Call on the B.C. government to end subsidies for forest biomass

Our shocking new research has caught Drax redhanded purchasing old growth trees in BC and turning them into wood pellets. In fact, we have proof that Drax sourced 90 truck loads of old growth last year and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Instead of going up against a multi-million company, we’re going right to the source: the government responsible for greenlighting such a destructive industry.

We’re calling on Premier David Eby and Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar to ban the sourcing of old growth for wood pellets and end all subsidies to Drax.

Will you send a quick letter to Eby and Parmar demanding they keep their promise to protect old growth?

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Premier

David

Eby

BC NDP

Minister

Ravi

Parmar

BC NDP

Dear Premier David Eby and Minister Ravi Parmar,

For years we have been asking for protection of old growth forests and we’ve heard nothing but countless empty promises. Not only are you allowing precious old growth forests to be clearcut, you’re also funding the industry that is burning them.

The biomass industry has been greenwashing itself and making the public believe it's sustainable when you know that’s far from the truth.

Stand.earth Research Group has just released a report confirming that Drax, one of the biggest biomass companies that receives billions of dollars in green subsidies to do its dirty work, is purchasing and burning old growth trees to generate electricity overseas.

In 2024, we can confirm that Drax received 90 truck loads of old growth forests. With another 425 truck loads highly likely to be old growth as well. To make matters worse, 219 of these loads were sourced from areas overlapping with sensitive moose habitat in the Skeena region.

These research findings were underscored by firsthand documentation at Drax’s Burns Lake wood pellet yard, which confirmed old growth sourcing and the presence of large, old trees.

Concrete actions must be immediately taken to prevent further irreversible loss, including:

1. You must stop subsidizing Drax and the forest biomass sector and instead, invest in true renewable energy like wind or solar, community resiliency to climate impacts, and Indigenous-led forest conservation and management.

2. You must ban the sourcing of whole trees and old growth for wood pellets, including those currently categorized as “wood waste” or “residuals”. Uphold your commitments to protect old growth and change unsustainable forestry practices in B.C., including by implementing the Old Growth Strategic Review and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

3. To ensure long-term resiliency for forest ecosystems and communities, you must finalize the draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework and co-develop a corresponding law with First Nations. Interim protection measures must be implemented to ensure at-risk old growth is not destroyed in the meantime.

We must protect the last remaining old growth before it’s too late. The trees, wildlife, and communities that depend on them, need you to do better.

Sincerely, 
{user_data~First Name)

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