sunshine Coast that provides Elk with ideal sheltering away from the high and mid snow zones where they cannot reside and survive over winter. read more

At November 14 – Intervention at SCCF’s Blk TU-5 needs to be deferred due to new information

Warren Hansen, Operations Manager
Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF)

Hello Warren,

It appears that SCCF is attempting to be more transparent on the Blk TU-5 planning because on Nov. 12th your office posted a report, at your website, not previously made public. We now find a February 2025 “Fuel Management Prescription, Sunshine Coast Community Forest: Treatment Unit 5, Submitted by: Simon Craig, RPF Isabel Bodnar, FIT Chartwell Resource Group Ltd. Delivered to: Warren Hansen, RPF Sunshine Coast Community Forest”.

https://www.sccf.ca/post/for-the-record-on-sccf-s-wildfire-risk-reduction-near-the-sechelt-airport

Why is an 8-month critical report being released now? Due to the very late release of this planning report and the deadline imposed on the TU-5 review period (Monday, Nov. 17th), an extension is required and reasonable so that the public (the “community”) can fully digest the
objectives of this plan and whether or not its results are achievable.

I’ve taken the time in the last few days to read the Chartwell “prescription” and find it open to interpretation, and contains contradictory statements that are not becoming of a professional assessment. See below (ELF comment) following points made in the report. read more

At October 30 – SCCF’s Blk TU-5 & BC Hydro Lines: vulnerable to human fires

The Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) is planning to log a forest under the guise of a “wildfire reduction treatment” because they claim it has a high risk to wildfire, however it’s unknown what would be the source of ignition. SCCF asks the public “to submit comments” via a Ministry of Forest Operations Map (FOM), or drop by their office where the maps can be viewed. In the ad, SCCF’s urges the public to read their “Wildfire Tactical Plan” to better understand the forestry operations planned for Blk TU-5 and to view areas of concern in their Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI).

ELF has compiled information here related to this important subject into one document as a means to analysis what is really going on with this block planning. It appears that SCCF has not met the standard of what a transparent public process should be on this block due to a disjointed way of supplying information through ads and what they say as “shared at events over the past year.” read more

At October 21 – The Elphinstone Mother Tree Forest: Don’t mess with her

In their 2027 schedule, Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) includes cut block EW19 that they claim will be for “research” and that the Ministry of Forests is pressuring them to undertake it. Although specifics are still unknown, SCCF’s Ops Manager Warren Hansen says that they call it “the Mother Tree project.” (Mother Trees are vital central hubs that support surrounding vegetation. For example, they produce and disperse cones back to the forest to support the next generation of seedlings). ELF is adopting this same name to identify the many old-growth Douglas-fir trees found across this site.

This SCCF block has been ill placed beside the third Mt. Elphinstone Provincial Park “biological island,” the westernmost of three such islands in this 140-hectare park. This forest stand needs to be added to a larger protection area to secure connectivity to the other two small Elphinstone parks. The provincial BC Parks site for this park states that the 3 separate park “islands” are vulnerable to potential logging. read more

At September 16 – BCTS places Elphinstone Highland on the chopping block

Above is the final TA0519 Site Plan.
This logging and roadbuilding will impact the following creeks and streams: Chaster Creek tributaries #1 & #2, Co-Op Spring, Sidney Creek tributaries #1 & #2, Webb Brook and Smales Creek tributaries #1 & #2.

BC Timber Sales (BCTS), a provincial logging agency, has decided to move the controversial Block TA0519, also known as “Elphinstone Highland,” onto the BC Bid Portal site for logging contractors to review and submit bids. BCTS will award the rights to log the timber to the highest bidder after bidding closes Wednesday September 17th.

Approximately 1/3 of Blk TA0519 is within the Chaster Creek Watershed, part of the Gibsons’ Aquifer Recharge Zone that supplies water to two major aquifers for the Town of Gibsons. Drinking water supplied by Gibsons to the majority of its residents, is considered the best potable water in North America because of its high quality and low levels of added chlorine. The waters purity is due in part to the slow hydrologic process of rainwater making its way through the forest canopy, through soil layers and deep into the terrain as gravity feeds the water into specialized aquifers.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District, Town of Gibsons, Elphinstone Community Association and several environmental groups have been opposed to this logging due to concerns that forest cover loss will impact the existing re-charge dynamics that support the Gibsons’ aquifer. read more

At October 15 – The Baby Beaver Forest: a super sensitive zone

A crucial mature forest that provides connectivity between two water bodies (Crowston Lake and Beaver Pond) is set to be clearcut logged by Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) without proper consideration of its full ecological values.

