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Reader urges locals not to buy firewood cut from Tweedsmuir Park

Please consider taking a drive up the Tote Road and see what sort of havoc your purchase is doing to the park ecosystem.

Dear Editor,

While I do accept we live in an era defined by its hypocrisy and double standards, the commercial logging of old growth douglas fir in Tweedsmuir Park for firewood, surely takes the cake. I drove up the Tote Road the other day and was rather horrified by the number of formerly magnificent old growth fir trees that were killed, partially cut up for firewood, and then mostly left to rot on the ground.

This is an ecosystem that is supposed to be one of the rarest in all of British Columbia. This is in a place that is supposed to be so peaceful and sacred, people are told they should not pick mushrooms let alone collect rocks from there. The sight is truly bizaare.

If you buy old growth Douglas Fir for firewood, please consider taking a drive up the Tote Road and see what sort of havoc your purchase is doing to the park ecosystem. In a Valley that is blessed with a limitless supply of easily accessible alder, birch, and second growth conifer trees I believe that there is no need for any of us to burn Tweedsmuir park Douglas fir trees in our wood stoves. If nothing else, the logging protest on Nuxalknalus (King Island) in 1995 taught us that just because someone has the right to do something does not make it right.

As far as I am concerned, the sooner we put an end to the commercial logging of Tweedsmuir Park Old growth Douglas fir for firewood - the better. If you buy firewood, please consider buying firewood that does not come from Tweedsmuir Park.

Sincerely.

H ThommasenHagensborg, BC