Vancouver Island Big Trees

Saving An Ancient Crofton Arbutus

2012-02-01T22:33:00.000-08:00

Can this ancient Crofton Arbutus get some much-deserved lovin'?

I always answer emails regarding VIBT with hope, anticipating information and photos of big trees around Vancouver Island. I was not disappointed when I opened an email sent by a tree enthusiast from Crofton, 75km (45 miles) up the east coast from Victoria.

Inside was a message from Charronne, who expressed concern for the well being of this massive, ancient Arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) growing on the coast by the Crofton ferry terminal. Along with the information were several photos highlighting the beauty of this imperilled tree literally living on the edge.

Beautiful branching pattern

How long has this unique tree battled the ocean in this exposed location? How much longer can it hang in there? And how can it be protected from the pavement and development that now surrounds it?

Hoping that we may elicit a response from the tree community, Charronne agreed to letting me share the email, as well as the attached photos of this amazing Vancouver Island big tree.

"I am writing from Crofton.

There is a massive arbutus tree by the waterfront here. Unlike the usual bent and twisted trunks, this old tree looks more like an oak or maple tree that might be found on some of the great British estates.

I have never seen an arbutus with such thick trunk and compact form. It is possible that the 2 trunks might have been separate trees at one point, and have since grown together, or it could have been one that split when it was young. Even the bark is a little different in appearance from the average.

It would be wonderful to find someone who could estimate an age for this tree.

I also frequently wonder if this is what all arbutus trees may have looked like before logging changed the forest growth patterns.

My immediate concern is that it hangs at the edge of the embankment to the waterfront by the boat launch and ferry terminal in Crofton, with roots now protruding into the air on one side. Heavy rains, and storm surges at high tide, could in a few years undercut the tree and topple it. People picking at the bark doesn't help either."

Arbutus trees only live in the Coastal Douglas-fir zone, the smallest of 14 eco-zones in BC. They are found in low elevations along southeastern Vancouver Island, from Bowser to the Victoria area, the Gulf Islands south of Cortes Island, and a narrow strip along the Sunshine Coast near Halfmoon Bay. Like the Crofton Arbutus shown here, all Arbutus are in danger.

Arbutus are delicately rooted trees that do not endure disturbance well. In addition to development, Arbutus are endangered by fire protection strategies (usually fire keeps Douglas-fir from taking over the rocky, coastal exposures where Arbutus like to grow), and attack by fungi (Arbutus is host to more than 21 varieties of fungi, and usually larger, older trees are most susceptible to infection).

If you are able to help age the Crofton Arbutus (they can live up to 500 years), or if you have any information that would help protect this beautiful heritage tree, please contact us (info on the side bar).

Tree enthusiasts everywhere would be grateful. Thanks to Charronne for bringing this beautiful tree to our attention, and for the great photographs.

I need your help!

Haida Cedar Plank Longhouses

2012-01-28T00:04:00.000-08:00

Haida 6-Beam Longhouse, artwork by Gordon J. Miller

The cultures that have thrived on the west coast of North America have lived among some of the biggest trees in the world for thousands of years. In that time, they have used these wood resources in creative and monumental endeavors, including the Haida 6-beam longhouse.

Since time immemorial coastal people have been using the rain forest for an amazing variety of things. Haida Gwaii produced some of the largest Western red-cedar in the world, and they provided lodging, clothes, transportation, and tools - everything the Haida needed.

Cedar is valuable because its wood and bark are water-resistant. The wood grain is unusually straight with few knots so it's excellent for splitting into the long, even, and smooth planks which the big houses required. Cedar is a solid wood yet is easy to carve and its natural oils resist rot.

Forest resources are just as important today as they ever were, although they have been logged unsustainably since the arrival of Europeans. The once rich resource is being depleted, especially the sacred (and expensive) cedar, the center pole of west coast life. However, the Haida approach logging differently, now and in the past.

When Haida lumberjacks of days gone by needed to harvest huge cedar for a new plank longhouse, they would canoe in a large group to the location of big cedars. While one group set up camp and cooked, another went to fell the giant trees needed for the beams and large planks used in building the massive long houses.

To fell the large cedar, wet mud was packed at breast height all around the base of the trunk. Wood was piled around the tree and set alight. The fire was maintained until the tree was weakened and fell to the ground. Then it would be de-limbed and prepared for the journey by canoe to the building site.

The posts and beams, which weighed several tons, were lifted into place using simple tools and the cooperation of the entire village. The longhouse, which could be up to 120 feet long and 20 feet high, had a number of fire pits for warmth and cooking with smoke holes directly overhead. The Haida raised totem poles in front of their houses while other groups painted the facade with pictures of real and mythical beasts.

The trees were harvested in a process of respect and reverence, then were used in efficient and artistic ways that also showed respect for the resource. When the longhouse was old and no longer used, it would slowly return to the forest, melding in to the greenery without a trace.

Contemporary longhouses at the Haida Heritage Centre

Beautiful longhouses are still being built on Haida Gwaii, although not as large as some of the historical structures. It has only been fairly recently that the Haida regained control of their access to the cedars of their territory, so we can expect to see more of these traditional dwellings as the Haida continue to reclaim their past.

"In the past cultural wood was used mainly for poles, boxes and masks but with the Supreme Court of Canada, Sapier and Gray decision (2006) this has changed. The court decision, in part says, that the use of cultural wood for domestic purposes is a constitutional right much like the right to harvest wood for poles and weaving. This means that Haida and other First Nations are now able to take wood to build houses or use wood for siding a house."

- from: Haida Laas, September 2009

The Haida Gwaii Land Plan, and the implementation of Ecological Based Management, will ensure that there are trees available in the future for canoe logs, longhouse beams, posts, and planks, totem poles, and other cultural uses.

The Haida Heritage Centre has new longhouses that contain exhibits for the public to enjoy. The totem poles and canoes shown here are incredible.

Check here for photos of some amazing contemporary cedar structures built by a local company.

The Wonders Of Big Trees

2012-01-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe
about us,the less taste we shall have for its destruction."
- Rachel Carson

During winter I usually do more big tree hunting online than I do in the field. Every once in a while a really big specimen emerges from the digital background, like the one above. It is a monumental big tree that was not identified, although I had some good ideas as to its type and location. It was a big tree mystery.

It was not difficult to find other photos of the giant. As I suspected, the tree is a Coastal redwood. Several other pictures of the tree on the web indicate that it is in Jedediah Smith State Park in California.

California has the largest trees in the world. If it weren't for them, Vancouver Island would hold this distinction.

However, size doesn't matter so much - it is all about paying attention to the wonders and realities of big trees, wherever they are.

Snow In The Big Trees

2012-01-19T00:37:00.000-08:00

Snowy Sooke River falls

It is not often that you get to snowshoe at lower elevations on Vancouver Island's south coast. But every once in a while we get a good dump that stays around for a day or two before warmer weather melts it away. I headed up to the end of Sooke River Rd., and Sooke Potholes Regional Park today to take advantage of the recent heavy snowfall. It was a rare winter wonderland.

Tons of snow hung on everything in the forest. It changes the look of everything with some things highlighted, and others muted. Along with the weak winter light, the covering of snow turns the landscape into a black and white Japanese drawing. Sounds are muffled, all is quiet.

Winter scene bordering Sooke River

Lichen

Everything strained under the weight of the heavy white stuff. Small trees bent over in graceful white arches. Larger trees that were wobbly before the snow have toppled to the ground. The occasional branch gave way and came crashing down, breaking the silence. With the old branches come loads of lichen for wildlife to dine on.

Snow falling on cedars

The snowshoeing was excellent on snow depths ranging from a few centimeters under the trees, and up to 30 + centimeters in open areas. The accumulation was enough for easy off-trail hiking. My winter forest bath was a magical, invigorating moment among my favourite big trees close to home.

It is going to warm up to +8 Celsius by the weekend, so get out and enjoy the snow while it lasts. You will be rewarded with a rare glimpse of the big trees in their stunning winter attire.

Watch for falling branches.

Wildlife Trees: A Wonderful, Rotten Place To Live

2012-01-15T00:16:00.000-08:00

Detail of signage in Cypress Provincial Park describing the importance of wildlife trees

Big Leaf Maple Comes By Name Honestly

2012-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

Large Big leaf maple, San Juan Bridge Forestry Service Campground

The largest known Big leaf maple in the province of BC grows on the lower mainland in Vancouver's city-center Stanley Park. The big-leafed big tree is 10.70 m/35 ft in circumference, 29 m/95 ft in height, with a crown spread of 19.5 m/64 ft, and 533 AFA points. Stanley Park has champion maples galore with 5 more on the list of BC's 10 largest Big leaf maples.

That's not to say that Vancouver Island doesn't have some large maples of its own, like the epiphyte-draped tree shown above. This tree is in the same area as the more famous San Juan Spruce, the largest spruce tree in Canada. The Big leaf maple is a short distance away, dominating the center of the campground, and looking like something out of a Tolkien tale.

Big leaf maple leaves/seeds

The Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), is the largest maple in Canada, and the largest deciduous tree in the coastal forest. This tree lives up to its name and produces giant leaves as large as a medium pizza.

A favourite fall activity on the coast is getting out into the forest to see who can collect the largest leaf. Not surprisingly, the winner is usually found in Vancouver.

The largest maple leaf currently on record measured 53 cm (20.86 in) wide and 52.2 cm (20.55 in) long and was discovered by Vikas Tanwar and family in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on 14 December 2010.

Big Leaf Maple Facts

grows up to 40 m tall, with leaves possibly up to 60 cm wide
in forest has narrow crown with single branch free trunk and small narrow crown
in open trunk branches low down into many branch trunks growing into a large crown
restricted to southwest corner of BC low to mid-elevations
like gravely moist soil as beside rivers and lakes
grows in mixed forests
older trees are draped in mosses, ferns and lichens because the bark is rich in nutrients and moisture
the tree will extend roots up from the branches into the gathering moist material resting on them
older trees are notorious for dropping large limbs

Watershed Trees

2012-01-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Desert erosion creates beautiful tree-like forms

Do trees look like watersheds, or do watersheds look like trees?

When water flows the resulting erosion on the landscape can form shapes similar to trees. The 'trunk' of the main river is fed by smaller and smaller 'branches'. The overall form gives the appearance of the canopy.

It is another example of the repeating patterns expressed in nature. If you watch closely you can spot such patterns everywhere.

Guest Tree: Quinault Lake Cedar

2012-01-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

Quinault Lake Cedar, W. Siegmund, 2005

The champion tree highlighted in this post is not one of Vancouver Island's big trees, although it is close as the crow flies. The Quinault Lake Cedar can be found across the Straight of Juan de Fuca in the Quinalt Lake Rain Forest area of Olympic National Park, Washington, USA.

Like Canada's largest tree, the Cheewhat Lake Cedar, the Quinault tree is of massive, human-dwarfing proportions. For comparisons sake, the Cheewhat tree is 5.84m (19.2ft) in diameter, 55.5m (182ft) tall, and 449 cubic meters (15,870 cu. ft.) in volume.

The Quinault Lake Redcedar

Description: Thuja plicata
The largest known Western Redcedar, in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters (17650 cu. ft.). It is 53.0 m (174 ft) high with a diameter of 5.94 m (19.5 ft.) at 1.37 m (4.5 ft.) above the ground. (Van Pelt, Robert, 2001, Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast, University of Washington Press.)
Viewpoint location: Near the northwest shore of Quinault Lake north of Aberdeen, Washington, about 34 km (21 miles) from the Pacific Ocean. It is near Higley Creek in the southwest corner of Olympic National Park.
Viewpoint elevation: 400'
View direction: North - wikipedia

View Western Redcedar National Champions in a larger map

If A Tree Falls, Does Anybody Hear?

2011-12-31T23:57:00.000-08:00

"Felling A BC Fir Tree", 1920. Photo: University of British Columbia

Written in 1988, the hit single "If A Tree Falls" from the album Big Circumstance raised awareness of the destruction under way in the world's rain forests. Now, over 20 years later, the destruction continues.

If A Tree Falls, Bruce Cockburn (1988)

Rain forest
Mist and mystery
Teeming green
Green brain facing labotomy
Climate control centre for the world
Ancient cord of coexistence
Hacked by parasitic greedhead scam -
From Sarawak to Amazonas
Costa Rica to mangy B.C. hills -
Cortege rhythm of falling timber.

What kind of currency grows in these new deserts,
These brand new flood plains?

If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?

Cut and move on
Cut and move on
Take out trees
Take out wildlife at a rate of species every single day
Take out people who've lived with this for 100,000 years -
Inject a billion burgers worth of beef -
Grain eaters - methane dispensers.

Through thinning ozone,
Waves fall on wrinkled earth -
Gravity, light, ancient refuse of stars,
Speak of a drowning -
But this, this is something other.
Busy monster eats dark holes in the spirit world
Where wild things have to go
To disappear
Forever

If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?

Quotes by Bruce Cockburn about his song If A Tree Falls:

"When I wrote that song they were cutting down the Amazon rain forest to put in cattle. But that didn’t work out, and the next thing you know they’re planting soybeans. But they’re still cutting down the forests, and they’re still displacing the natives. Corn for the biodiesel trade, that’s the new big thing. You can’t win. You create all this awareness about one aspect of the problem, but as soon as you think you have a foot on top of that, it squeezes out from under and morphs into something else." (2010)

"My exposure to rain forest, with the except on one brief day in Australia, has been in the Northwest, the western coast of North America, which is as much rain forest as anything else. It's just not tropical. So a lot of the time when people talk about the rain forest, they don't realize that they are also talking about the large groves that grow on the west coast of Canada and North America." (1997)

"A lot of critics didn't like that song. They felt it was too pedantic and I was being too literal and I was 'stretching my metaphors too far'. I have a two-word response for those people." (1989) - source

2012 - The Year We End The Old Growth Slaughter

There are people who want to destroy all of the earth's original forests for short term profit. I, like Bruce Cockburn, have a two-word response for them.

Actually I have several two-word answers, the nicest being, "Hell, NO!".

Let's make 2012 the year that we stop the ongoing greedy, senseless, selfish, slaughter of our old growth forests.

West Coast Wood Architecture

2011-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

A whimsical wood creation on the beach, Sooke, BC

Coastal beaches are excellent places to walk, or play, or do nothing but sit and listen to the waves breaking on the cobbles. Riches abound, with seaweed, driftwood and sand on one side, and the magnificent forest on the other. A better playground has never been built.

As I walked on the beach near Sooke I rounded a corner to see the wispy beachfront creation pictured above. As I stopped to look at it I considered whether it was a structure, or a sculpture.

I decided it was both, although the builders might have informed me that it was indeed a 'fort', or 'hut'. Regardless, we would all agree that the woodwork here is a thing of west coast beauty.

