Here’s a second growth larch, fir, pine, cedar and spruce forest in the North Okanagan Valley.

It has regrown largely with larch. Here is a cut from 4 years back. Seed trees have been left.

Current punitive duties for sale to the USA, the major market for British Columbia timber, are over 45%. Let’s play a little game and look at that forest again, leaving that 45%. Let’s start here:

Now, let’s take away 45%.

Consider as well that about 10.5% of a forest that is logged is actually sent to a mill. So, of the remainder, let’s take away about 89.5%.

The black shows how much is cut with no economic benefit, while the bit of forest remaining on the right is how much of economic use is drawn from the forest. The rest is left to rot or to be burnt. Or not. In the case below, just piled up.

There has to be a better way. Harvest trees, sure. Support people. But this is just a spectacular waste.