Logging losses can be recovered by other means
Dear North Cowichan mayor and councillors:
We are willing to pay a tax hike to cover any of the arguable budgetary losses from not logging our previous Municipal Forest Reserve.
Details about annual forest-budget numbers are found in the Dec. 7, 2023 Cowichan Citizen.
Despite specious academic arguments about actual losses, we believe our publicly owned forests are simply priceless in ecological, educational, cultural and recreational values. Period.
The public survey about our reserve’s future heavily backs permanent preservation of our enviable forest lands — bean-counting aside.
Perceived losses can be recovered by taxation, recreational fees, carbon credits and more.
Perhaps our wise councillors should also discuss potential redundancy of staffers.
Yours in forest ecology,
Peter W. Rusland
North Cowichan