The Lookout provides a view of the beach below, and the Juan de Fuca beyond

As I climbed the steep bank behind the wood sculpture I delightfully discovered more woodworking wonders. Stick ladders, boardwalks, and platforms perched precariously in trees dotted the trail. The simplicity of how the natural materials were used appealed to my spartan ways, and reminded me of boyhood discoveries and creations.

However, since I was raised on the short-grass prairie, as a boy I dug more holes than I built tree houses. But I am making up for lost time now, and am enjoying the coastal beaches and trees as often as possible. This is where I like to play.

Trail leads to old growth wonders at the top of the bank

Going, Going, Gone

2011-12-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

"Going" - I photographed the Douglas fir in the distance one year ago
and wondered how long it would last

Change is constant in the coastal forest, and where the forest meets the sea exists a zone where nothing stands still for long. Wind-driven salt spray, rain, and the ceaseless eroding action of tides and waves make this zone a challenging place for a tree to eke out an existence.

A year ago I did a post after a hike along the beach on the coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Sooke, BC. Along the stretch of beach there are several big Sitka spruce and Douglas-fir that are being eroded by the action of the pounding surf, and are tottering on the edge.

"Going" - Close up of the root ball, showing its precarious, eroding perch

This tree in particular caught my attention due to its gravity-defying location hanging off a steep bluff. The Douglas-fir was a fair size (over 30m/100ft.), and it has been growing here since before WWI. It was obvious that it was only a matter of time before nature took its course on this tree.

"Gone" - The big tree gives in and hits the beach

Sure enough, the tree did not make it through 2011 intact, and now lies on the beach pointing out to sea. Maybe in 2012 it will change into a drift log, showing up on a beach near you.

The Gifts Of Trees

2011-12-25T01:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from everyone at VIBT

What would a Christmas celebration be without a tree?

The UN International Year Of Forests is drawing to a close. Now is as good a time as any to give thanks for the many, many gifts given to us by our trees and forests. In their generosity and bounty, trees have paved the way for much of civilization as we know it.

We would not have come as far, or as fast, without the ample gifts of trees. Perhaps this coming year we can consider everything trees have done for us, and then consider what we can do for them in return.

Forests everywhere desperately need us.

Seasons Greetings to all tree lovers and forest defenders.

Bark Beetles: Beauty And The Beast

2011-12-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Sitka spruce on the beach showing evidence of bark beetles

Bark beetles are an important part of the life cycle of forests. These small, cylindrical insects are about the size of a rice kernel, but when they work together they can wipe out billions of trees. They breed in downed wood and stressed trees, but can also attack and kill healthy mature trees. And they are on the rise along with global temperatures.

These tiny insects survive by boring through the bark of host trees, and excavating tunnels through the phloem - the layer between the bark and wood of a tree. This layer consists of living cells that transport sap which is rich in sugars made by the needles of the tree. Eventually the flow of food and water between the roots and needles is disrupted, and the tree dies.

Bark beetles have been big news in British Columbia over the past few years, as pine beetle attacks in the interior of the province have completely devastated forests. Over 5.7 million hectares have been affected, involving 108 million cubic meters of timber. Resulting clear cuts exceed 250,000 acres in size, representing a second environmental catastrophe, this time human-caused.

South-central Alaskan Sitka spruce forests have been under attack by spruce beetles since a major infestation started there several decades ago. In the current outbreak, spruce beetle activity in Alaska was mapped on over 1.3 million acres in 1997. Cumulative beetle activity now totals over 3 million acres statewide since 1989.

Tracks show where bark beetles have eaten
the phloem layer under bark

BC's coastal forest is also affected by the activities of bark beetles, and although they leave beautiful patterns on the wood they feed off of, their activities are decidedly deadly.

Warming temperatures due to climate change are making it easier for bark beetles to overwinter and mature, which is causing numbers to explode.

Bark Beetles in British Columbia

The main species in B.C. are the mountain pine beetle, spruce beetle and the Douglas-fir beetle.

Spruce beetles attack Englemann spruce, White spruce and Sitka spruce trees from late April to early May. These insects have a two-year life cycle.
Douglas-fir beetles attack trees from late April through May and have a one-year life cycle.
Mountain pine beetles attack Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine and White pine trees from mid July to mid August. Mountain pine beetles have a one-year life cycle.

These insects inhabit forests throughout British Columbia. Like forest fires, bark beetles have always played an important role in our forests.

Amazing patterns under the bark of this Sitka spruce

10 Facts about Bark Beetles and North America’s Infestation

1. Other than human beings, no creature on the planet can change a landscape as fast as the bark beetle.

2. Bark beetles are not pests. They collapse and renew forests on time frames inconvenient for humans. For tens of millions of years they have been pruning or collapsing ailing, aging or drought stricken forests. A bark beetle can probably hear the distressed song of a drought stricken tree.
Spruce beetle

3. Climate change triggered the epidemics and allowed the mountain pine beetle, in particular, to expand its empire into a larger geography: mountains, northern latitudes and the boreal forest.

4. The beetles also took advantage of human engineered landscapes where decades of fire suppression has created a seemingly stable base of scenery that is really volatile.

5. Bark beetles prey on large trees in packs and behave much like wolves and killer whales attack when hunting. These highly social creatures also communicate by sound and chemical perfumes.

6. The great bark beetle epidemics of the last decade killed more than 30 billion conifers from Alaska to New Mexico.

7. Beetle epidemics are like hurricanes. Spending billions of dollars to control them is like putting up fans along the coast of Louisiana to stop another Katrina.

8. Novel sound experiments with bark beetles in Arizona have turned the creature in cannibals and may revolutionize insect control.

9. Canada used to have one of the world’s best insect monitoring programs on the planet. The federal government killed the program in 1996 to save money just as the pine beetle emerged in British Columbia and did $50-billion worth of damage.

10. The bark beetle, says Canada’s greatest living ecologist Buzz Holling, are really harbingers of things to come: collapse and renewal. He reckons that the extreme, the small and the improbable will decide our future.

- from: Empire of the Beetle

Big Coastal Christmas Trees

2011-12-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

One of the big conifers in the distance is decorated with two bald eagles at the top

I went for a walk today to look for Christmas and it was nowhere to be seen. There was no snow or hanging icicles, and it was sunny and a balmy +9 degrees Celsius. However, we do have some of the largest Christmas trees in the world growing here, and I discovered some nice ones.

Conifers are the traditional Christmas trees of choice, and the Pacific coastal forest is dominated by conifers. Douglas-fir is the second most popular Christmas tree sold in North America. Young trees have a nice conical shape, and the needles are sweet smelling when crushed. But if you like your trees big, and alive, this is the place to see them. We are at the edge of coastal Douglas-fir territory in Sooke.

The biggest Douglas-fir in the world grows near here in the woods close to Port Renfrew. You would need a lot of tinsel for that behemoth, which is 73.8m (242') in height, 13.3m (43.7') in circumference, and 4.2m (14') in diameter. But I wasn't looking in Port Renfrew for big trees as I wanted to stick closer to home.

Big Sitka spruce overlooking beach

The place I went exploring for giant conifers was in the Wiffen Spit neighbourhood. There I found a right of way leading to a set of stairs down to the beach. It is a great place to see big trees on the top of the high banks, as well as those that have fallen below or washed in off the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

We celebrate trees and their importance this time of year when we hack one out of the forest and bring it into our homes to dry up and die. Then they are unceremoniously dumped at the curbside. Here in clear cut territory, it seems like an extravagant waste.

If you go without the traditional indoor dead tree this year, and you are in the Sooke region, Wiffin Spit is the place to go to see a live tree that is anonymously decorated every year.

The Wiffin Spit tree is a short hike from the parking lot, and is now the most notable live decorated tree in town since town council grinches gave the green light about a year ago to remove two beautiful, completely healthy heritage Douglas-fir trees right in the center of town. Read about their sad demise here.

Biggest Christmas tree on Vancouver Island until being
unceremoniously cut down by The Grinch

The 150 year old Douglas-fir trees were replaced by two 2m tall exotic Norway spruce. I noticed the other day that one was decorated, but it just doesn't measure up to the giant it replaced.

Happy holidays.

Ravens - Rainforest Roosters

2011-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ravens are rain forest roosters

Here in the northern hemisphere we are just about through the darkest days of the year. In less than 2 weeks we will celebrate winter solstice, the darkest day of them all. These are magical times, and humans are not the only ones to notice.

I live in a semi-rural part of a small south Vancouver Island coastal village of 10,000. Here, among the fog-cloaked tall trees, people have not yet taken over. Our town is shared with harbour seals, orcas, black bears, cougars, bald eagles, and big, black ravens.

Out here, on the far western edge of the continent, you can experience the folly of feeling like an all-powerful, highly evolved ape. In comparison to the vastness of the stormy sea on one side, and the impenetrable, deeply green, mossy forest on the other, the affairs of humans are mere scurryings of ants, and the watchful ravens reside over it all.

Over the past few long nights the ravens have been orchestrating the elements from their lofty laboratories in the tree tops within earshot of my bedroom window. Dressed in their black cloaks, these early risers are the mysterious roosters of the rain forest.

Each morning for the past couple of weeks I have been woken by the raven's guttural and commanding call. I hear it as an invitation to stand up and face the magic of the rising sun, and new day.

A day that will soon be a little more magical, and a little more sunny than the one before.

Big Tree Art: Taralee Guild

2011-12-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

Cathedral Grove 3, 2009

I tend not to get out into the forest as much during this time of year. With cooler temperatures and only a few hours of daylight, I am left without my regular forest fix. A rainy, dark day is a good time to stay by the fire and check out tree-related sites on the web.

In the breaks between outings, art is one thing that can fill my need for the beauty of nature. I found the paintings featured in this post on the website DeviantArt, and they immediately drew my forest-deficient gaze. To see a gallery of more of this inspirational big tree art at this site, check out here.

The artist also has a website of more stunning Vancouver Island west coast rain forest art. Check it out here, and get a winter day forest fix - you will not be disappointed.

About The Artist

Taralee Guild (1984-present) lives and works in Vancouver, BC and is originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She is inspired by the Canadian tradition of nature painting and the artwork of Tom Thompson, Gordon Smith, and Peter Doig. Taralee Guild will be completing her BFA in Visual Arts at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, graduating in 2010 .

- from DeviantArt

About The Art

Cathedral Grove 3 (above)

This painting is part of a small group of work that materialized from a late winter photo shoot of Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island. The area features a combination of old growth Red Cedar and Douglas Fir natural to West Coast BC. This painting looks almost straight up at these very tall trees. The sun was setting, which gave a particular kind of light which illuminated the tops of the tree canopies. Throughout the composition, broken light hits different spots of trunks and bristles.

- DeviantArt

Arbutus Trees, 2009

Arbutus Trees, 2009

Arbutus trees are quintessentially West Coast Canada, being particularly prominent on Vancouver Island. The twisting path of the branches and the peculiar bark are their main features. This painting acquired a nice sky blue for the background, whereas the warm brown bark and Hooker’s Green leaves compliment each other. The thick detail oriented trunk base becoming smoother as it goes up makes a convincing visual perspective. It is meant to feel like looking up at tall Arbutus trees on a nice spring day.

- DeviantArt

Nanoose Bay Forest Old Growth Logging

2011-12-04T00:39:00.000-08:00

Big Douglas-firs of Nanoose Bay Forest, photo: TJ Watt, TimesColonist

The Nanoose Bay Forest, also known as District Lot 33 by the BC government, is a mixed stand of giant old-growth and smaller second-growth trees in an area that was partially logged about a hundred years ago. Today this publicly owned, endangered Coastal Douglas-fir forest on central Vancouver Island is being decimated by logging that is in no one's interest.

The provincial government says that this forest is not of a high enough quality to qualify for protection. However, in an endangered ecosystem where only 1% is left in its natural state, you would think that any undeveloped forest would be a likely candidate for protection.

By the governments own admission, the Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem is among the top four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, the others being Manitoba’s Tallgrass Prairie, southern Ontario’s Carolinian Forest, and BC’s “Pocket Desert” near Osoyoos.

Work done in DL 33 before protesters
halted logging

The province has had ample opportunity to protect the Nanoose Bay Forest because it (meaning 'we') already own the land. The importance of this threatened ecosystem has been voiced by a passionate and motivated public that has been pushing for protection for years.

Still, the province refuses to do the right thing, which would be to arrange funding for First Nations to develop sustainable industries, and save the 200 - 300 year old Douglas-firs.

When logging equipment rolled into the forest and big trees started to fall, protesters did what the province refused to do - halt the logging operation. But the forest occupation was short-lived as the band received a court injunction and enforcement order last Monday, so work recommenced.

The First Nations logging company cutting in the Nanoose Bay Forest says they will receive about $750,000 dollars from the proceeds of harvesting 15,000 cubic metres from a 64-hectare patch of the endangered old-growth coastal Douglas fir forest.

Economic development is important, but not when it is destructive and unsustainable. Surely there are better solutions than pushing an entire ecosystem, and its untold riches, closer to extinction.

Enjoying nature in the Nanoose Bay Forest, photo: Wilderness Committee

Timberwest has signed a contract to purchase the logs from DL 33. The company is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) which "helps customers source responsibly managed forest products".

The following is from the Timberwest website:

We demonstrate our commitment to the environment by:
ensuring our forestry practices meet or exceed environmental standards, laws and regulations
obtaining and maintaining sustainable forest practices certification from national and international agencies that are the recognized monitors of such practices
acknowledging that environmental protection is a condition of our social license to operate

Contact Information

TimberWest Forest Corp.
Third Floor,
856 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6B 2W5
Phone: (604) 654-4600
Fax: (604) 654-4571

Elected Officials

Members of the Legislative Assembly of B.C.
CLICK HERE to find your local MLA's contact addresses

Hon. Christy Clark, Premier
PO Box 9041 Stn.Prov.Gov.
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E1

Phone: 250-387-1715
Fax: 250-387-0087
premier@gov.bc.ca

Hon. Dr.Terry Lake
Minister of Environment
Room 112
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4

Phone: 250-387-1187
Fax: 250-387-1356
terry.lake.mla@leg.bc.ca

Hon. Steve Thomson
Minister of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations
Room 248
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4

Phone: 250-387-6240
Fax: 250-387-1040
steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca

Hon. Mary Polak
Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation
Room 325
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4

Phone:250-953-4844
Fax:250-953-4856
mary.polak.mla@leg.bc.ca

Dr. James Lunney, MP
Nanaimo-Alberni
#6 - 6894 Island Hwy. North, Nanaimo, BC
V9V 1P6

Phone: 250-390-7550
Toll Free: 866-390-7550
Fax: 250-390-7551
mailto:nanaimo@jameslunneymp.ca

Mr. Ron Cantelon, MLA
Parksville-Qualicum
501 Turner Road
Nanaimo, BC
V9T 6J4

Phone: 250-951-6018
Fax: 250-951-6020
ron.cantelon.mla@leg.bc.ca

Surfing The Drift Wood

2011-11-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

Bufflehead riding the driftwood during recent high spring tide

Nice platform for preening and relaxing

Even after trees fall and enter local waterways they continue to provide habitat for local wildlife.

