Lawmakers heading into the first day of the fall session at the B.C. legislature were met by a small group of people looking for more concrete action on ending old-growth logging in the province.

The group wants the province to implement all 14 recommendations from the independent old-growth strategic review.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 confusing to me because they含羞草研究社檝e promised to do this and yet they just seem to be running the clock out and logging in the meantime,含羞草研究社� said Deborah Tin Tun, one of the supporters.

Melanie Murray of Denman Island was arrested last winter during protests against old-growth felling.

She showed up on Monday to make it clear to the next premier that the public wants the forests saved.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 time for them to take their deferrals seriously, stop logging in the deferral zones and save the old-growth 含羞草研究社� one of our best climate sinks we have,含羞草研究社� she said, calling for logging moratoriums instead of deferrals. 含羞草研究社淭hey call it a deferral and then they cut in it, how is that helpful?含羞草研究社�

B.C. has announced deferrals on nearly 1.7 million hectares of old-growth, with just over one million hectares being forests it says are most at risk of irreversible loss.

But a recent report from the environmental advocacy group, Stand.earth, found that over 55,000 hectares of proposed deferrals face imminent risk of logging.

It used satellite imagery analysis to allege that some deferrals have already been destroyed 含羞草研究社� some to make way for pipelines 含羞草研究社� or are in the process of being clearcut.

Forests Minister Katrine Conroy, in a statement to Black Press Media, said such reports about significant logging in deferral areas are misleading.

含羞草研究社淭he ministry of forests has been monitoring the situation on the ground and 含羞草研究社� in fact 含羞草研究社� less than half a per cent of the proposed deferral areas have been harvested since November 2021.含羞草研究社�

The province含羞草研究社檚 new old-growth strategy is being developed with communities and First Nations, the statement said.

Logging may proceed on territories where deferrals weren含羞草研究社檛 supported, as the government said it would not unilaterally impose them on First Nations.

含羞草研究社淎fter decades of neglect, we are taking better care of our oldest and rarest forests for future generations,含羞草研究社� Conroy said.

Save Old Growth, one of the groups outside the legislature, said it含羞草研究社檚 not against logging, just the felling of old-growth trees, and that the majority of B.C. residents want to see the forests stay intact.

含羞草研究社淭hese trees are irreplaceable,含羞草研究社� said Trevor Mckelvie, who said he worries about his nieces含羞草研究社� and nephews含羞草研究社� futures being impacted by climate change. Logging can still be done in many ways that don含羞草研究社檛 mean cutting down 2,000-year-old trees, the Save Old Growth supporter said.

含羞草研究社淔rom an economic perspective, continuing to log the way we do, it含羞草研究社檚 just not sensible,含羞草研究社� Mckelvie said.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e not against forestry at all, B.C. is a province built on forestry, but we just want reform,含羞草研究社� Tin Tun said. 含羞草研究社淭hat reform is what this government has promised and all they have to do is make it happen.含羞草研究社�

The several groups involved in the legislature demonstration said they will kick off 含羞草研究社極ctober Rebellion含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� a month of actions intended to build pressure on the government. Tin Tun and Mckelvie said they don含羞草研究社檛 enjoy being arrested, but the disruptions seem to be the only things that get the government to act.

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