Over the past several weeks, the SCCA worked to inform the public about BC Timber Sales’ (BCTS) proposed 2026–2030 Operating Plan and what it could mean for Sunshine Coast forests, watersheds, biodiversity, and community drinking water.
Through public outreach, social media, mapping resources, and educational materials, we encouraged community members to learn about and comment on the proposed logging plans.
Over a few weeks, we reached thousands of people online through social media, email outreach, and public education materials related to the proposed logging plans.
The SCCA has now submitted a comprehensive technical analysis and formal submission to BC Timber Sales, the Ministry of Forests, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
Our submission focuses on 25 high-priority cutblocks proposed for sale in 2026 and 2027, including eight “Engineering Complete” blocks that could be auctioned immediately.
Using provincial mapping data, GIS analysis, watershed research, species-at-risk data, old-growth mapping, land-use planning agreements, and hydrological concerns, the report identifies serious concerns across multiple regions of the Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District.
The submission raises concerns about proposed logging:
- in community drinking water watersheds
- in old-growth management areas
- in aquifer recharge zones
- in mapped marbled murrelet habitat
- in Fisheries Sensitive Watershed candidate areas
- within active Indigenous and provincial land-use planning areas
- and within some of the rarest coastal ecosystems in Canada.
The report also identifies broader structural concerns with the provincial forestry planning framework, including the lack of cumulative effects assessment, incomplete Forest Landscape Planning processes, and gaps between provincial conservation commitments and proposed logging approvals.
As part of this work, the SCCA also created a detailed public reference document and block-by-block mapping analysis to help residents better understand what was being proposed and how to participate in the public comment process.
For the SCCA, this work is about more than individual cutblocks.
It is about the future of Sunshine Coast watersheds, biodiversity, climate resilience, fisheries, old forests, and community drinking water security – and the fact that BCTS decision-making is not keeping pace with the ecological realities facing British Columbia today.
We want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to learn about the plan, share information, engage online, and participate in the conversation.
This submission represents many hours of research, GIS analysis, writing, mapping, and review — and reflects a growing public concern about the future of forests and watersheds on the Sunshine Coast.
BC Timber Sales operating plans and cutblock referrals are part of an ongoing process.
Due to the sheer scale and complexity of the material presented to the public for review, we focused our detailed analysis on 25 high-priority cutblocks. However, we continue to review proposed blocks and plan to submit further comments in the months ahead.
Public engagement does not end when a formal comment period closes, and ongoing public oversight matters. Especially as forestry pressures, climate change, drought, biodiversity loss, and watershed concerns continue to intensify across British Columbia.
Members of the public can contact BC Timber Sales at any time with concerns about proposed logging, watershed impacts, old-growth forests, biodiversity, drinking water, or cumulative impacts in their communities. We encourage everyone interested in protecting our forests to engage, as they say, early and often.
Sunshine Coast BCTS contact: BCTS.SunshineCoast@gov.bc.ca