I caught this Bufflehead (Bucephala albeolata) taking advantage of a piece of driftwood in the Sooke Harbor recently.

Wintering Buffleheads prefer the shallow water shelter of the coves, estuaries, beaches and harbors along the coast of southern Vancouver Island.

These tiny birds are the smallest diving ducks in North America, and also one of the fastest in flight.

Drift wood in the estuary and harbour is a magnet for Buffleheads and other creatures such as: eagles, vultures, ducks, river otters, kingfishers, cormorants, and gulls.

Multiple seagull captains surfed this big log away

High Tides And River Levels Moving Drift Logs

2011-11-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

This large drift log was flushed out of the Sooke River two years ago

Fall and winter are the seasons that put the rain in coastal rainforest. The calm summer is a distant memory that dropped with the leaves of the maples and oaks. Now is the time for gales, tropical punch drenching rains, and the highest tides of the year.

The drift log was lifted by recent high tides and swept away like a big canoe

With the summer drought over, the life-giving rains that define the forest begin to fall. Conifers that have been growing so slow that they are near dormant now have the rainfall that they have been missing for the past several months.

Rain-swollen rivers rise to heights that enable thousands of pacific salmon to return to their birthplace and continue a cycle that has been taking place for millions of years. The forest, and almost 200 species of animals, will benefit from the salmon's nutrient bounty. This includes Bald eagles which gather in large numbers to feast on the dead salmon which dot the low tide sand bars.

This huge stump has been on Billings Spit beach for many years -
it is unmoved by even the highest of tides.

After several big storms the ground nears saturation, and water begins to flow in low lying areas. Previously dry rock faces now sport gushing waterfalls, and the moss is puffed with moisture and at its brightest green.

The water rushes over the land and down to the ocean. River water levels reach several times the meager summer flow, washing accumulated woody debris, including whole, large trees, into the estuary in the harbour.

This cedar drift log lasted a few weeks on the beach before
being cut, floated, and hauled away

When high river flows combine with perigean spring tides (20% higher than normal), flooding is possible in coastal regions, especially if there are strong winds. On south Vancouver Island the highest tides of the year take place right now, then the end of December 2011, and mid-January 2012.

Another large cedar stump washed out of the Sooke River into the estuary.
It was only a few days before a boat tied up, cut the roots off, and hauled the log away.

The highest water levels of the year flush drift wood from beaches to float on the currents until they find a new resting place. The tide flats of the Sooke River estuary are often cleaned of old drift wood, before new trees and wood are washed out of the hills and end up taking their place.

Some drift logs stay for years, others will be gone by spring. Valuable large drift logs are hauled away by enterprising coastal residents to become shingles and shakes, posts, beams, and firewood. Their winter work is rarely witnessed by fair weather visitors.

Although not traditionally a part of the tourism season, late fall and winter offer exciting opportunities to see the coastal forest during its most tumultuous, powerful, and ever-changing moments as it interacts with the wind, water, and waves.

Loggers For Old Growth Protection

2011-11-25T01:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we cut 'em, and sometimes we don't

I was reading an article in the Globe and Mail on saving old growth forests - Avatar Grove, I think. The most interesting part, though, was not the article, but the comments after the piece.

Comments came from a wide spectrum of readers, including many from loggers, retired and otherwise. It made me think about the wealth of knowledge these people have, and how that could be useful in our efforts to protect old growth forests.

Take, for instance, the following comment:

"The biggest red cedar I ever saw was 27 feet in diameter and about 200 feet tall (cedar don't get very tall ) with dozens of candelabras. The faller came and told us,"You better go have a look 'cause I'm cuttin' it down tomorrow." He seemed kind of sad about it. We took a photo of the crew sitting in the undercut. It was in the Nit Nat Lake area.  

Maybe the trees in the article aren't actually the biggest of their kind. One story I heard was that when representatives of the Champion Tree Society went to verify the size of a candidate for biggest Sitka spruce (somewhere in Washington, I think), there was initial disappointment that the specimen was somewhat smaller than the biggest spruce known. Then they just happened to find a vine maple nearby: four feet in diameter! Lucky or what?

I worked in the woods in BC for many years and saw lots of places that probably should have been protected from logging. Once, up to Soatwoon Lake (near Fair Harbour), we were cruising a big bowl of pretty run-of-the-mill giant red cedars. The exceptional thing was that the stand included thousands of Pacific yew two to three feet, occasionally more, in diameter. Never saw anything like that before or since. They are all gone now.  

Just to quell the idea that all loggers are rapacious, let me tell you about a stand we discovered near the White River. What looked at first like an ordinary stand of giant red cedars, on closer inspection turned out to be an almost pure stand of yellow cedar. They were so big that, at first glance, they looked like red cedar (yellow cedar don't normally get as big) and, except for this area, don't normally form pure stands at lower elevations.

A few years later there was an article in the local newspaper that the IWA fallers refused to fall this stand because of its uniqueness. The company (I think it was M&B) subsequently preserved the area.  " - BCahoutec

We can thank conservation-minded loggers over history that take a stand and refuse to destroy what they know are special trees.

The Red Creek Fir, found near Port Renfrew, is one such tree. Rumour has it that when the first loggers approached the tree through the wet, tangled, green forest, they thought they were at the base of a cliff. They had lunch, then continued on their way.

A second group of loggers found the giant tree and marveled at its size. It was the end of the day so they left for camp. In camp the second group asked the first about the huge tree they came across. As they talked about it, the lunch group realized they had eaten not at the base of a cliff, but at the base of a wall of wood, the 4.23 meter wide Red Creek Fir.

The men did not cut the monumental tree. Today it stands as the largest Douglas-fir in the world, with a volume of 349 cubic meters (12, 318 cu ft).

Hiking In Cougar Country

2011-11-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

If you encounter a cougar, face it, look into its eyes, and
make yourself look big. Illustration: Backwoods Home

The forests of Vancouver Island are home to Puma concolor, more commonly known as puma, mountain lion, or cougar, as they are called here. This amazing relative of domestic cats has the greatest range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. The island has one of the highest concentrations of cougars in the world.

If you are planning a trip to visit the big trees of the island, an encounter with a cougar is possible. Hiking in wilderness areas increases the likelihood of having an encounter. You can help yourself (and the cougars) by learning a bit about these elusive creatures before you go into their forest home.

While doing research on these stalk and ambush predators I found some potential ways to protect myself while out hiking. One of my favourites was a recommendation to wear a hat or hoodie with large eyes painted on the back. Another was to frequently look up, around, and behind you as you hike to show a cougar that you are being alert. Ambushes happen when the prey is not paying attention.

The BC government website has some good, comprehensive information in their Safety Guide To Cougars. I have included some of their tips below.

When in Cougar Country:

We have little understanding about what might trigger an attack, but following these general guidelines will reduce the risk of cougar conflict and prepare you in the unlikely event of an attack.

Hiking or working in cougar country:

Hike in groups of two or more. Make enough noise to prevent surprising a cougar.
Carry a sturdy walking stick to be used as a weapon if necessary.
Keep children close-at-hand and under control.
Watch for cougar tracks and signs. Cougars cover unconsumed portions of their kills with soil and leaf litter. Avoid these food caches.
Cougar kittens are usually well-hidden. However, if you do stumble upon cougar kittens, do not approach or attempt to pick them up. Leave the area immediately, as a female will defend her young.

If you meet a cougar:

Never approach a cougar. Although cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all cougars are unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill may be dangerous.
Always give a cougar an avenue of escape. A cougar that feels trapped is unpredictable.
Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a confident voice.
Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children frighten easily and their rapid movements may provoke an attack.
Do not run. Try to back away from the cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.
Do not turn your back on the cougar. Face the cougar and remain upright.
Do all you can to enlarge your image. Don't crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about. Hold your back pack above your head.

If a cougar behaves aggressively:

Arm yourself with a large stick, throw rocks, speak loudly and firmly, or growl. Convince the cougar that you are a threat not prey.
If a cougar attacks, fight back! Many people have survived cougar attacks by fighting back with anything, including rocks, sticks, bare fists, and fishing poles.

Cougars are a vital part of our diverse wildlife. Seeing a cougar should be an exciting and rewarding experience, with both you and the cougar coming away unharmed. However, if you do experience a confrontation with a cougar or feel threatened by one, immediately inform the nearest office of the Conservation Officer service.

More Coastal Colour

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Brilliant fall display beside Todd Creek and the timber trestle, Galloping Goose Trail

The winter weather has swept in with gale force winds up to 34 knots knocking down trees and cutting power to thousands of hydro customers. Power lines are not the only things coming down though, as whatever colour was left on the deciduous trees gets blown off. Good thing I got a few photos before the gales blew through.

Leaf litter is rich in nutrients providing a natural soil enhancer for the forest

Soon the deciduous trees will show their beautiful skeletal structures as their bare branches are silhouetted against the winter sky. Their amazing patterns remind us of many similar ones we see in nature, such as those formed by flowing water, our vascular system, or our lungs.

Trees amaze, regardless of the season.

Coastal Fall Colours

2011-11-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

Bigleaf maple provide a splash of yellow on Lower Thetis Lake trail

Unlike the great deciduous forests of eastern North America, the coastal temperate rainforest is not a place people come to see fall colours. We have our share of colourful broad-leaf trees, it is just that they are a minor part of the forest. But what they lack in fall attire, they make up for in their importance to the forest ecosystem.

Here the giant centuries old conifers rule the land while deciduous trees are relegated to the fringes and clearings of the forest.

Arbutus, a broad-leaf conifer, keeps its leaves, but loses its bark

Dense stands of mature conifer forest contain few colourful fall trees, but where the continuous canopy is broken, broad leaf trees fill in. Rocky outcrops form clearings in the forest, providing space for Garry oak and Arbutus to move in.

Arbutus is Canada's only broad-leaved conifer - it does not shed its leaves in the fall, and they are green year round. However, this beautiful, sun-loving tree does shed its orange-brown bark to reveal the fresh green bark underneath.

Large Bigleaf maple, Sooke River Road

Barrow's Goldeneye

Local lakes and rivers often have large Black cottonwoods growing along the freshwater waterfront. These massive moisture-loving trees provide perches and nesting sites for eagles and other large birds of prey.

More than 60% of the world's Barrow's goldeneyes nest in Black cottonwood trees. Right now cottonwoods heart-shaped leaves are turning yellow and carpeting the forest floor.

Black cottonwood form the
upper canopy along the Goldstream River

Deciduous trees are a small yet important part of the coastal forest ecosystem. They are the pioneer trees that reclaim disturbed areas for the future conifer forest. Red alder, usually the first tree to colonize areas like clear cuts, can fix nitrogen into a form plants can use. Deciduous leaves are less acidic than conifer needles, and are a rich source of nutrients for building the soil.

Broad-leaved trees also provide important wildlife habitat. Woodpeckers excavate new cavity nests each year, and these are frequently made in deciduous trees. Deciduous don't live as long, and decay faster than the resinous, long-lived conifers, making them perfect for cavity nesting.

Downy and Hairy woodpeckers
need deciduous trees for nests

Over 20 species in British Columbia are secondary cavity nesters, animals that can not excavate their own nests. These creatures move in to the year old abandoned holes, and include saw-whet owls, black-capped chickadees, flying squirrels, and martin.

Although the deciduous contingent of the coastal forest may be hard to see throughout the summer, their fall colours make it difficult for them to go unnoticed, giving them their moment of much-deserved glory.

BC Government Seeking Public Input For OGMA Protection For Avatar Grove

2011-11-07T22:19:00.001-08:00

An ancient Western red-cedar in Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island

A deadline is looming on the call for public input to the BC government's proposed Avatar Grove protection plan within the framework for Old Growth Management Areas (OGMA). Responses are accepted until Wednesday, November 9, 2011.

About OGMA In BC

Most areas of BC have had Old Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) established. These are mostly old growth stands on crown forest land (although some are in parks). You can ask any forest company or BC Timber Sales to view a map of the OGMAs in their area.

Generally around 10% of the forested land has been set aside (the exact amount varies). That is often only a portion of the old growth in any area. In some areas where there is hardly any old growth left, younger stands have to be selected; over time and with protection, they will grow into Old Growth. For now they're called "recruitment" OGMAs.

OGMAs have some legal protection, through a government land use objective, but in reality it's only the forest industry that has to honour the protection. The forest industry can harvest in OGMAs, under specific conditions, but the harvested area must be replaced by another stand that has "equal or better" old growth characteristics. - source

The forest floor, Lower Avatar Grove

Ancient Forest Alliance is reporting the following information concerning the inclusion of Port Renfrew's Avatar Grove into a OGMA in The Renfrew Ammendments 2011.

From the AFA website:

Please WRITE a QUICK EMAIL to PROTECT the AVATAR GROVE and ALL of BC’s Endangered Old-Growth Forests.

After almost two years of intense public pressure led by the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, the BC government is looking to officially declare Avatar Grove off-limits to logging. They are proposing to include the Avatar Grove within 59 hectares of new Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA’s), pending the completion of public input that closes this Wednesdsay, November 9.

This is a great step forward for the most spectacular, easily accessible stand of unprotected old-growth cedars and Douglas-firs on southern Vancouver Island. The Avatar Grove is extremely rare, valley-bottom ancient forest, about 95% of which has been logged on the South Island.

However, the logging company will be compensated with 57 hectares of forest (27 hectares of old-growth, 30 hectares of second-growth), while thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged each year across Vancouver Island, tens of thousands of hectares across BC, and millions of hectares of BC's old-growth forests remain in jeopardy. Already 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have been logged on Vancouver Island.

PLEASE TAKE 3 minutes to WRITE a quick EMAIL by this Wednesday, November 9 to the BC government at:

Ministry of Forests: RenfrewOGMA@gov.bc.ca
BC Forest Minister Steve Thomson: steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca
Premier Christy Clark: premier@gov.bc.ca

BE SURE to include your FULL NAME and ADDRESS so they know you are a real person!

Please reference: Renfrew Amendments 2011

TELL THEM that you:

- Support the protection of Avatar Grove as an Old-Growth Management Area (OGMA) in the Renfrew 2011 Amendment and ultimately as a conservancy or park.

- Want ALL of BC’s endangered old-growth forests protected through a Provincial Old-Growth Strategy.

- Want the BC government to ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests and to ban the export of raw logs to foreign mills.

