British Columbia's old growth temperate rainforests are one of the most impressive in the world. Tree species range from the uncommon sitka spruce to red and yellow cedar, to huge douglas firs, arbutus trees, mountain hemlock and many more. These majestic forests include the world's largest douglas fir tree and the second largest western red cedar.
These awe-inspiring forests are under attack because they contain the largest, and therefore most lucrative specimens. Old growth logging should be banned for several reasons, which I will outline below:
1. The forests provide much-needed habitat for the endangered spotted owl and marbled murrelet, as well as other rare, threatened and endangered animals and plants, making the forests ecologically significant. Habitat destruction and/or degradation is a problem for thousands of species, but these creatures are particularly sensitive to it's effects. The biodiversity of old growth cannot be matched by second-growth forest (forest that has been logged previously)
2. Ecological succession is a lengthy process. Old growth forests take up to several millennia to regenerate (depending on the type of trees and location). They cannot be replaced in anytime close to a human lifespan. It is neither sustainable nor responsible to make these choices for future generations
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