How Harvesting Small Trees Could Create a Future for BC Forestry – The Tyee

Nov 28, 2024

Thinning in planted forests can be beneficial for ecosystems and industry. So why isn’t the province doing it yet?

It’s just before 9 a.m. at the Prestige Treasure Cove Casino and Bingo Prince George. In the distance, the city’s giant, log-shaped mascot, Mr. PG, grins at me from across the highway.

Like B.C.’s forest industry, Mr. PG has transformed over the years — today his torso is rumoured to be a repurposed septic tank. But when he made his debut 64 years ago, he was crafted from real wood, thick rounds of it, taken from an old-growth forest whose supply once seemed endless.

Photo by Tyler Neilson via Flickr, Creative Commons licensed.

A dusty black Chevrolet pulls into the Prestige’s entrance, and Mirko and Susanne Jansen get out to greet me. Their 11-month-old baby, Fynn, eyes me curiously from his car seat. It’s a Saturday, but I get the impression that early weekend mornings are standard fare for the family. Luckily, Susanne tells me, Fynn falls asleep to the hum of machines.