Old Growth Forests

2011-10-31T23:29:00.001-07:00

This coastal Douglas-fir achieved old growth status 500 years ago.

Many will agree that the old growth forests of Vancouver Island, and the world, are vital landscapes that need to be protected. However, there may be some disagreement over what compromises late-successional, or old growth forests.

The whole concept of old growth, and old growth management was born not far from here in the 1970s. A grass-roots movement was forming in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. due to the continued loss of original forests, and fears of a diminishing biodiversity. Organizers were seeking a clear definition of old growth in order to be able to save it.

There are a few key factors and commonalities that can be used to identify old growth. More difficult may be convincing the powers that be that these forests are worth saving.

The following information is adapted from the Royal BC Museum Living Landscapes web site:

Old growth forests are a major issue for the forestry industry throughout Canada and particularly in British Columbia. These forests are the source of potential economic wealth, but destroying them could have a greater impact than losing a few old trees.

There has not been one exact definition for old growth forests, as they can differ depending on climate, site characteristics, forest type and history of disturbances. On Vancouver Island it takes approximately 250 years for the forest to take on the structure seen in old growth settings. A stand of Douglas-fir can grow undisturbed for centuries.

Characteristics of Old Growth Forests

Very Large Trees. This is highly dependent on climate, site characteristics etc., so is not a sole way of evaluating old growth forests.
Very Old Trees. This factor also depends on many factors especially the area in which trees grow. The temperate rainforests of the coast commonly reach ages exceeding 250 years, which is generally when a forest begins to take on old growth characteristics.
Complex Ecosystem Structure. A multilayered canopy is one characteristic that is said to be true of old growth forests.
High Species Diversity. Many old-growth forests are have great species diversity, more so than a newer or second growth forest.
Deep Litter Layer/LDWD. Old growth forests generally have a lot of accumulation of dead organic matter on the forest floor when they have remained undisturbed by fire for centuries. One component in the structure of the litter layer is the presence of large diameter woody debris (LDWD), or large, downed trees. These trees may take many decades to decay, provide rich habitat, and return nutrients to the soil.

In British Columbia, there have been ongoing calls to protect the remaining old growth forests, particularly the coastal temperate rainforests that occur on Vancouver Island. Each year almost 200,000 hectares of old growth forest are clear cut.

Concerned citizens have staged some of the largest mass civil disobedience movements in Canadian history in order to protect increasingly threatened public forest lands. These actions have impelled provincial governments to take their responsibilities to protect the public interest seriously.

There have been changes, although it remains to be seen how far the government is willing to go in ending old growth logging completely. The BC government established an Old Growth Strategy in 1992, and has been increasing the number of Old Growth Management Areas (OGMA) that seek to protect more old growth forests and their ecological and cultural assets.

Progress has been made since the 1970s, and after a major campaign, the government divided the Carmanah Valley in half. Rather than clear cut the entire valley, the bottom was set aside for a park in 1990, while allowing the upper areas to be logged (which may have impacts on the bottom part of the valley). Had the original logging request been allowed, the tallest Sitka spruce trees in Canada would have been destroyed.

Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island, has been a focal point since the 1980s, in BC and globally, over forest value and issues of environmental and economic sustainability. In 1984, the first logging blockades in Canadian History occurred on Meares Island, resulting in the protection of its ancient forests.

Clayoquot represents 262,000 hectares of which 244,000 are forested. Over 30,000 hectares have been logged to date, and only 39,100 hectares are in protected areas, and the remaining 90,400 hectares of commercially productive land is mainly old growth forests.

We know, roughly, what an old growth forest is. We know that they are vitally important in providing crucial environmental services such as water purification, soil retention, and carbon storage. And we know that given current policies all original old growth forests will be degraded, depleted, and destroyed over the next few decades.

It is time to stop harvesting old growth forests in BC, and around the world.

Occupy The Forest

2011-10-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

Occupy the forests before they are gone

The Occupy Movement has gained global momentum as people continue to rally against corrupted politicians, and the greedy corporatists that have bought them out. Although all of the protests I have seen have been in cities, the forests of the world would be an appropriate setting for future occupations.

The planet's forests are depleted from centuries of exploitation, and extraction has ratcheted up in recent years, primarily for the enrichment of powerful corporate entities. Deforestation has already removed 50% of the world's forests, and what is left is certain to vanish in the coming decades if we do not take drastic action.

Deforestation has many causes. Population pressures, profits, and internal social and political forces can all push up the rate of forest loss. Globalization is an additional force putting increased pressure on our forests. Jurisdictions with inequitable distribution of wealth and power, and corrupt governments, are especially vulnerable. Unfortunately, this describes most regions of the world.

Some countries, though, have decided to re-occupy their original forests by banning logging. For example, a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region have experimented with partial or total logging bans (or similar restrictions on timber harvesting) in response to rapid deforestation and degradation of natural forests.

Several other countries in the region are also considering harvesting restrictions, along with other strategies, to promote forest conservation. Some of the countries involved are: New Zealand (1987), People's Republic of China (1998), Philippines (1991), Sri Lanka (1990), Thailand (1989), and Viet Nam (1997).

Sadly, although British Columbia's forests have also been decimated by industrial logging, our government steadfastly sticks to a 'log it all' old growth forest policy.

Any change in BC's forests, and the forests of the world, will be made by concerned, motivated citizens forcing our governments to do the right thing.

It is time to ban the logging of old growth forests before they, and the species that depend on them, are extinct.

It is time to Occupy The Forest.

Motivation for restricting timber harvesting

There are a number of reasons for countries to restrict timber harvesting that are complementary or subsidiary to an overall objective of controlling deforestation. These include:

efforts to conserve biodiversity, critical habitats and representative forest ecosystems;
a means of preventing deterioration of watersheds and water quality;
prevention of soil erosion, sedimentation and flooding;
stopping forest damage from inappropriate logging and abuse of contractual obligations;
inability to effectively monitor and regulate logging operations, including inability to detect and prevent illegal logging;
inadequate reforestation and afforestation;
lack of management of cut-over forestlands;
uncontrolled human migration and habitation of forested areas through logging access and opening of forest stands;
inappropriate land clearing and conversion to agriculture;
conflicts with rights and cultural traditions of indigenous peoples and local communities;
loss of scenic, cultural and aesthetic resources;
climate change and carbon storage; and
conflicts with management of important non-timber forest products, including medicinal plants and forest genetic resources.
- from "Forests Out Of Bounds"

Todd Creek CNR/Galloping Goose Timber Trestle

2011-10-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

The cross-braced timber framework of Todd Creek Trestle

The Vancouver Island section of the Canadian National Railway opened in 1911, and it was all about the big trees. Trees had to be cleared for the right of way, ties were cut from the forest, as were the massive beams required to build the many bridges along the route. The Todd Creek Trestle was one such timber bridge that made it possible to navigate through a near-impenetrable, rocky, hilly, forested landscape.

Bridge deck of Todd Creek Trestle

For years the railway allowed people and cargo to travel through the forest between Victoria and Sooke, and to points north toward Lake Cowichan. Lumber trains carrying gargantuan logs, 1-3 per car, rumbled back down from the richly forested hills. There are old-timers in Sooke today that can still remember the lonesome whistle of the timber trains echoing through the hills.

Two major trestles were required to span valleys as the railway travels along the east bank of the Sooke River. Today a steel bridge crosses Charters Creek. Todd Creek trestle, though, is an excellent example of the strength and versatility of wood. Its timbers had to endure the weight of long trains loaded with many tons of huge logs.

When coastal bridge engineers looked for the structural timber for trestles, their first choice was often Douglas fir. Not only was it plentiful, but it also has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and performs well when stressed by heavy loads, wind, storms, or earthquakes. The west coast trestles had to endure all of these challenges.

Bear Creek Trestle

One of the most impressive wooden bridges was built in the late 1930s not far from Port Renfrew, in the Bear Creek Valley. Standing a dizzying 74 metres (242 ft) high and spanning 158 metres (517 ft) across, the Bear Creek bridge was at the time the highest wooden trestle in the world.

The Douglas-fir timbers used for bridge building are known for their tough fibre, dense grain structure and strength. Douglas-fir has excellent working properties, and it's wood is moderately durable and rot resistant. An untreated bridge could last 20 years plus, and when treated, much longer. All these advantages combine to explain why Douglas-fir was, and continues to be, the wood of choice for heavy structures.

The trestle carries hikers and cyclists past some remnant old growth trees

Another important consideration is that Douglas fir is one of the few species available in the large sizes required for the timbers needed for large buildings, or trestles like the one over Todd Creek.

Although trestle fires happen, including two deliberately set (unsuccessful) fires on the Todd Trestle in recent memory, Douglas-fir has an excellent fire rating.

The biggest timbers at the bottom

A walk or bike ride on the Galloping Goose (as the abandoned CNR line is now called) over the Todd Creek trestle gives an excellent view of the valley far below, as well as the forest in the surrounding area.

There are several isolated old growth Douglas-fir along this route, just off the trail. If you look closely you will find them trying to hide among the younger trees surrounding them.

There is a small trail along the Todd Creek trestle to access the creek below. Here you can get a good look at the trestle's amazing structure. Marvel at a form of timber bridge building that has largely faded into the past, along with the big trees that made it all possible.

Todd Creek in the summer

British Columbia's War On Old Growth Forests

2011-10-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

"TIMBER" - Say good-bye to BC's ancient forests

BC's coastal forest is part of a globally rare ecosystem - the temperate rain forest at its height only covered under one percent of the Earth's land surface. Over 1/2 of this unique rain forest has been logged globally in a deforestation unparalleled in human history.

BC has some of the largest tracts of original temperate rainforest left, a distinction it shares with Alaska and Chile. But, for a variety of insufficient reasons, every day that dawns in beautiful BC sees giant, old growth temperate rain forest trees cut to the ground. Massive specimens, up to a thousand years old or more, are felled to build decks and make toilet paper.

Increasingly, BC citizens are calling for an end to the War On Old Growth Forests, and it couldn't come too soon. In the past 150 years up to 89% of the productive ancient forests of Vancouver Island have been decimated.

In the 1980s, concerned citizens blockaded logging on Clayoquot Sound's largest island. Because of their forward thinking, Meares Island still retains its near-intact original forest today. Although there is precious little remaining old growth, Clayoquot holds the distinction of having the largest intact ancient forest left on Vancouver Island.

Clayoquot Sound old growth trees, Mark Hobson photo

In 1993 one of the largest civil disobedience events in Canadian history took place in Clayoquot Sound. 12,000 forest defenders joined together on a logging access road and proclaimed the area off limits. Nearly 1000 people, including senior citizens, were arrested protecting this natural area of global significance. They proved that the people are the only ones that can safe our forests.

However, today it remains under the threat of rapacious multi-national logging corporations, and governments that have no regard for the future or the public interest.

The logging of old growth continues, and forest defenders fight to end it before the ancient forest is extinct, along with many of the species that depend on it for survival.

On south Vancouver Island a few logging hot spots in the news recently are:

the Old Arrowsmith trail (close to world famous Cathedral Grove)
areas bordering world famous Pacific Rim National Park
steep hillsides in the Cowichan Lake area and,
Clayoquot Sound

Standing on the stump of an ancient cedar tree in 2000, a member of Hesquiat First Nation gazes over the clearcut wasteland of his ancestral territory on Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island. The deep scars of logging roads and erosion are clearly visible on the mountain in the distance, evidence of the brutal clearcutting by Interfor. Adrian Dorst photo, source

The Old Arrowsmith Trail was first built in 1912, and is the oldest trail still in use on Vancouver Island. It is located at the south end of Cameron Lake, a few kilometers east of world famous Cathedral Grove. Logging company Island Timberlands has given notice that they will be logging the area, putting in jeopardy the last foot accesses to Mount Arrowsmith Regional Park. Sections of the Lower Ralph Rousseau trail that leads from the back of Cathedral Grove are unusable since recent clear cutting there.

Pacific Rim National Park encompasses some of Vancouver Island's most spectacular scenery. Over a million people visit this ecologically significant destination every year. Unfortunately, Pacific Rim was not designed with a buffer zone, and logging has been encroaching ever since the park's inception in the 1970s. Clear cuts extend right up to the boundary lines, and often chain saws, logging trucks, and large log-lifting helicopters can be heard from your campground.

Cowichan Lake area (including Carmanah/Walbran) has been under constant and continuous logging pressure for a hundred years. The easy trees are long gone, and now increasingly desperate corporations are going after the more marginal old growth areas, like steep hillsides. This type of logging often causes massive erosion, soil loss, and sedimentation/degradation of salmon streams.

Clayoquot Sound, with the largest area of old growth forest and the only cluster of unlogged valleys remaining on Vancouver Island, is in constant threat from those who look at these valleys and see only dollar signs. Agreements and promises resulting from the '93 citizen occupation are under threat because there is big money to be made plundering this global treasure.

Former MP Keith Martin atop a recently cut, 1000 year+ redcedar stump
near Port Renfrew, TJ Watt photo

BC Forest Facts

BC has about 1/4 of the world's remaining coastal temperate rainforest.
Just over 1/2 of BC's coastal temperate rainforest has been cut already.
3/4 of the productive ancient forest on Vancouver Island has been logged already.
13% of the island's area is protected in parks, but this contains only 6% of the island's productive forest.
Of 89 large primary valleys on Vancouver Island (valleys that are 5,000 hectares or larger that empty directly into the ocean), only 6 remain undeveloped (completely unlogged or less than 2% logged).

Contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel about the planned extinction of our ancient forests. It is up to us to save them. Let's end the BC government's War On Old Growth Forests.

Honourable Christy Clark, Premier
PO BOX 9041 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BC
V8W9E1
CANADA

Victoria Region's Heritage Grove Trees Rival B.C.'s Biggest, Tallest

2011-10-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Fattest tree in Heritage Grove, Francis/King Park, Diameter: 3 metres (9.9 ft)

Like a lot of people, I am driving much less than I used to. I don't get out into the back country like I used to before a tank of gas required a small loan. That makes local tree sites like Francis/King Regional Park all the more appreciated.

This beautifully forested park, one of my favourites, is home to a grove of some of the most impressive old growth Douglas-fir in the region, rivaling those of the more well known Cathedral Grove trees. You may not hear as much about it, but this humble grove of giants contains some notable specimens.

Fattest tree has little taper

Francis/King Park's Heritage Grove is close to town and easy to access (not wheelchair accessible). Once in the forest you will find many connecting trails, some without signage. Consulting the park map is essential.

To experience the majesty of Heritage Grove, walk directly from the parking lot down the driveway to Munn Road and carefully cross the road. Turn right onto the horse trail in front of the gate, and walk for a couple of minutes until you come to the next gate. Pass through it, and you are not far from some of the oldest and most impressive known Douglas-fir on Vancouver Island.

