PORT RENFREW, B.C. — Business leaders in Port Renfrew, B.C., a community that once thrived on forestry, are calling for a ban on logging in the nearby Walbran Valley.
The valley is full of ancient old-growth trees, and the Chamber of Commerce says tourists who come to see them have created a multibillion-dollar economy along Vancouver Island's west coast.
Some of the old trees are protected within the boundary of the Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park, but chamber president Dan Hagar says logging is currently underway in the rest of the valley.
The chamber, which represents 73 local businesses, has released a statement calling on the B.C. government to immediately ban logging in the unprotected portion of the valley.
It says the most heavily visited areas of the Walbran are outside the park's protected areas.
The group Ancient Forest Alliance has lobbied heavily for the Walbran's protection and says a logging company is planning eight new cutblocks in the valley, including one that has been approved by the province.
