Canadian march highlights endangered forest plight

A march has taken place in Victoria, Canada, aimed at highlighting the issue of deforestation of ancient trees and its impact on the environment.

The Times Colonist reported that a "thick pack" of around 500 protestors from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee met in the city over this weekend, all concerned about the level at which old growth trees in the country are being cut down.

The protestors were calling for the Canadian government to take steps to ban the export of raw logs to the US and to focus on sustainable second-growth logging, the newspaper said.

Elaine Morton, from Victoria, told the source that the "regressive, resource-driven economy" being sought by the provincial government in the area is "puzzling" to her.

"The government should be promoting our old-growth trees as a tourist attraction instead of condemning them to sawmills," she said.

Meanwhile, the group recently noted that the discovery of an ancient red cedar thought to be the biggest in the Capital Regional area is evidence that the region is in need of protection against logging, reported the Vancouver Sun.

Written by Kimberley Homer.

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