Crown far above

Just before the trail descends down a slope and crosses a small seasonal creek, you will find, on the right, the thickest Douglas-fir in the grove. This tree measures an impressive 3 metres (9.9 ft) in diameter. It has a circumference of 9.45 metres (31 ft), and is the 13th largest known Douglas-fir in British Columbia according to the Big Tree Registry.

The fat trunk rises, limb-free and with little taper, to the crown of twisted, lichen-covered branches topping out at 41 metres (135 ft) in height.

Looking across creek to tallest tree
in Heritage Grove

Continue hiking past the creek and you will find the tallest Douglas-fir in the Heritage Grove at the Centennial Trail junction. The ancient giant measures 74.7 metres (245 ft) and is over 500 years old.

Not only is this the tallest Douglas-fir in the Victoria region, its great height makes it the 5th tallest known Douglas-fir in British Columbia, slightly taller than the Red Creek Fir (73.80 m).

Tallest tree in Heritage Grove, 74.7 metres (245 ft)

Thanks to Thomas Francis generously donating this land, these impressive trees, and others in the park, provide a coastal douglas-fir forest experience close to the city, and unique in the province.

Getting There

Follow the Trans-Canada Highway from Victoria, and take the Helmcken Road exit. Turn left on Burnside Road West, then right on Prospect Lake Road. Turn left on Munn Road, which leads to the park entrance on the right. Allow approximately 20 minutes driving time from Victoria.

Click to enlarge park map

Heritage grove is just across the road from the parking lot. Enjoy!

Hollowed Cedars Often Still Living

2011-10-10T02:53:00.000-07:00

This large, partially hollow cedar in Francis/King Park is still living

What do Pacific Rim National Park and Victoria area's Francis/King Regional Park have in common? Both are listed in Randy Stoltmann's Hiking Guide To The Big Trees of Southwest British Columbia. The Heritage Grove in Francis/King Park hosts some of the largest trees in the greater Victoria region. Mixed in among them, is a huge, hollowed out Western red-cedar.

Western red-cedar are long lived trees of the coastal forest that can grow to monumental proportions. Older cedars are prone to rotting in the center, a fact taken advantage of in the past by First Nation hunters looking for shelter in the forest. Sometimes fire was used to increase the hollow area.

Tree shows evidence of burning, possibly from a fire in the 1950s

Heartwood-dead, outer parts-living
(click image to enlarge)

The heartwood of a tree is composed of dead cells, and provides structural support. Although a hollow cedar may be more prone to falling, missing the center does not hinder the outer, living parts of the tree.

As long as the moss-covered living wood touches
the ground, this cedar can continue living

The hollow cedar here still has a coating of living bark and wood right down to the ground where roots spread out in all directions. This connection to the earth sustains the small still-growing crown at the top of the tree.

Sometimes old cedar trees with rotted heartwood can start on fire. One recent cedar fire near Sooke was deemed human caused, and probably smoldered for days before being noticed by a worker that heard crackling and smelled smoke.

Large hollow cedar fire near Sooke is extinguished by a firefighter.
Benjamin Yong photo

The hollow cedar has a living canopy high above

Western red-cedars are special trees in the coastal rain forest, and for me they most represent the watery environments they like to grow in. Their branches, bark, and roots all seem to reflect water in the wavy ways that they grow.

You can see the elements of the forest flowing through these amazing trees, considered sacred by many. Living up to thousands of years in exceptional cases, these trees are true survivors.

Giant Fallen Douglas-fir Snag

2011-10-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

The huge Douglas-fir snag took out a branch of a Bigleaf maple on the way down

On a recent trip up Sooke River road to Sooke Potholes Park to view spawning salmon, I noticed this massive ancient Douglas-fir snag that recently succumbed to the relentless pull of gravity. It looks like it probably made a sound - a big sound.

I am surprised I didn't notice this massive remnant from the ancient forest of days gone by before it fell. It is just off the road, and it is huge! The Douglas-fir had already lost its top which was nowhere to be seen. The 20 meter wind-snapped snag remained, and stood until very recently.

This tree was probably hundreds of years old when the top came off. The remains could have stood for another hundred years or more. During that time insects moved in creating pathways for other organisms that slowly eat and break down the wood. Beetles, sow bugs, termites, centipedes and slugs all came to the banquet.

Soft, decaying wood in large snags allows cavity nesting birds, like woodpeckers, to dig out comfortable homes. A spotted owl may have used the broken top to settle down in and raise a family. A squirrel family may have moved in after the birds moved out. The snag was a vertical ecosystem unto itself, hosting literally billions of organisms.

Having fallen, the snag changes status. Now it is 'large diameter woody debris', an integral component of old growth coastal forests. It will add to the forest floor for hundreds of years more as it breaks down further, providing rich nutrients and habitat for many more organisms.

Perhaps a salamander will discover and occupy the log. Salamanders have smooth, unprotected skin, that requires a moist environment. They don't like heat or dryness, so the fallen log is a perfect haven.

Slabs of thick bark

Decaying logs are sponges that soak up enormous amounts of water over wet coastal winters. During summer droughts the log provides the moisture that the salamanders need.

The tree's status may yet change again, as the log decays into the forest floor and tree seeds establish themselves on it. Then it will be known as a 'nurse log'.

When this huge snag fell, echos of the past resounded through the forest. It was a reminder of the change that happens constantly in intact forest ecosystems.

It was also a reminder of how humans have interfered in this process. Trees like this one are rare today due to our misguided intervention.

Liberating Trees From English Ivy

2011-09-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

Old Douglas-fir with English Ivy infestation

"After habitat loss, biological invasion constitutes the greatest threat to biodiversity." - Jeffrey A. McNeely, Scientist

The first independent European to settle among the giant trees on Vancouver Island was probably also the first person to introduce an invasive species to the area. It was 1849 when Captain Walter Grant occupied land and planted the first Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) to remind him of home. Less certain is the first individual to bring another nasty invader, English Ivy (Hedera helix).

The problem with invasive plants is that they show an inclination to spread and overtake native species. English Ivy is a shade-tolerant plant which alters the structure of a forest by strangling trees, and creating clearings in the forest when they fall. This disturbance can in turn create favorable conditions for other invasive plants such as Broom.

A study conducted in 2003 for the Department of National Defense found that English Ivy posed "the biggest threat to the defining ecology of the Royal Roads property." But it also found that the infestations generally were less than in other area forests of similar size, such as University of Victoria’s Mystic Vale, or Sannich’s Mt. Douglas Park.

English ivy reduces the amount of light that falls on the trees and the forest floor. It also affects soil properties, and interrupts normal forest succession processes. The vines, which can get as thick as your wrist, do not penetrate the bark of the tree. However, they do extend small hold-fasts which absorb water from the bark.

Often when I go for hikes I carry gloves and a small saw specifically to liberate trees from English Ivy. Stems should be cut close to the ground and again at breast height. The vines higher up the tree can be left to die, and may be removed after they become brittle.

Ivy is difficult to pull out of the ground, but if you do so, try not to disturb the soil. Make sure you get as much root out as possible or it may resprout from what is left.

Stem cuttings and roots left behind from pruning may resprout if contact with the soil is made. Take cuttings and roots away for disposal, or leave them in a dry, sunny location.

Contact with English Ivy may cause an allergic reaction. Wear gloves and full coverage clothing when doing the trees a favour and liberating them from invading, forest-altering English Ivy.

Extending Pacific Rim National Park

2011-09-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

View Pacific Rim National Park Extension in a larger map

The mist blowing off the sea and through the canopy of the rain forest near Port Renfrew, BC sweeps through some of the most monumental coastal trees in BC, Canada, and the world. Some, including ex-MP Keith Martin, think that extending Vancouver Island's spectacular coastal park south could give the trees the protected status they richly deserve.

Clear cut logging of the last unprotected old-growth forests adjacent to Pacific Rim National Park has been taking place since the park was established in 1971. Logging often takes place right to the boundary of the narrow strip of coastal park. In places like the Klanawa, Rosander, Upper Nitinat, Upper Walbran, Gordon, Hadikin Lake and San Juan Valleys, precious old growth of the type that draws over 1 million visitors a year to the National Park is thoughtlessly destroyed.

A proposal to extend Pacific Rim National Park could include these old growth trees, as well as the Juan de Fuca trail, and adjoining resource lands of speculator Ender Ilkay's failed bid to rezone and develop the wild west coast.

Near the south end of the West Coast Trail Unit of Pacific Rim National Park, lie some of British Columbia's most monumental coastal trees. In spite of being listed on BC's Big Tree Registry, none of them are officially protected.

Extending Pacific Rim National Park to include areas around Port Renfrew, BC is an idea whose time has come. And the chorus singing the praises of this worthy conservation effort is growing. Some of our largest remaining trees and wild stretches of coastline are what we have the opportunity to save.

Nurse Stump

2011-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Nurse stump in Goldstream Park, Victoria

The rain forest is a rich, green vertical column of rapidly growing life. Here some of the biggest trees in the world thrive in the moderate, wet climate. Year round the growth and the life continues, carpeting everything in a thick, luxuriant moss. Everywhere you look there are things growing on other things.

The nurse stump above is of an ancient Western red-cedar. Hundreds of years old when it died, the wood is so rot-resistant that it could last hundreds of years more as a stump. Before the cedar stump breaks down it may be engulfed by the new cedar growing on it.

Nurse logs, nurse stumps, and abundant epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) - everything is growing on everything in the coastal rain forest.

The Carmanah Giant

2011-09-19T01:10:00.000-07:00

The Carmanah Giant: Diameter - 3 m (10ft), Height - 95 m (315ft), Age - 500 to 700 years

The Carmanah Giant is a monumentally tall Sitka spruce growing in the Carmanah Creek canyon in Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park. It is the tallest tree in Canada, and the tallest Sitka spruce in the world. The Giant lives in one of the tallest forests on the planet, and is an excellent example of the vanishing primeval forest that once blanketed Vancouver Island.

The trees of the Carmanah and Walbran watersheds escaped the saw for a long time due to their remote location on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. But the arrival of the timber cruisers, bulldozers, road builders, and fallers was inevitable, and in the 1980s they finally came.

If it were not for conservation efforts, starting with Randy Stoltmann, this magnificent tree and all its neighbours would have surely been razed in a clear cut that would have represented a huge global loss. It would have been a loss, as well, to the pairs of endangered Marbeled murrelets that nest only on the huge branches of old growth trees.

I am glad this incredible tree and the forest in which it grows were saved from impending destruction. However, the Carmanah Giant is not in the "See Them" category of big trees. Visitation to some parts of this park, including the Carmanah Giant, is discouraged in order to avoid the devastating potential results of unregulated access.

Even though I feel the lure of the big trees, many individual trees get loved to death by tourists. For me it is good enough to know that the Carmanah Giant is out there, growing, thriving, and perpetuating 12,000 years of continuous forest processes and cycles.

Photo credit: Iriemaan

Devonian Regional Park, Metchosin

2011-09-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

Douglas-fir forest at the start of the 0.9 km trail to Parry Bay

Devonian Regional Park is a 40 acre forested park stretching from William Head Road in Metchosin to Parry Bay on Juan de Fuca Strait. Established in 1980, the park preserves two different forest types and provides access to the ocean and a long cobble beach.

Trails run along shady Sherwood Creek Ravine

A 0.9 km trail leads through the first forest type comprised of Douglas-fir, Grand fir, Western red-cedar and Western hemlock. The trail winds through this mixed forest that grows on both sides of the small ravine formed by Sherwood Creek. Watch for the occasional Pacific yew, a tree with medicinal qualities, and very tough wood.


Sherwood Creek trickling in late summer

Along the ravine trail the forest is dotted with several exceptional Douglas-firs. Their thick, deeply furrowed trunks show the hard-won wrinkles of sturdy centenarians. They have been filtering the water that runs in the creek, and providing habitat for red-backed voles for centuries.

Another gnarly Douglas-fir centenarian

Although much land has been cleared for farming in Metchosin over the past 150 years, Devonian Park will preserve a bit of the original forest cover, and these amazing larger trees which are becoming rarer all the time. Now development for residential properties is one of the biggest threats to the remaining forest on surrounding private lands.

Huge Douglas-fir growing near small bridge over Sherwood Creek

Closer to the ocean the trail passes through the second forest type in Devonian Park. On the more exposed, dryer steep rocky slopes toward the beach, Garry oak/Arbutus forest dominates.

The driftwood-strewn beach at Parry Bay, Devonian Park, CRD photo

In the Coastal Dry Douglas-fir ecozone, Douglas-fir, Garry oak, and Arbutus are companion trees that create a stunning and ecologically diverse forest. Metchosin, and Devonian Regional Park, are good places to witness such diversity and beauty.

Getting There

Driving - From Sooke Road, turn left on Metchosin Road, which turns into William Head Road at the Happy Valley Road junction. Follow William Head Road to the park entrance on the left. Allow approximately 40 minutes driving time from Victoria.

Public Transportation - Take BC Transit bus #50 from Victoria to the Langford Exchange. Transfer to #54 or #55 to William Head Road at Lombard Drive. The bus stop is at the park entrance.

Vancouver Island's Forest Defender, Merv Wilkinson, Dead At 97

2011-09-09T01:31:00.000-07:00

Merv Wilkinson - environmental hero

Merv Wilkinson, eco-forestry advocate and staunch defender of the forest, passed recently on Vancouver Island. Surrounded by the Wildwood, his 137 acre patch of dry coastal douglas-fir forest near Nanaimo, Wilkinson moved on to that great forest in the sky. He leaves behind a lifetime of good work, and a legacy that will affect forest practices for generations.

When he bought his property in 1938, Merv's neighbours considered him unusual for his decision not to clear cut the land, and make it 'productive'. But he knew it was productive just the way it was, and that it could continue to be productive in perpetuity if cared for respectfully with sustainability in mind.

"You don't have to destroy the forest to harvest trees" was his guiding principle, and he proved it a valid idea over 70 years of managed logging in his old growth forest. Merv became interested in eco-forestry early, learning about the Scandinavian logging practice of single tree selection. Because of that, today Merv's forest remains an intact ecosystem, and contains as much or more wood than when he started logging it 7 decades ago.

"Back when Wilkinson purchased Wildwood, it had 1.3 million board feet of standing timber and, after 70 years of selective logging, he has pulled out some 2 million board feet of lumber—with an astounding 1.6 million board feet of timber still standing. Compare that to B.C.’s traditional industrial logging methods: it took 25,000 years for Vancouver Island’s forests to grow and, according to 2004 satellite imagery, we’ve cut down 73 percent of our productive old growth in about 100 years." - Tall Timber Tales, Monday Magazine

Wilkinson's forest, Wildwood, in Nanaimo area

Wilkinson not only practiced forest preservation on his own land, he also became involved in local protests and campaigns to save Vancouver Island old growth. He joined the largest peaceful act of civil disobedience in Canadian history at the Clayoquot Sound protests in 1993. He was arrested along with his wife as they stood in defense of the 12,000 year old primeval rainforest.

