Province halts old-growth logging in at-risk owl territory another two years

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says it’s extending an old-growth logging ban for part of the Fraser Canyon for another two years to help with the recovery of the endangered spotted owl.

The province says deferring logging activity in two watersheds in the canyon is part of its plan to bring back a “sustained breeding population” of the owl.

The province says it has extended the suspension of old-growth logging activity in the Spuzzum and Utzilus watersheds until February 2025.

Forests Minister Bruce Ralston says further extending the logging deferral in the more than 32,000-hectare area will support recovery efforts to increase the bird’s population.