In 1947, The BC Forest Act was changed to include forest management practices. This included replanting logged areas. It was amended again in 1979 to include an “allowable annual cut.” Logging companies were required to cut their allocated allowable annual cut to ensure both a sustainable industry and return to government. At this time, environmental groups began expressing concern about the logging industry’s forest practices. The industry was criticized for clear cutting, destroying forest ecosystems, and not planting enough trees to replace those taken.

In the next hundred years, the forestry industry will need to establish a way to maintain a balance between demand for timber, forestry jobs and revenue on one side and environmental impact, protection of old growth forests and sustainability on the other.