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Letter: Group of professionals know what they’re talking about

Mr. Jeklin and colleagues have worked for free and also professionally for North Cowichan
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Group of professionals know what they’re talking about

Mr. Larry Pynn, like so many environmentalist journalists, panders to the green movement but, like most of us, lives the modern lifestyle. He takes ‘bemusement’ in disparagement of Mr. Jeklin and his professional colleagues who question the report of the UBC partnership which has presented a report suggesting a choice of four forest management routes.

Mr. Jeklin and colleagues have worked for free and also professionally for North Cowichan for many years and are highly respected.

During Jeklin’s career, he has participated in reforesting of much of the south island’s forests. Produced timbers from our forests have built most of the houses and structures of the island, have fed most of the sawmills and paper mills of the island creating employment with consequent wealth to the communities, indeed have been the main industry supporting the island community.

Harvesting also means planting for a crop. Jeklin has been responsible for the planting of at least 50 million trees which will provide for the future and at the same time suck up far more carbon dioxide per hectare than the trees they replaced. As well Mr. Jeklin has been responsible for the training of several hundreds of First Nations employees.

Throughout his career he has been a registered professional forester having graduated from the forestry programme of UBC. (It appears that none of the so-called UBC Partnership Group are registered professionals. From my perspective as a professional engineer and past university president I cannot understand how one teaches a profession without being registered as one oneself!)

The professional group “Friends of the Municipal Forest” know what they are talking about and the people of N. Cowichan should know that their forest is capable of being carefully forested, replanted, made more safe against fire, made more welcoming to recreationalists and capable of generating several millions of dollars each year to help keep local taxes under better control.

Keep smirking Mr. Pynn.

Edward Rhodes

Duncan