A long-time campaigner against the use of herbicide spray on area forests is urging others to join him as B.C. Timber Sales is in the process of reviewing a five-year plan to continue the practice in the Prince George area.
James Steidle says spraying stands of lodgepole pine to rid them of such broadleaf species as aspen, birch and cottonwood not only takes away valuable habitat for moose, birds and insects but poses an economic consequence.
"Aspen's actually a great wood," Steidle said. "I'm a woodworker, I work with it all the time, it's beautiful... why not utilize that beautiful tree that makes a nice fibre, that grows twice as fast and supports all this wildlife?
"Industry isn't being creative. They're being creative in other places but they don't want to spend money on a new machine, a new process.
"The only reason they call it a pest is because there is no plant in Prince George to utilize aspen."
He said the herbicide used is a form of glysophate that has been linked to cancer.
BCTS's draft pest management plan does commit to spray-free zones around fish bearing streams, Steidle said.
"However, it remains legal to spray small marshes, swamps, wetter bottom lands, and seasonal creeks, which are the primary habitat of amphibians, a group of animals also in decline," Steidle said and added the plan "makes no commitment to respect smaller wetlands or seasonal creeks."
He said the plan also fails to mention climate change or address the likelihood that mixed forests will weather a warming climate better than a simplified one.
And he said aspen has been shown to make an effective natural firewall in the event of a forest fire.
Steidle, who grew up in the Punchaw area south of Baldy Hughes, acknowledged he's going up against a big opponent, namely industrial forestry.
"That's not a reason why you're not going to try and raise these issues," he said.
Steidle has set up a website in support of his cause, www.stopthespraybc.com, where he's posted a video showing the impact spraying can have on an area.
The draft plan and a form for public comment can be found at www.for.gov.bc.ca/bcts/areas/TPG/TPG_PMP.htm.
