A new pilot project is giving the public weekend access to thousands of kilometres of forest roads and about 42,000 hectares of privately managed forest lands near Sooke. Mosaic Forest Management is opening three gates in the area, including Butler Main, Lens Main and Muir Main, for recreational use as part of a pilot project running until the end of December. The roads have been closed to the public for more than 20 years. “We are opening up around 1,900 kilometres of road,” said Ian Emery, Mosaic’s director of outdoor recreation and access. The newly accessible roads will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays. The pilot follows a public survey conducted by Mosaic last year. Over a two week period, about 6,700 people responded, with Emery saying the feedback showed strong interest in greater access to the company’s managed forest lands. Now, Mosaic is testing how that access can be expanded while managing the risks that come with increased recreational use. Emery said those concerns include the potential for wildfire and illegal dumping. At the same time, he said more people in the backcountry could help identify and report unsafe or illegal activity. “They’re going to see potentially people doing those bad behaviours and report them,” Emery said. The Four Wheel Drive Association of B.C. says its community has been pushing for greater access to forest lands for years. Colin Stuart, a spokesperson for the association, estimates about 5,000 people in its community could use the newly accessible lands near Sooke. “I think moving into this direction is going to help Mosaic realize that having more people in the backcountry is going to be beneficial for them and the users,” Stuart said. Mosaic is also considering whether a similar approach could be used elsewhere on Vancouver Island. “There are a couple of areas around Campbell River that we are looking at,” Emery said. The company plans to begin assessing the pilot in mid December. The results will help determine whether more forest roads and lands could be opened for recreational use in the future.
