This paper has analysed forest industry data to compile a more detailed and accurate estimate of coastal log movements than is available from existing Statistics Canada data. On the basis of this analysis it appears that the total volume of coastal log shipments is in the neighbourhood of 18 million tonnes, or almost 7 times the volume reported by Statistics Canada. Geographical analysis of BC Ministry of Forests data on timber origins and mill locations lends support to the claims of the Fraser River and North Fraser River Port Authorities that their log throughput vastly exceeds the figures reported by Statistics Canada for their traffic. However, the estimate of 18 million tonnes of total coastal traffic suggests .that a significant degree of double counting exists. This may be an inevitable aspect of relying on carrier surveys as a source of data on forest commodity movements, given the nature of the coastal transportation system. However, while double counting may be a problem for flows on the Fraser River, it is a minor problem for the Statistics Canada system for data capture which is missing more traffic than it is recording. The current system of gathering coastal marine transportation flows is not working. This paper has shown an alternative method relying on BC Ministry of Forests datam which provides information on the three quarters of log flows which originate from Crown land. Perhaps attempting to collect directly data from the forest industry would be more productive Acknowledgements: Many individuals provided information or assistance which was invaluable in preparing this paper. I would particularly like to thank the following individuals: Ian May of the Council of Forest Industries; Brian Zak of the Coast Forest and Lumber Association; numerous individuals at the BC Ministry of Forests, but particularly Greg Lawrance and Steve Fletcher; Ed Kargl of Fraserport; and Karl Kliparchuk and Andrew Mclntosh of McElhanney Consulting for assistance in preparing the maps. Responsibility for all conclusions reached and opinions expressed in this paper rests solely with the author.
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