Merv was instrumental in influencing environmentalists of the day to make an important shift from "no logging" to "no clear cut logging". He knew that we must cut trees, but also knew that modern industrial methods of clear cut, burn, and run were not the responsible way to go - big industry gets the profits, and communities are left to deal with the environmental wasteland left behind.

Another campaign that Wilkinson was involved in was for the preservation of the old growth wonder, Cathedral Grove, outside of Port Alberni. This grove of ancient Douglas-fir draws one million visitors per year from all over the globe. It contains trees over 800 years old, and 9 meters in circumference, and is now managed by the The Land Concervancy.

Merv Wilkinson's life work is proof that our government is going about managing our forests in a very damaging manner. He showed us that there is an alternative to big business and clear cuts. His land is the proof. Even after the continuous selective logging of 2 million board feet of lumber, the Wildwood remains a complete forest with many large old growth trees still standing.

Merv's is an alternative that supplies us with the lumber we need without destroying the forest and everything that lives there in the process. May he, and the old style corporate clear cut forestry that he rebelled against, rest in peace.

Where is Wildwood?

Candelabra Cedar

2011-08-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Candelabra cedar in the Saseenos area of Sooke, BC

Flowing cedar roots

The Western red-cedar (Thuja plicata) is a long-lived coastal forest tree that assumes a unique architecture and character as it ages. From the flowing, seeking, roots to the multi-topped canopies, the sacred cedar is one gnarly magical tree.

The tree pictured at the top sports an amazing candelabra, but not because any leaders have died. This tree has multiple leaders, and all of them are healthy. All together they add up to a large volume of wood - this is a deceptively large tree.

Cedar can live for 1500 years or more, and older trees are often described as 'disfigured'. Many old trees take on a characteristic candelabra shape as the main leader dies, then is replaced by another. These spires become weathered and grey over time forming bleached tridents that Neptune would be proud to own.

Typical candelabra form of ancient red cedars in Avatar Grove, Port Renfrew

Not only are Western red-cedar unique in their shape and form, but they are also the largest trees in BC's coastal forest. The Cheewhat Cedar has a trunk circumference of just less than 19 meters (59 ft), and soars to a height of 59 m (193 ft). There is a cedar on Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound (near Tofino) that has a trunk circumference of 20 meters (65 ft).

Beachcombing Big Trees

2011-08-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

Drift wood on Sooke's Ella Beach

The beaches of Vancouver Island are fantastic places to see big trees, both those growing on the shore, and the ones washed up on the sand and rocks. Exposed beaches on the outer west coast end up as drift log cemeteries, covered in huge tangled piles of sun-bleached carcasses of rainforest giants.

Van Gogh's Starry Night in driftwood

Throughout the wild and windy coastal winters rain-heavy winds lash the coastline. Huge swells and waves throw ocean borne forest debris up onto beaches everywhere in a swirly maelstrom.

Large drift logs and whole trees may stay a few days, weeks, months or years, depending on the size of the debris and weather conditions. If they stay long enough it will bleach and dry in periods of dry, hot summer weather.

More Ella Beach driftwood showing a tangle of roots

Swollen rivers in winter disgorge large amounts of forest debris that falls into the water from above, or is actively eroded out by the high, raging waters. Huge rainfalls see many of Vancouver Island's rivers transporting big tree debris to the ocean, destined for a beach and final resting place.

Fallen branches on pocket beach, Sooke Basin

Most beaches on the south island will have collected some drift wood. It certainly adds interest to a walk on the beach.

Back when Vancouver Island logging was in its heyday, rafts of huge logs were transported to saw mills on the mainland, up the Fraser River. Over the decades thousands of logs were lost to storms. These logs eventually found their way to local beaches.

This source of driftwood ended with the building of mills on the island, downturns in the economy, whole-log shipments, and the eventual depletion of the Dry Coastal Douglas-fir forest. However, many of the logs that got loose during the period of intense tree harvesting still lay on the hundreds of kilometers of beaches of Vancouver Island's coastline.

The beach at Port Renfrew has collected piles of big tree debris

Beaches open to the full brunt of the Pacific Ocean tend to gather more forest debris. The beach at Port Renfrew shows this nicely. During the winter it gathers massive drift logs for as far as the eye can see. Not only that - the beach is also often littered with much smaller wood debris, small chips of wood sanded smooth by the wave action.

Whole tree, roots and all on the sand, Port Renfrew

This stump on Billings Spit has lay here for many years

Beaches often yield great wood remnants. Often showing the results of chainsaws, naturals also end up here.

And the great thing is you never know what you will find. Each day can bring new treasures, as the beach is built anew every day by the wind and waves.

West Coast Trail Redux

2011-08-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

Ancient Western Red-cedar close to Bamfield

It will be 22 years this month since my first visit to the wilderness of Vancouver Island, and my introduction to the wet, wild, and rugged 75 km (46 mile) West Coast Trail (WCT). I had traveled from the Canadian prairies, a semi-desert with a lot of grasses and not much for trees. I wanted to see big trees. I was not disappointed.

The remote and scenic park passes through a narrow corridor of coastal old growth spruce, hemlock, and cedar. Some of the biggest, tallest, and oldest trees in the world live in this green, wet land. I had purchased a WCT guidebook with the curiosity of a land-locked teen. Over the years I dog-eared the pages while making plans to hike this remote coastline cloaked in fog and big, shaggy, moss-covered trees.

The West Coast Trail retraces parts of an old telegraph line cut through the coastal rain forest wilderness in 1890. The frequently wet, muddy trail passes beneath a forest canopy that disappears as it rises up through the fog.

On one side is the near-impenetrable forest, on the other, the rugged shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. This is the dangerous, rocky coast that has claimed as many as 66 ships over the years.

This section of coastline became known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific", and in 1891 the Carmanah Point Lighthouse was built to guide the increasing number of ships plying the wet coast.

Between 1907 and 1910 the original telegraph trail was upgraded for the rescue of shipwrecked mariners.

Over the years improved technology lead to reduced marine casualties and less need for the trail. In 1954 the Canadian Government abandoned the remote and rugged Dominion Lifesaving Trail.

In the 1960s when logging companies began to threaten the remote west coast, citizens interested in preserving the old trail and old growth forest campaigned for preservation.

In 1970 Pacific Rim National Park was established - the WCT was included and revived.

I first hiked the trail starting from Bamfield and hiking to Port Renfrew. Along the way is a mix of rain forest hiking and traversing varied beach topography.

Passing by thousand year old cedars and some of the tallest Stika spruce in the world made every step enjoyable. At the end of some afternoons we took series of rickety ladders down steep headlands on the way to camp for the night on sandy beaches below.

Once on the beach there were cliffs, sandstone ledges, sea caves, arches, tidal pools, and waterfalls to explore. Tsusiat Falls is the largest set of falls on the trail, and is one of the best campsites to stop at for a while. It is also a good place to fill a bottle or two with often rare fresh water.

Campsite at Tsusiat Falls

The West Coast Trail section of Pacific Rim National Park is a fragile, narrow 25,640 hectare strip of waterfront southeast of Barkley Sound between the villages of Bamfield and Port Renfrew. Hiking it when I did, before more recent regulations and upgrades, was still about adventure and survival. But upgrades have not diminished the beauty.

Wide, dry trail closer to Bamfield

The WCT is stunningly beautiful. It is a world class hike that draws hikers from all corners of the globe. In spite of this, clear cut logging of old growth forest was ongoing right up to the park boundary when I hiked it in 1989, 1990 and 1992. The destruction continues unabated to this very day.

A mini-corduroy road through dense bush and wet ground

Although we could often hear logging activity from the trail, we were blown away by the monumental trees saved within the confines of the West Coast Trail. It highlights the payoffs resulting from conservation and long-term thinking.

Hiking between the forest and the sea

West Coast Trail Facts

- 6000 people a year hike the WCT. 1-2% need emergency evacuation due to injury, illness, or hypothermia.

- Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of black bears and cougars in the world.

- Although the trail can be hiked in as little as 24-48 hours, I recommend taking as long as you possibly can. Some hikers carry small day packs and try to get through in about a day. When my group was hiking it we were trying to set the 'longest time to hike' record, aiming for 10 to 14 glorious days or more. Most people take about one week, but even that is a pretty grueling pace, depending on conditions (yours and the trail's).

Long ladders, big trees

- we hiked in the days before mandatory registration and fees. Now you have to pre-register for a spot for hiking between May 1 and September 30, or arrive in person and possibly have to wait for up to 3 days. 2 weeks on either end denotes the shoulder season when conditions may not be ideal, but you get to skip the registration process.

- the more challenging section of the trail is at the Port Renfrew end, with large elevation changes aided by many ladders. As the trail approaches Bamfield it gets more level, wider, and with more massive trees.

Beach camping under the trees at Michigan Creek

- In December 2006 a winter storm with record wind speeds blasted the west coast and knocked down 3000 trees on the WCT. Other trail infrastructure was damaged, but was quickly rebuilt.

- a great way to travel to or from the Bamfield trail head is on the west coast freighter, the MV Frances Barkley, that plies the Alberni Inlet from Port Alberni.

- for more WCT information see here.

Getting There

Pacheena Bay Trailhead, Bamfield - gravel logging roads from Port Alberni or Duncan, approximately 3 hours; or by West Coast Trail Express Bus (wcte@pacificcoast.net). MV Frances Barkley from Port Alberni. The WCT Hiker Registration Office located 4 km south of Bamfield.
Gordon River Trailhead, Port Renfrew - drive approximately 2 hours from Victoria via Highway 14; or by West Coast Trail Connector Bus from Victoria. Follow highway signs in Port Renfrew to the WCT Hiker Registration Office.

View West Coast Trail in a larger map

Changing Into Tree-Substance

2011-08-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Changing into tree-substance in Harbourview Cemetery, Sooke, BC

"A person should be buried only half a meter, or two feet, below the surface. Then a tree should be planted there. He should be buried in a coffin that decays so that when you plant a tree on top the tree will take something out of his substance and change it into tree-substance.

When you visit the grave you don’t visit a dead man, you visit a living being who was just transformed into a tree. You say, “This is my grandfather, the tree is growing well, fantastic.”

You can develop a beautiful forest that will be more beautiful than a normal forest because the trees will have their roots in graves. It will be a park, a place for pleasure, a place to live, even a place to hunt."

- Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Renfrew's Avatar Grove Moves Closer To Protected Status

2011-08-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Lower Avatar Grove, Port Renfrew, BC

It is rare to find large sections of old growth forest on southern Vancouver Island - 90% of the original forest has been logged, and ancient trees continue to fall. Forested areas with trees over 500 years old are rare.

But old growth forest is what Victoria resident TJ Watt found when he noticed the grey, weathered spires of ancient Western red-cedars from a well-traveled logging road near Port Renfrew, a former logging town. The big trees were dubbed Avatar Grove. With the help of Watt and the Ancient Forest Alliance, we learned that the grove was surveyed and flagged for cutting.

Avatar Grove ancient candelabra cedars

After a very successful campaign, Ancient Forest Alliance is reporting that the BC government is making moves to protect the grove of mind-blowing trees, some of which are over 1000 years old.

"The popularity of Avatar Grove, as it was named in a brilliant branding move, has convinced the British Columbia government to protect the area – and it may yet lead to a rethinking of how the province manages its oldest forests." - Globe and Mail

Thousands of visitors to the grove are witnessing the grandeur of accessible old growth, a rarity on southern Vancouver Island.

With your support, we can push for fully protected status for Avatar Grove and other areas of precious old growth ecosystems.

Ancient forests are far more valuable standing than when cut to fuel our short-term, insatiable demands for more.

The Life Of A 350 Year Old Coastal Douglas-fir

2011-08-09T00:09:00.000-07:00

Old Douglas-fir on the new urban/forest interface

I was investigating a new residential development near Thetis Lake Park in the city of Langford, BC recently to see what the new urban/forest interface looks like. This land on the side of Mill Hill is only one of many places where the rapidly developing city is expanding into forest land still in its natural state.

The population of Langford increased 20% between 2001 and 2006 alone. The hills of the city that have been richly forested with big trees for 10,000 years are being blasted into submission and covered with ticky-tacky boxes that all look the same.

While witnessing the completely terraformed landscape I spied one of the remaining large trees at the highest point of the development. I stopped, amazed that it has survived as long as it has, especially through this most recent wave of development which has come within 10 meters of the wide, furrowed trunk.

I considered this tree's long life, about 350 years. It is a time period that saw the arrival of Europeans, and the beginning of the departure of the primeval forest. Along with people from away came an insatiable lust for lumber, land, and profit that continues to this day.

Timeline Of A 350 Year Old Coastal Douglas-fir

900 - The Millstream watershed is in the traditional territory of First Nations belonging to the Northern Straits Salish language group. Some of the groups who reside in the area included the Saanich, Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. Numerous archaeological sites indicate the area has been used for at least 3000 years. In all this time, although First Nations used forest resources extensively, they were never a threat to the overall health of the ancient forest.

1661 - a Douglas-fir seed germinates on the bank of a small stream in the forested hills bordering the Salish Sea. The stream is in the Millstream watershed which empties into what is now Esquimalt Harbour. The biggest threats to the seedling (that could grow to the year 3161) are storms blowing off the ocean and browsing mammals. Annual height increment is relatively slow the first 5 years.

1676 - the tree can produce its first viable seed-bearing cones.

1681 - Tree begins growth spurt - Coastal Douglas-fir grows the fastest between 20 and 30 years of age, but some add height at a substantial rate for more than 200 years.

1691 - Height growth peaks at an average of 61 cm (24 in) per year.

1700 - in January of this year the tree survives the Cascadia earthquake, a walloping shaker that comes in at magnitude 9 plus.

1761 - Tree has reached its first 100 years. Height growth has slowed to an average of 15 cm (6 in) per year.

The Douglas-fir has an intact top and is growing vigorously

1774 - Juan Perez sails to the Northwest Coast from the south. Trades with the Haida of Haida Gwaii, and the Nootka of Vancouver Island. The trees in the forest begin to feel uneasy when they see the Spaniards trading buttons, nails, iron and tin for valuable sea otter pelts.

1788 - Captain Cook lands at Nootka sound (about 350 km up the west coast from Victoria) and cuts ships spars, becoming the first recorded European to harvest trees on Vancouver Island.
- John Meares harvests timber to build the forty-ton North West America, the first European-style ship launched in B.C.
- Captain Meares left the island with a load of ships spars bound for China, becoming the first recorded export of BC timber. The coastal forest can see where this is going, and the trees are trembling.

