In my capacity as one of your regional directors, I have been assisting a new organization called Island Forest Futures with research to develop a vision for the forests and communities of Vancouver Island.

This vision, contained in the draft policy statement "The Future of Forests and Communities on Vancouver Island," proposes a strategy to optimize the ecological, social and economic potential of the island's forest resources and move beyond valley-by-valley conflicts, through an immediate transition from:

• old-growth logging to ecological management of second-growth forests;
• volume-based commodity exports to value-based production of high-quality wood products;
• capital-intensive to knowledge- and labour-intensive processes;
• corporate tenures on Crown land to community tenures administered by regional districts and First Nations.

I encourage you to learn more, by reading and providing your input on the draft policy statement.

I also would like to invite you to attend a presentation I am giving in Victoria on September 26, along with Metchosin Councillor and forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon, to share this research and help advance the sustainable vision for the island's forests and communities: Public Presentation and Discussion on the Future of Forests and Communities on Vancouver Island, Monday September 26, 7:00 pm at the Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street.

Together, we can build support for the transition toward a sustainable forest economy on this island, protecting biological diversity and drinking watersheds, while increasing jobs and community benefits from the island's forest resources. I look forward to your input and participation.

All the best,
Ben Isitt
http://www.benisitt.ca/