Canada

A forest advisory council has recommended shifting B.C.’s forest regime towards more local decision-making.

The plan has received applause from forestry groups, the BC Greens and the head of the BC First Nations Forestry Council. But some experts warn the plan lacks teeth and risks putting fragile forest ecosystems at risk.

The advisory council was created last year as part of the BC Greens’ confidence agreement with the NDP, with a mandate to diagnose the turmoil in B.C.’s forests and pitch a new path forward. Its members include representatives from industry, labour and academia.

The release of the council’s report comes as more mills close across the province and ecosystems struggle from over a century of intensive old-growth logging.