1843 - Fort Victoria is built (out of trees).

1848 - Hudson's Bay Company builds its first saw mill on what is now known as Millstream Creek in Langford. The area's forests are logged to feed the mill, and the towering Douglas-fir begin to fall. Our Douglas fir, a youthful 188 years old, can hear axes hitting wood not far away. Civilization approaches, posing the most serious threat so far.

1849 - First recorded export of Vancouver Island lumber to San Francisco starting a tradition that built their docks (more than once, due to fires). Ancient Douglas-fir become piers, buildings, and railroad bridges, providing the materials required to build the infrastructure of the west coast.

1850 - James Douglas signs treaties with most of the First Nations groups in the Victoria area, obtaining proprietorship of the land in exchange for bundles of blankets and the promise that they could continue to hunt and fish “with the same freedom as when they were the sole occupants of the country.”

1851 - Captain Edward Langford establishes one of four HBC farms close to where the hillside tree is located. More ancient forest is cleared to grow food for the European population based in near-by Victoria.

1855 - a more robust steam-powered mill at Craigflower Farm replaced the mill at Mill Falls - summer water levels were insufficient to power the mill. Tree falling is stepped up to feed the more efficient mill works at the new mill.

1861 - Our tree is 200 years old and begins peak cone productivity which will continue for another 100 years. During this time the tree could produce 20 to 30 times the number of cones per hectare than second-growth stands 50 to 100 years old.

1880 - a fire started on a recently logged area spread from present-day Thetis Lake to the Millstream estuary, and also burned the north side of Mill Hill Regional Park. The 10 cm (4 in) thick corky bark of the old tree protects it from the fire.

Development encroaches only 10 meters away

1911 - The Douglas-fir has reached a height a height of 33 m (108 ft) and a d.b.h. of 90 cm (35 in).

1962 - Tree is now 301 years old having survived decades of logging and exploding population numbers.
- the remnants of Typhoon Freda hit Vancouver Island on October 12 with wind gusts up to 140 km/h (90 mph). Many trees are blown down.

2000 - Langford is entering a decade of unprecedented growth after some years of stagnant economic times. The city is pro-development, and demand for new homes is high. The urban/forest interface is spreading outwards as forest lands are lost to residential development.

2006 - The tree survives the worst winter storm since Typhoon Freda. Wind gusts on the night of December 16th hit a record 158 km per hour (almost 100 mph). Thousands of trees are knocked down along the coast and in Vancouver's Stanley Park.

2009 - Development starts on new neighbourhood near Mill Hill Park. The hillside area requires clear cutting of what little remains of the forest here, and extensive blasting of bedrock. A steep cliff is blasted out of the hillside just meters from the base of our tree, the largest Douglas-fir remaining in the area.

2011 - The new neighbourhood is ready for home building, and at the edge of it all our tree remains standing. It has attained a height of about 46 meters (150 ft) and a d.b.h. of about 120 cm (47 in). The tree has an intact leader and appears to be healthy.

From seed to maturity, Douglas-fir is subject to serious damage from a variety of agents, and yet this tree has survived them all.

The tree's seeds have been scattered by the wind, and the old growth trees of the future are maturing around it. Will they be able to grow to old age here, or will the next wave of development take them and the grandparent tree down, replacing more wild forest with the permanent imprint of civilization?

The ancient Douglas-fir has a new view

Are Ancient Trees In Langford Afforded The Protection They Deserve?

Does the city of Langford have a tree protection bylaw that might protect this ancient tree, and trees like it all over the city? I checked their website:

"The City of Langford does not have a general tree cutting bylaw. It controls the cutting of trees and the removal of vegetation in designated environmentally sensitive and hazardous Development Permit areas contained within the city's Official Community Plan.

These include, for example, areas of steep slopes, sensitive ecosystems, areas around lakes and streams, areas of potential wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and zones of high or extreme interface fire hazard.

If there are no designated areas on a property then the property owner is free to remove whatever vegetation they wish." - City of Langford website

This "vegetation" could include 350 year old Douglas-fir and other ancient trees.

Location of Tree

View Langford 350 Year-old Douglas-fir in a larger map

Forest Creatures: Bears and Cougars At The Urban/Forest Interface

2011-08-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Female cougar and cub tranquilized in Sooke, BC, Sooke NewsMirror photo

Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentrations of cougars and black bears in the world. In the south of the island, where the development and population are concentrated, this means potentially dangerous wildlife encounters, especially in areas where development abuts the forest - also known as the urban/forest interface.

Rapid development of previously wild areas on south Vancouver Island means human encounters with bears and cougars are increasing. Although wildlife encounters are more likely in areas close to the forest, wild animals pop up anywhere. We are continuing to move into their territories, whether with chainsaws or new houses, and the animals have nowhere to turn.

Park sign regarding bears and cougars

The photograph above shows a mother cougar and her cub that were tranquilized by wildlife officials in a backyard in Sooke. The two had recently taken down a deer in a nearby yard, and were eventually treed by two special dogs.

Once there the officials tranquilized the mother and cub for re-location. They will be taken to Jordon River and released. It was a happy ending for these elusive, buff-coloured forest creatures that had been preying on small dogs, cats, and deer.

Not all encounters at the urban/forest interface end as well. A recent cougar incident in Sidney, 65km northeast of Sooke ended differently:

"Just after midnight on Friday, July 8th, 2011, Sidney North Saanich RCMP responded to a cougar sighting near the new McTavish Interchange on Highway 17. Officers located the cougar and followed it in to the Town of Sidney.

Once in the Town of Sidney, after going through many yards and businesses and walking right down Beacon Avenue, the cougar was cornered on the shore by the Beacon Pier.

The BC Conservation Service was called, attended immediately and it was determined that it was unsafe to attempt to tranquilize the animal. The cougar was shot and killed by the Conservation Service." - source

For me seeing wildlife is one of the benefits of living on the fringe of the wilderness. But such encounters are all too often deadly for the creatures involved. Last year 62 black bears were killed by conservation officials on Vancouver Island. Eight of the island's cougars were killed during that time. Learn about reducing bear encounters at the urban/forest interface here, and about cougar safety here.

Black bear sharpening its claws on a big Black Cottonwood

Most of south Vancouver Island has been logged once, or more, usually clear cut. After that insult, the past few years have seen unprecedented development and the urban area is growing into the forest on many fronts. Places like Mary Lake, which is still in the process of possibly being saved to preserve the old growth Dry Coastal Douglas-fir forest that grows there, 99% of which is gone in this endangered ecozone.

Development now rivals the logging industry as a leading cause of forest destruction, and this time, the trees will not be growing back. It is not only the trees that suffer, but also everything else that lives in the forest including large predators like black bears and cougars.

They are everywhere

Cougar Facts

The cougar, also called mountain lion or panther, is Canada's largest cat. Cougars have long tails which may be one-third of their total body length.
An adult male cougar weighs between 63 and 90 kg (140-200 lbs), and a female cougar, between 40 and 50 kg (90-120 lbs). The biggest cougars are found in the interior and the Kootenays.
The cougar's primary prey is deer. It will also feed on wild sheep, elk, rabbits, beaver, raccoons, grouse, and occasionally livestock.
Cougars are most active at dusk and dawn. However, they will roam and hunt at any time of the day or night and in all seasons.
During late spring and summer, one to two-year old cougars become independent of their mothers. While attempting to find a home range, these young cougars may roam widely in search of unoccupied territory. This is when cougars are most likely to conflict with humans. - source

Canada's Tallest Timber Trestle Re-opens After Restoration Project

2011-07-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

The restored Kinsol Trestle is now open for crossings

The Kinsol Trestle is one of the largest timber bridges in the world, and the highest timber trestle remaining in the Commonwealth at 44 metres (144 ft) high and 188 metres (617 ft) long. It was recently re-opened to the public after a year-long restoration project.

Recent History of Kinsol Trestle

Before the decision was made to save this piece of west coast timber history, the wood trestle was slated for demolition. The last train crossed the trestle in 1979, the line was abandoned, and eventually the structure was near collapse. The Kinsol Trestle, the oldest free-standing timber structure in North America, had been left to deteriorate in the wet forested valley of the Koksilah River.

The amount of heavy timbers required to support a fully loaded logging train is huge. It was expected that the proceeds of the good timber left in the structure would be significant. 80% of the 1.2 million board feet of timbers were found to be sound after core samples were taken in 2007.

The deteriorated bridge deck before restoration

Restoration of The Trestle

The giant trees felled for the original structure have long disappeared from the area. Replacements for the large, incredibly strong Douglas-fir timbers came from forests in the Alberni Valley.

The 7.5 million dollar project brought the 101 year old trestle back to its original world-class form. The international restoration firm Macdonald and Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd., the same outfit that restored the heavy timbers of England's Windsor Castle after a fire, did the work on the trestle. They are "a specialist carpentry company offering a range of services to assist private and professional clients build and conserve timber structures."

Beginning of project one year ago

The restoration replaced unsound timbers, reinforced structural piers and built a new 614-foot walkway atop the structure for hikers, runners, cyclists and equestrians. Preserving the historic characteristics of this amazing wood structure was a major goal of the project. The authenticity of the historic trestle is expected to draw more tourists to the site.

Hauling Lumber Over The Trestle

"The Kinsol is special as it features a 7 degree curve over a low level Howe truss. Immense, at 145 ft tall and over 600ft in length it is engineering at its finest.

From 1920 to 1979 it is said that 5 billion board feet of timber was brought to market from Lake Cowichan's vast reserves over the CNR trestle.

Railway lore has steam engineers getting out and walking over the trestle and waiting for the brakeman to set the trains into motion, as the bridge at times would sway under the great loads of steam engines and their cargo of massive timber atop the rail cars.The engineers would then step aboard and slow the train for the brakeman, who would follow across on foot and join up with the crew!" - source

Photo of trestle from 1950 when trains were still running

Early Kinsol Trestle Timeline

1910 -- Mackenzie and Mann, promoters of the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, contracted to build Vancouver Island line from Sidney through Victoria to Barkley Sound.

1911 -- Sod-turning ceremony staged in February.

1914 -- By this time some 700,000 feet of timber had been cut and stacked on both sides of the Koksilah River at Mile 51.9, site of the Kinsol Trestle (named for a nearby copper mine, the King Solomon).

1918 -- Only four miles of track had been laid from Victoria, and some timber work completed on the trestle, by 1918 when the federal government resumed construction as part of the new Canadian National Railways.

1919 -- Sept. 18, 1919, the Cowichan Leader reported: "At long last a real start has been made on the Koksilah River (crossing)." 55 men (local farmers and loggers) were employed on the project.

1920 -- By April the canyon had been bridged. Built on massive concrete piers, the Kinsol Trestle was 145 feet high and 614 feet long.

1924 -- Track reached Lake Cowichan. Weekly passenger service by gas car and the transporting of lumber products was begun. - source

Trestle Now Part Of Trans Canada Trail

The old rail line is now part of the 22,000 km Trans Canada Trail. The Kinsol Trestle is the largest of eight original bridges in the section of railroad through the Cowichan Valley. Some have compared it to southern interior BC's Kettle Valley Rail Trail before catastrophic fires destroyed some of its historic wood bridges.

The Kinsol Trestle is evidence of Vancouver Island ingenuity and determination during a time when no project was too large or too difficult. More though, it is evidence of the strength and utility of the strongest wood in the coastal forest - old growth Douglas-fir. Kilo for kilo it is stronger than steel.

This is an old map, but the directions are still accurate - click to enlage

This giant wood trestle is an engineering marvel, and a bit of a conundrum - a huge bridge built out of massive old growth Douglas-firs so that rail cars could pass over as they hauled more massive trees to market.

The Kinsol Trestle is an interesting part of our history that eventually lead to the liquidation of 90% of south Vancouver Island's old growth forests. This is one world class timber structure not to be missed, and is about all we have to show for our efforts to subdue the deep, dark, primeval forest. Big logs passed this way.

Caring For The Urban Forest

2011-07-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

Royal Roads urban forest in Victoria may be N. America's oldest

In recent years we have been increasingly recognizing the importance of trees and forests everywhere, including urban forests. Urban trees provide soul soothing green space amidst the black and greys of the endless pavement and concrete of cities around the world. When we build our cities, whenever possible, we also plant trees - and for very good reasons.

Why Are Urban Forests Valuable?

Trees and forests:

Conserve energy by shading buildings and paved surfaces
Filter air, and water-borne pollutants
Remove atmospheric carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas
Reduce storm water runoff
Increase the value of our homes
Have important psychological benefits; seeing and being around trees makes us feel better
Urban forests can be managed to provide wood and lumber for art, building, and a sustainable energy source

Studies have found that hospital patients with a view of trees recover faster and with fewer complications than patients without such a view. Considering their importance to us, we should all be urban forest rangers and do what we can to maintain the health of our trees.

Caring For Urban Trees

Urban trees are constantly under threat. Changes in soil depth around trees can harm root systems as it drastically reduces the amount of oxygen and water available. Urban development often includes excavating - digging around established trees can damage fragile root systems, and kill trees.

Basic Care

Tree problems also occur because of over and under watering, improper fertilization, and competition between roots. Over watering causes the soil pore (air) spaces to fill with water and restrict available oxygen. Under watering does not provide sufficient water for proper development. Over fertilization can injure or kill the roots, while under fertilization results in a lack of the minerals essential to maintain a healthy tree.

Competition for water and minerals between tree roots, bushes, grass and flowers can
stress trees. Trees will stress if routine soil preparation for flowers damages tree roots.

Top 10 Urban Forests

Other practices that affect tree health are: deicing salts and other chemicals; wounding through digging and trenching; and adding deep mulch over 13 cm ( 5 inches), concrete, pavement, or compacted soil that restricts water percolation, and suffocates roots.

Herbicide Alert - Imprelis Kills Trees

Another potential problem is the improper application of a herbicide, or using the wrong herbicide (or any herbicide). Poison pusher conglomerate Dupont is in the news lately because of its new herbicide Imprelis. This herbicide was developed to target broad leaf weeds in grass, but it seems to be killing much, much more than that.

Imprelis is killing Spruce, Pine, and other urban conifer trees after the correct application of the herbicide on surrounding lawns. Dupont is being sued by a number of landscapers, towns, golf courses and cemeteries that say that label use of their product has inadvertently killed tens of thousands of trees across America.

Imprelis is so persistent that grass clippings are basically toxic waste for several months after application of the herbicide. Dupont recommends that grass clipping not be composted or sent to the landfill during that period.