A site level analysis of SCCF’s Blk HM64 (Halfmoon Bay Operating Area) provides new information that SCCF did not reveal to the public during a public review process (June 1-July 20, 2024), therefore SCCF did not meet its community forest license obligation to be transparent on block planning with the public and stakeholders, including the Sechelt Nation. read more

At October 15 – The ts’ukw’um Garden Forest: a sweet spot

This stand has a well-established Elk trail on the west side of the block, used by Roosevelt Elk family groups and lone bulls. Wayne McCrory, RPBio…concluded that this forest supports critical Elk winter habitat.

Tucked into the mid-elevation Wilson Creek Watershed lies a forest untouched by industrial logging, however Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) has targeted it to be logged as Blk EW16 on a 2026 schedule. ELF decided to name it “The ts’ukw’um Garden Forest” to acknowledge the shíshálh Nation’s name for Wilson Creek and to honour shíshálh elder mus-swiya (Jamie Dixon), who recently past in September 2025. He referred to the forest as a “garden” where medicines and food crops are harvested.

SCCF’s Block List states: “Status: Engineered. Significant planning completed – limited changes possible. Fir 60%, Cedar 20%, Hemlock 20%.33 ha [hectares] in size. 12,500 m3 volume.” read more

October 15 – The Tuwanek Spring Forest: a rare gem

The Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) has Blk AN14 planned for possible logging in 2027. This document reveals information than SCCF has never provided to the shishalh Nation, Sunshine Coast Regional District, its Board Directors, Community Advisory Panel, or the public. Our organization (ELF) named the area The Tuwanek Spring Forest to acknowledge the shishalh clan that inhabited a nearby site along the shores of Porpoise Bay, and the rare freshwater spring found in the forest. This naming was approval by hiwus Calvin Craigan, a shishalh Nation knowledge-keeper.

The Block List portal that SCCF’s uses to share information on its logging plans to stakeholders and general public is short on information on Blk AN14 which restricts the understanding of the forests that is being targeted for logging. In contrast, the GIS analysis of blocks that ELF contracts to Applied Conservation GIS provides data layers revealing a much clearer picture of the forest stand conditions. read more

At August 23 – The Old Homesite Creek Forest: It’s Rare – don’t log it

A BC Timber Sales (BCTS) referral mapping portal shows a block situated above Homesite Creek, Sechelt Peninsula, Sunshine Coast Forest District on shishalh Nation lands labeled as Blk TA 2536 with no sale date listed.

The block is found along the Homesite Forest Service Rd (FSR) Branch 01 off Sunshine Coast Highway, 20 minutes west of Sechelt.

A GIS analysis by Applied Conservation GIS (Baden Cross, principal) reveals a forest area entirely composed of at-risk ecosystems, as per data gathered from the BC Conservation Data Centre and the Sunshine Coast Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory. The Age class of the trees across this forest range from 140 up to 250 years making it a Mature Forest containing old-growth characteristics. read more

At August 18 – Re: BCTS’ cutblock sizes (Coastal & Interior)

Dear Mr. Burke,

Please review this supplementary report on BC Timber Sales (BCTS) block sizes in support of the July 11th information that our organization sent to BCTS’ Forest Planners at Strait of Georgia and Chinook Division offices (with no acknowledgment) on the subject of their blocks exceeding the Coast region 40-ha block constraint.

In this additional report, we have extended the search to all BCTS Coastal regions, and now to all Interior regions that have a 60-ha block size constraint – as per the Forest Range Practices Act (FRPA) legislation. Note that we have included the number of blocks that exceed block size constraints and provided several block polygons c/p from BCTS’ KMZ files to graphically show the extent of blocks in the landscape. Any members of the public who have played around on Google Earth will be shocked to the extent that clearcut logging has impacted the land. read more

At August 12 – UNESCO Biosphere Reserve hit with 99 ha of logging & 125 culverts

BC Timber Sales (BCTS) has timber sale license (TSL) Blk 00545 posted for logging contractors to bid on during their July 1 – Sept. 30, 2025 Sales Schedule with a closing date of October 30th. No contract has been signed at this time; therefore, this block can still be canceled.

The TSL involves a massive operation impacting the Atl’ka7tsem – Howe Sound UN Biosphere Reserve within a defined buffer zone, along with impacting the visual quality of the Thornbrough Channel between Gambier Island in Howe Sound. This TSL is comprised of 5 separate cutblocks strung together by new logging roads requiring 125 new culverts.

