And in another interesting development, a former forestry officer has done a very unusual thing, and issued a statement contradicting the Chief forest Officer. That's Wilber Sabido and he said the Western Hardwoods have not been logged for 50 years or more. Well, the retired forestry officer who worked there in the 90's said in a statement that it has been logged before. Lewis Usher told us more in a Phone interview:
Jules Vasquez
"But you're saying that as recently as 30 years ago, it was being logged."
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"It was being logged selectively. Selectively, yes. So all we did was pick the slopes and the 66 feet along the creek side."
"So the time was somewhat different. Climate change wasn't as talked about as it is today. And as devastating. So, yeah."
Jules Vasquez
"You say in your statement that as a career forester who worked directly on a sustainable managed sustainable forest management program, you strongly recommend that if any long term for its licenses are to be granted in this area, they must be subjected to clear and adequate conditions."
"Explain what what you mean by that."
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"So what I'm saying is that if any license is to be granted, the conditions must be clear and the monitoring at the forestry end must be must be real. I mean, up to date and strict with climate change and everything."
"And so you have to have a long term study to see what the forest is doing over time, especially with climate change. So that's what I meant to say then."
Jules Vasquez
"Would you accept also that when you were in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, the extraction was was subsistence and not for commercial purposes?"
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"Well, what happened is that the carpentry shop supplied the government with materials. So it's basically what Belmopan need."
Jules Vasquez
"What you described is subsistence, not commercial level logging."
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"Well, I'm not sure what they did in Belmopan, but we send the material to Belmopan and we sold some internally in our department up at Pine Ridge."
Jules Vasquez
"Since you last work in there, it's been three decades, but the cumulative effect of logging on the Moncton Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is certainly a factor to consider now, since it was not that much of a factor then."
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"Yeah, it must be data-driven and we must put in to study the change in the forest over time, yes."
Jules Vasquez
"Why are you choosing to speak up now?"
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"Oh, no, no, well, I haven't heard anybody say that the area was partially logged selectively in 1990 to 1995, or maybe just, well, it can be a little bit before 1990 because I arrived in 1990."
"And I spoke to some of my colleagues because most of them has passed on already and there is. two guys that left, so I spoke with them and said, you know what, I think it's time to tell them that this place was at least partially and selectively logged."
Jules Vasquez
"Have you been retained or are you working professionally? Have you been professionally retained for any of the vested interests seeking a logging permit?"
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"No, not at all. Not at all. I'm looking at my options, but I think that after spending 35 years, I will try something new, yeah."
Jules Vasquez
"I don't know if you saw the release from the Woodmark design."
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"I heard about it."
Jules Vasquez
"Right, where a lot of allegations are thrown about corruption in the Forestry Department, etc. Were you aware of that when you were working there?"
Voice of: Lewis Usher, Retired Forestry Officer
"Not at all."
Usher worked with Forestry from 1990 to 2025. We received his statement from persons affiliated with Woodmark Designs, the furniture company seeking a logging license in the Western Hardwoods.
