Our Mission
Our mission is to protect the working forest.
We advocate for forestry workers to protect our jobs, our families and our forestry towns by raising public awareness and securing an official zone designation for the working forest. During COVID-19, the government declared forestry essential, and this kept our towns employed while tourism and other sectors collapsed. We’re passionately organizing for economic survival while fighting misinformation.
We know our families and BC citizens want to see a strong, secure, vibrant, value-added and sustainable forestry sector that is an engine of economic recovery. Everyone benefits from a stable forestry sector, as it contributes to our official climate action targets, low carbon and local building construction, world-class reforestation and research programs and essential products and next-generation fibre innovations that turn waste streams into new revenues. To secure this stability, we call for an official designation of the working forest.
We invite you to join us in our efforts to increase awareness of the importance of forestry to our province, our communities and our way of life.
Our Vision
Our vision is to secure official designation for the working forest.
We are united in one request – formal designation of BC’s working forest for the benefit of our families, our communities, First Nations and all of British Columbia. Forestry in BC is sustainable, innovative and part of both our economic recovery and climate action plans.
An official management area that is clearly defined as dedicated to economic activities is the pathway to securing a stable future for our forestry families and towns. Moving in lockstep with First Nations, local government and BC’s top recommendations, we believe official designation delivers the stability, security and public transparency we need.
An official designation will provide much needed certainty to BC’s forestry families and communities.
We’re a BC-based, grassroots alliance of forestry families and workers.
The BC Forestry Alliance is a grassroots movement started by forestry workers and their families in the Campbell River area of North Vancouver Island in 2019. We are stewards and advocates of the working forests that our families, friends, businesses and communities have always relied on for our daily work and livelihoods - in many cases for three or four generations - and we want this to continue.
Our historic petition, titled “Saving the Working Forest for all Generations,” garnered over 8,000 original signatures from across the Island, especially in Campbell River, where hairdressers, gas station workers, professionals at local firms in law and other sectors all joined with us to speak up for our forestry communities. The petition was addressed to BC Premier John Horgan, asking the government to bring into legislation, “The working forest, defined and dedicated to the purpose of harvesting and economic activities.”
Our growing network now includes supporters across BC, from all backgrounds and walks of life, who stand behind a unified message on the future of forests. It is our passion as family members, workers and the BCFA to speak up for both forestry workers and the official designation of the working forest - at last.
Founders
Nancy Ponting was born and raised in Comox where she still lives today in her family home. A mother of three, she is the second generation in her family in forestry: her father was a power saw mechanic out of Woss Lake on Vancouver Island.
Today, with her husband Mark, she is proudly a part-owner of Ponting Contracting Ltd, a coastal logging road building company in business since 2003. “We are not only forestry workers, but we are also guardians of the woods. We take care of the logging roads and fish habitats, restoring riverbanks that have been eroded away. We work along with the Homalco First Nation and Homalco Forestry, helping with their bear tours in the Orford River in Bute Inlet. We work for many licensees and First Nations along the rugged coastline of BC and mid Vancouver Island.”
Mike Rorick is a second generation faller and bull bucker. He was born in the West Kootenays and has lived and worked on Vancouver Island for the last 13 years. He’s been falling for over 25 years and has worked all over British Columbia with experience in everything from heli falling to high lead. Married with children, he’s passionate about the industry, and working with the BC Forestry Alliance so that forestry can continue to feed his family for many years and generations to come.
Kelway Cox began his forestry career pressure washing equipment as a summer job at the age of 14. He has worked all over the world, performing a wide variety of forestry jobs from Choker setter to logging and Business Manager.
He operates Mountain Forestry Equipment with his brothers.
Carl Sweet is a long time Campbell River resident. He lives, works and plays in our forests. A strong supporter of the community, Carl believes in our sustainable forestry industry and the importance of having a designated harvestable land base. He has been a proud supplier to the forestry industry for over 20 years.
LISTEN to his interview on the BCRC Podcast.
Jacqui Beban is a fourth-generation logger on both sides of her family. She grew up with stories of logging around the dinner table. She is a well-known advocate in the coastal logging community. She is the past president of the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) and is set to become president of the Pacific Logging Congress (PLC) in 2022-23.
“Just like many others in this industry, forestry is a family thing. My husband Justin, a fourth generation logger, is a hand faller with over 20 years experience and runs a falling company with up to 30 fallers in conventional hand falling and heli falling. My grandfather was a faller and was one of the first people to run a one-man saw on the coast of BC. “
Forestry jobs support BC families.
Without the availability of the current harvestable land base, the stability that has been enjoyed throughout the province and the way of life enjoyed in BC communities will be lost.
Communities across BC rely on working forests.
It is important to recognize that most coastal communities and majority of the coastal forest industry, with all its associated benefits, are sustained from only 30% of the public forest. Since 1990, the Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) from public coastal forest has declined by 30% largely as the result of conservation efforts and land use changes. It is therefore very important that the remaining working forest is well managed to realize its full potential.
BC forestry is sustainable.
Over decades, the industry has evolved, adapted and innovated to what is now a world-class industry with more forested areas certified to internationally recognized sustainability standards than any other jurisdiction in the world. Today, three trees are planted for every tree harvested.