The amount of timber to be extracted is 102,264 m/3 an extraordinary amount considering that the 15-30,000 m/3 is the BCTS average. Tree species to be logged include: Douglas-fir (67%), Western Hemlock (22%) and Red cedar (10%). BCTS admits that the logging would occur in a “Visual Quality Objective Zone”, however makes no mention to the UN Biosphere Reserve. read more

At August 11 – Serious Issues with BCTS’ Blk TA0526 (Wilson Creek Watershed)

Dear Ms. Gould,

In advance of this block being put on BCTS’ sales schedule, ELF presents reasons to support the deferral of Blk TA0526 from proceeding. Please consider the following reasons:

1. The placement of this block is found in the heavily logged out Wilson Creek Watershed where the vast majority of its original forest cover has been removed from large clearcuts, including on both privately managed forest lands and on Crown lands by multiple licensees over the decades.

2. The last watershed assessment for the Wilson Creek Watershed was conducted in 2012 by GM Horel, PE, and since that time hundreds of hectares more of forest cover have been lost without an updated Equivalent Clearcut Assessment (ECA) being calculated. Horel recommended in her report that a stream channel assessment be completed in regular intervals as a means to gauge changes in flows. No such studies have been completed at this time and no indication if or when they will be. read more

At July 7 – Re: Serious Limitations with the FOM platform

Dear FOM Administrators,

This letter questions the validity of the Forest Operations Map (FOM) platform in meeting the stated objectives of being both “transparent’ and “meaningful”.

The requirement in the FOM legislation for holders of a forestry permit to post block shapes (polygons) is severely limiting for the public to formulate comments that might offer the holder of a permit any meaningful feedback, or new information. Therefore, the conclusion of this review is that the FOM cannot fulfill the expected objective. Due, to this failure, all blocks presented so far on the FOM should be deferred until a new process is implemented. read more

At July 1 – Re: The Skinny on the Partial-Cut System and a Way Forward

Dear Ms. Gould,

I recently made a return visit to Blk TA0521 (Elphinstone Water Protection Forest) and besides being shocked at the changed landscape, I’m reporting on a serious matter regarding post-logging damages that BCTS did not plan as an outcome in its partial cut system, also known as dispersed retention. The leave trees, which are the main feature of these kinds of prescriptions, have been compromised to the extent that mortaility of the single stem trees is projected to be within 3-5 years based on windthrow data from the nearby Roberts Creek Study Forest, which is referenced here.

The leave trees in this block lost many branches when adjacent trees were felled beside them. The force of each falling tree snapped off large number of the leave tree’s branches. A sufficient branch-needle surface area affects a tree’s health and ability to function for reasons clear to most observers of forestry.

The TA0521 plan called for the retention of 393 trees, or 43 trees (stems) per ha. In its public information bulletin, BCTS claims that this level of retention means this is not a clearcut, however over time with the expected high mortaility of the leave trees, the block will functionally become a clearcut. read more

At May 20 – xwesam (Roberts Creek) Forest Property Opportunity (DL 1505 & DL 2674)

Dear Mr. Ennis,

I’m submitting this report regarding a property that our organization has identified for your consideration as a land acquisition. Our research shows that it has high biodiversity, recreational values and contains excellent connectivity to existing protected areas. It’s currently owned by Mosaic Forest Management (Nanaimo); from our perspective they would be a willing seller of their two District Lots 1505 & 2674 that comprises these lands in the community of Roberts Creek located between Gibsons and Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. These are low elevation lands (220-300M) within the inter-urban interface zone.

They meet most of the following features for land acquisition that the BC government set for Old-growth Nature Fund objectives: read more

At May 2 – The Secret Cove Forest is a Biodiversity Hotspot

In BC Timber Sales (BCTS) most recent (April 17, 2025) logging schedule, an area has been slated as Block TA0545. The block size is 41.3 ha (102 acres), with a volume of 23,689 m/3 to be removed. Tree species include Douglas-fir (66%), redcedar (20%), and Western hemlock (11%). Contractors could begin to bid on the block during the 2026 Q2 period, July – September 2025.

The provincial Forest Operations Map (FOM) provided the polygons for the block which is situated in the Sechelt Landscape Unit and above the community of Secret Cove, approximately .5 km north of the Sunshine Coast Hwy 101.

