A First Nation in north-central B.C. says it is banning the use of herbicides across all of its territory, which includes Prince George and the Robson Valley.
The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation says the ban is being put into place because of the negative impacts herbicides, and glyphosate in particular, have had on the environment and wildlife for which they are stewards.
“It is our duty to disallow toxic chemicals in our territory that reduce biodiversity and have negative impacts on our members’ health, wellbeing and the environment where we exercise our living rights and traditions,” Lheidli T’enneh Elected Chief Dolleen Logan said in a statement.
She also says the nation expects both government and private industry workers operating in the region to adhere to the ban.
It was not immediately clear if the ban would also apply to private and municipal property.
The nation says it will share more details of the ban at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation says its traditional territories span approximately 41,000 square kilometres that have not been ceded via treaty or other means, spanning from the Rocky Mountains near Valemount through the Interior Plateau and the city of Prince George.
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CBC News has reached out to the province, as well as the City of Prince George, for their response to the nation’s ban.
In a statement, the city said it uses herbicides “sparingly,” primarily to target trees impacting critical city infrastructure such as sewer lines.
While a spokesperson said they have yet to speak directly with the Lheidli T’enneh about the ban, the statement said that the two levels of government have a “good relationship” and “staff look forward to learning more about the ban and working together to find suitable alternative where possible.”
The practice of using herbicides to manage forests has come under increased scrutiny in both B.C. and elsewhere in Canada, with both environmentalists and researchers pointing to the potential harms of the practice.
It’s part of an annual effort to eradicate broadleaf trees such as aspen and birch, in order to make more room for commercially valuable species of trees like pine and Douglas fir.
The governing B.C. NDP has promised to phase out the use of glyphosate, and the Ministry of Forests has said the practice of spraying has decreased year-over-year even without an outright ban.
Glyphosate was last reviewed for use by Health Canada in 2017, with the agency concluding that “the levels of glyphosate to which people living in Canada may be exposed do not cause any harmful effects when glyphosate-containing products are used properly according to product label instructions.”
Research out of the University of Northern B.C. has pointed out that the impact of the chemical on wildlife and the general environment is not well-understood, especially over longer periods of time.
One study by UNBC researchers found the chemical can persist in plants, albeit at low levels, for more than a decade.
“Exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of glyphosate is likely to be chronic for both humans and wildlife, especially in urban and agricultural areas, and a growing body of research has linked such exposure to various negative health effects,” notes a research paper published by the university’s Nicole Botten and Lisa Wood, published in the journal Forest Ecology and Managment in 2021.
The pair are working with other researchers across the province on the GROW project, a series of long-term studies on the impact glyphosate is having on plants, animals, bugs and microorganisms.
Botten said she’s heard from some forestry companies who are either stopping or considering stopping their use of glyphosate as a result of the research, and she’s glad the work is having an impact even if the full scale of the chemical’s impact is not yet known.
“The research is still needed,” she said.
