Forestry

Canada's North Pacific waters are an essential part of British Columbia's forest industry. After trees are cut, logging crews dump the logs into the water where they are organized into "booms", similar to the photo shown here. The logs are then transported, using the ocean as a highway, down the coast for sorting and milling.

Because the most valuable timber comes from river valleys, many of the log dumps are located where rivers meet the sea. These estuaries are also rich ecosystems that are essential for many species, including young salmon as they transition to salt water. Saltmarsh and eelgrass ecosystems remove significant amounts of carbon are from the atmosphere, directly and via the ocean’s water to be sequestered in sediments - generally for thousands of years.

Concerns

Logging and sorting activities can have serious impacts on sensitive areas like estuaries. Protecting important and vulnerable coastal habitat must be part of planning in the region.