The BCTS Chinook – Sunshine Coast Field Team Invitation states that comments will be accepted between April 17 – May 16, 2025, in approximately one month.

The lead group on this file, Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF), has named the area “The Secret Cove Forest.” read more

At April 13 – Logging Moratorium on the Wilson Creek Watershed until an updated and new Watershed Assessment is completed

In this submission we reference the 2012 report “Wilson Creek Watershed Assessment” commissioned by the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) which was the last watershed assessment completed for the Wilson Watershed. The contention here is that because in 2015, the Equivalent Clearcut Assessment (ECA) was 47% for the whole Wilson Watershed and 41% in SCCF’s Wilson Creek operating area, that the current 2025 ECA levels needs to be established, and until those findings are made, a moratorium be placed on future cutblocks by the two licensees in operating in this watershed, namely SCCF and BC Timber Sales – Chinook Division.

Updated research of the application of ECA (Polar GeoScience June 2023) sets 20% as upper limit for ECA so that incremental changes to the watershed’s hydrology, such as “peak flow event” are avoided. A peak flow event is when flow to a historic channel is overwhelmed causing multiple negative changes to the channel and downstream values and infrastructure.

At February 10 – BCTS pushes higher into the Elphinstone Forest

The logging road will cross several streams with multiple culverts installed capturing runoff from the cutblock above, and the exposed slope cut into it by an expanded logging road. Excess runoff will be re-directed over the slope that could saturate soils, a leading cause of landslides.

BC Timber Sales (BCTS) has put forward a cut block plan TA0519 in the 700M elevation zone in the Chaster Creek Watershed, above the Town of Gibsons. The block 7under question is 41 ha in size consisting of 50% red cedar, 37% hemlock and 6% Douglas-fir. The stand is 2nd growth having re-established after large clearcutting by Jackson Bros Logging Co. during the 1950s across the slope in this Elphinstone Chart Area. BCTS refers to the block as “The Elphinstone Highland” due to it being high up on this slope. Sale date begins July 1st.

This logging operation includes 1km of road construction following the existing High Road Trail used by hikers to reach the Elphinstone Summit Trail on their way to the Elphinstone peak. BCTS is proposing a “partial harvest system” whereby a large number of trees are left standing in the block. A Site Plan has not been made available, including the operational methods, soil disturbance and expected blowdown percentages. read more

At January 21 – SCCF’s AN12A conflicts with Rec Site 3136

Google Earth image of the lake and surrounding forest. Not many areas on the Sunshine Coast boasts a fresh-water lake surrounded by intact forests, without seeing cutblocks. Within 15 minutes from downtown Sechelt. If SCCF has its way these wild natural features will disappear.

ELF conducted a field visit into the Burnett Creek Watershed to examine three cutblocks that make up Sunshine Coast Community Forest’s (SCCF) Blk AN12A and concluded that it should be removed from SCCF’s Block List. There are several options for the area’s protection, including officially recognized as a B.C. Recreational Site as it already has the designation as REC3136 as confirmed by The BC Data Catalogue. The forests here could be added to SCCF’s Conservation Reserve, and with the support of shishalh elders become a National Healing Forest since the area contains shishalh stories as shared by shishalh knowledge-keeper hiwus Calvin Craigan. ELF and hiwus Craigan received a David Suzuki Foundation grant to find a Healing Forest in this region and this Burnett Lake area is being considered. read more

At January 19 – SCCF’s Blk HM64 (aka Baby Beaver Forest) needs a last- minute reprieve from logging

A site level analysis of SCCF’s Blk HM64 (Halfmoon Bay Operating Area) provides new information that SCCF did not reveal to the public during a public review process (June 1-July 20, 2024) concerning this block, therefore SCCF did not meet its community forest license obligation to be transparent on block planning with the public and stakeholders, including the Sechelt nation. read more

At January 8 – Time to Ban Clearcut Logging and Slash Burning across the Sunshine Coast Region

Dear Mr. Hansen and Ms. Gould,

As the two main timber extraction licensees on the Sunshine Coast, our organization is calling on the banning of clearcut logging and the associated practice of burning vast quantities of slash. There are different definitions of what constitutes clearcutting, ours is any cutblock where the existing canopy is fragmented by extensive tree removal.

In this photo-essay we highlight an example of clearcut logging and trach the resulting slash piles by a Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) blocks in the Gray Creek and Angus Creek Watershed as an example of the two inter-related destructive practices. read more

2025 – ELF Reports