We can help our urban forests through proper basic care of our trees. Another way we can help is by pushing for a ban on the cosmetic use of harsh landscaping chemicals in our cities. We need to get our lawns and gardens off chemicals so that not only our urban forests can thrive, but so that all life that is found within them can thrive, naturally.

Super-Sized Douglas-fir Snags Important Bird Habitat

2011-07-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

One giant, old growth large diameter snag

Up the Sooke River in a not-so-secret location, lies one of the largest Douglas-fir snags I have seen, and is a tree I like to visit from time to time. A snag is a dead, standing tree, and the one above is a prime example of a large diameter, old growth snag.

This centuries old tree probably snapped in a windstorm - what is left could stay standing for another century or more. In that time it will provide habitat for a whole ecosystem of interacting organisms and food webs. Although the tree itself may be dead, the structure itself is rich with life.

Birds in the coastal forest depend on these Douglas-fir snags. Up to 34 different hole-nesting species of birds use Douglas-fir snags for roosting or nesting. Woodpeckers are especially dependent on snags as they use them for roosting, nesting, and for feeding. They eat the insects living in the dead wood.

A study conducted in the 1970s in the coastal Douglas-fir forest found that snags provide crucial habitat for hole-nesting birds:

"On the average, hole-nesting birds used Douglas-fir snags over 60 cm in dbh (diameter at breast height - 1.3 meters/4 ft above the ground) and over 15 m tall for foraging and nesting; these snags usually had broken tops, few or no branches, decayed sapwood and heartwood, and less than 100% bark cover. Snags of this size and type occurred primarily in forests over 110 years of age; consequently, use of snags by hole-nesting birds was concentrated in older forests (>110 years old).

Density and species diversity of hole-nesting birds increased with forest age. Density of hole-nesting birds was positively correlated with mean dbh of snags. Intensive management of Douglas-fir forests does not allow for the production or retention of large snags. A reduction in the number of large snags could reduce populations of hole-nesting birds."

No snags, no hole-nesting birds.

Ancient Forests Worth More Standing

2011-07-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

British Columbia's remaining ancient forests felt a cold wind shudder through today as local newspapers announced that China has surpassed the USA as our largest lumber market. Their burgeoning economy and growing middle class are putting prized wood at a premium.

The Times Colonist reported:

"May’s B.C. softwood lumber shipments to China, including Hong Kong, were valued at $122 million compared to $119 million in shipments to the U.S.

Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell said that while more wood — roughly 1.2 million cubic metres compared to 1.1 million — was sent to the U.S. in May, the Chinese exports were more expensive.

“The Chinese are paying for high quality and they’re getting high quality,” Bell said.

Bell said most B.C. lumber sent to the U.S. is used in house construction, but in China it is used for apartment buildings, trusses, commercial buildings and furniture among other things.

From January to May this year, the province exported 2.8 million cubic metres of lumber to the world’s fastest growing economy, more than double the value and volume exported there during the same period last year." - source

Old growth, and those that love it, should be very afraid. It is time for BC to switch to logging second growth while phasing out all harvesting of what is left of our ancient forests.

Ancient forests are worth more standing.

Forest Creatures: Snakes

2011-07-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Of Vancouver Island's four species of snake, one is threatened and very rare

Snakes are a forest creature with an undeserved bad reputation. I thought of this when I came across a snake carcass along the Galloping Goose Trail as it passes through a mix of natural forested areas and urban development near Thetis Lake Park.

At first I thought it may be a snake skin left after a moult, but upon closer inspection, I could see that it was a near complete carcass. I wonder if the snake met its end at the hands of a fearful human unaware of the snake's harmlessness, and its importance in the forest ecosystem.

The hinged jaw can be seen in this detail

Of eighteen reptile species in British Columbia, nine are snakes. There are four kinds of snakes on Vancouver Island, and all of them are harmless.

There are 3 species of garter snakes, the Northwestern, the Western Terrestrial, and the Common garter snake, as well as the threatened Sharp-tailed snake that can be found in this area.

The only things that need to be afraid of these snakes are worms, slugs, baby birds, small rodents, tadpoles or fish - all favourite foods of snakes.

The snakes of Vancouver Island, like all snakes, eat their prey whole. They have a jaw that can dislocate to accommodate large meals, like the largest slugs in the world - Banana slugs. I have witnessed a large garter snake eating a large slug in a slow motion battle of patience vs. slime in the middle of a forest trail.

Snakes are important both as predators and prey, and keeping other species populations in balance. Eliminating snakes could cause unwanted increases in numbers of snakes' favourite prey, such as mice. They are also important because they provide food for other species such as owls, hawks, and mammals.

Three of the four varieties of snakes in our area give birth to live young, from 2 - 85 baby snakes in a clutch.

The rare Sharp-tailed snake is found only in the southeastern part of Vancouver Island, and the southern Gulf Islands. They lay a clutch of eggs, that the young will hatch out of, in the spring.

Habitat destruction has caused an alarming drop in Sharp-tailed numbers - their undeserved bad rap doesn't help.

If you live in their range and have a hibernaculum, or underground hibernation chamber, on your property, it should be protected. You can also build a hibernaculum to encourage the recovery of this species, or attract the garters.

How To Build A Snake Hibernaculum

Dig a hole 2 metres deep and 1.5 metres square in a warm, sunny clearing next to a woodlot. It's important that water does not accumulate at the bottom of the pit. Otherwise, it will likely freeze and kill the animals.
Loosely fill the pit with logs and stumps, brush, and boards, mixed with leaves and soil. Or, to accommodate snakes that prefer to hibernate in rock mounds and cavities, fill with large odd-shaped rocks. There should be plenty of cavities left for the snakes to move around.
Cover the pit with a one-metre-high mound of brush, leaves, and soil for further insulation and protection from predators: source

Snakes are important parts of the coastal forest ecosystem - enjoy viewing these amazing, colourful creatures, but do so from a distance. Although they are considered harmless, they might give you a pinch if startled or handled roughly.

Urban Exotics: Victoria's Giant Sequoias

2011-07-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

Giant sequoia dominate their surroundings at The Rise and Montrose, Victoria

One thing I enjoy about the Victoria region is that in addition to beautiful native tree species, there are also many introduced species that grow well here. Because of this, Victoria has an amazingly diverse urban forest. The urban exotics include two huge sequoia at the residential intersection of Montrose and The Rise (see map below).

Sequoia - big and tall

The trees are very tall and can be seen from a distance on the side of Smith's Hill while approaching from the south on Cook Street.

There are also many nice native species in this well-treed neighbourhood. Garry oak and Douglas-fir grow on the rocky hillside, interspersed with Arbutus.

Just down the street is this classic beauty - huge for its young age

Sequoias have a pyramidal shape, but when older can take on more individual characteristics. The trees have reddish-brown furrowed bark, and drooping branches with feathery needles. Giant sequoia wood is more brittle than that of the Coast redwoods, and therefore not as sought after. Sequoia are among the longest living trees and can thrive for thousands of years.

Massive trunk with branches as big as large trees

These fantastic Giant sequoias are probably no older than about 100 years or so, and already they have reached massive proportions. The trees at Montrose and The Rise are just getting started - they do not yet rival their monumental relatives growing in California. Maybe in 3000 more years.

Without taking a two day trip down south you can still get a hint of the majesty of Giant sequoia right here in Victoria, BC.

Getting There

Zoom in the map below to locate these trees.

View Urban Exotics: Giant sequoia at Montrose and The Rise in a larger map

Big Tree Art: Gothic Revival

2011-07-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Gothic Revival, Evan Wakelin

I enjoy doing big tree research on line because you never know what kind of good stuff you might come across. I am always on the lookout for great big tree art.

While studying the coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) recently, I came across Gothic Revival by Evan Wakelin. It is a surreal image that links together, for me, the importance of trees to the development of civilization and religion.

Old groves of trees are the original cathedrals. Trees were very important to the ancient Celts and Druids. Many of their religious sites were graced with Yew trees, Britain's oldest growing conifer, and one of the longest-living trees on earth. These trees represented birth, death, immortality and the cycles of life to ancient peoples.

Christian churches and cathedrals in places like Britain were often built on the religious hot spots of the Celts and Druids. Today, sacred Yew trees are still associated with these Christianized sites.

Large majestic trees have always stirred something in humans, and still do judging by how many people visit the remaining impressive groves of the world, whether a place like the incredible Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, or smaller local groves of trees in parks everywhere.

It is interesting that the artist chose Douglas-fir and not Yew as the tree to match up with the Gothic cathedral. This might be because the Yew is a fairly short tree, whereas the Douglas-fir is potentially the tallest tree species in the world.

It is not entirely inappropriate since the Douglas-fir, according to many a logger, is the most important commercial tree on the planet. No other tree perhaps, has contributed as much to the development of our modern world.

Because of this we should treat the Douglas-fir - indeed, all trees and sacred groves - as the special entities that they are. These, the tallest of living things, are worthy of our worship and appreciation. We should be saving nature's last sacred cathedrals.

Douglas-fir: Tallest Tree In The World?

2011-07-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hyperion, Coast Redwood: tallest known living tree, M. Vaden

The heights of the tallest trees in the world, presently and historically, have been hotly contested ever since people started estimating and measuring the tallest living things. In the pursuit of records tree heights have been exaggerated - tall tales, mythical and legendary stories emerge from the great forests. So what are the tallest trees on the planet?

The Current Top Three Tallest Trees On Earth

The following are now accepted as the top three tallest measured species (currently standing specimens):

Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens): 115.56 m (379.1 ft), Redwood National Park, California, United States
Australian Mountain-ash (Eucalyptus regnans): 99.6 m (327 ft), south of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii): 99.4 m (326 ft), Brummit Creek, Coos County, Oregon, United States - from Wikipedia

Climbers in the Brummit Fir, world's tallest Douglas-fir, described by some as 335 feet tall, which would make it the second tallest known tree, not the third

How Tall Can Douglas-fir Get?

Although a Coast redwood is presently the tallest tree found to date, there is evidence that the coastal Douglas-fir has the biological capacity to surpass the redwoods in stratospheric height. Once trees reach the limit beyond which water can no longer be pumped to the top, the leader experiences 'drought stress' and dies off.

"In 2008, a study proposed that the maximum height for a Douglas fir -- one of the world's tallest trees -- is about 453 feet (138 meters)." [source]

A Douglas-fir is the third tallest tree in the world (or second, depending on other accounts), and some believe a Douglas-fir could be, or once was, the tallest. Upper height limit estimates for the species go as high as 476 ft, and before logging began in the 19th and 20th centuries, plus 400 foot trees were probably fairly common.

Historical Accounts Of 400 Foot Douglas-fir

Some accounts of the tallest of the tall may be loggers' tales, but others are documented measurements.

In a post I did here I discussed 400 ft plus Douglas-fir trees. An informed reader posted a couple of comments in response. They contain information regarding the historical heights once attained by the king of the Pacific Coast Forest, the Douglas-fir.

See comments below photo.

Industrial logging has removed most of the tallest Douglas-fir, historical photo, Washington

Reader Comments Regarding Tall Douglas-fir

"A Douglas fir measured 415 feet high, (127 meters) in 1902 at the Alfred John Nye property in Lynn Valley. Diameter was 14 ft 3 inches 5 feet from the ground.

A 352 footer was felled in 1907 in Lynn Valley. Diameter was 10 feet.

In 1897 a 465 foot (142 m) Douglas fir was felled in Whatcom, Washington on the Alfred Loop ranch near MT. Baker. Diameter was 11 feet, and 220 feet to first branch. Board footage was 96,345 feet of top quality lumber.

A 400 footer was felled in 1896 at Kerrisdale, BC, sent to Hastings mill. J. M. Fromme measured the giant at 13 ft 8 in diameter.

Records of even taller fir trees exist, but I am in the process of collecting a complete and up to date list of old champions long forgotten."

And a follow-up comment:

"They measured a Redwood tree near the Oregon border in 2006, it is 115.6 m tall above average ground level, but to the lowest end of the trunk it's about 117.6 m total height.

Michael Taylor, Chris Atkins, and Mario Vaden, are the top guys searching the forests for new tallest tree species. They just located last week a new record Douglas fir west of Roseberg, Oregon it is 98.3 meters tall, live growing top. They're hoping to find a monster fir over 100 meters, and I think they will. Thousands of hectares of Oregon forest is relatively unexplored.

But sadly, over 90% of the really big old growth has been cut down in the North West, so finding a 120 meter fir is unlikely -- Not impossible though.

I posted the list in a wikipedia talk section, titled, "Historically Reported Douglas-Fir Exceeding 300 and 400 Feet." I also made a couple experimental Youtube videos dealing with the super tall reports, the 400 foot and up class."

Is it possible that the Coast redwood is not the tallest tree species on earth?

Beacon Hill Park Black Cottonwood Grove

2011-06-30T23:56:00.001-07:00

Large buttressed trunk of an old Black cottonwood in Beacon Hill Park

There is a Black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera trichocarpa) grove in Beacon Hill Park that drew me in during a walk through the park this spring. The fragrance was strong even hundreds of meters away. Entranced, I followed my nose until I stood at the base of some very impressive, old trees that form a beautiful grove.

Some of the larger trees are buttressed at the base forming a broad trunk of deeply furrowed grey bark.

Furrowed, aged trunk

The grove is filled with long grass with wild flowers scattered through it. This area is wetter than others in the park, as the cottonwoods enjoy soils that are occasionally partially waterlogged.

Not only are these these trees large at the base, but they are very tall as well. The large canopies filter the light that reaches the grassy meadow below.

The grove's large trees are tall as well as fat

Another interesting feature is more difficult to see. Way up high in the canopy of one of these giant deciduous trees is an eagle nest. There is no such thing as a small eagle nest.

Eagle nest in one of the grove's cottonwoods, photo by Friends of Beacon Hill Park

Eagles are large birds, and their nests must be large to raise the young. Nests can often weigh over a ton. Such a home requires a large, sturdy tree. The cottonwoods provide such a scaffold for these majestic birds homes.

Wet, grassy area good for the thirsty cottonwoods

Getting There

Beacon Hill Park is conveniently located south of downtown Victoria. The Black cottonwood grove is south of Goodacre Lake along Douglas Street.

View Beacon Hill Park Black Cottonwood Grove in a larger map

World's Largest Organism Lives In The Forest, But Is Not A Tree

2011-06-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

This is Armillaria ostoyae, popularly known as the honey mushroom
- the visible part of the world's largest organism

Trees can get pretty huge on the Pacific coast, but they are not nearly the largest living things on earth. The following article describes a fungus (Armillaria) that lives in the forest, and has become the largest living thing science has described so far. At 2400 years old, it is doing well in the longevity category as well.

Often, in the forest, trees and fungus work symbiotically together, both benefiting from their association. Unfortunately, the giant colony of Armillaria discovered in 1998 is a threat to trees, and has been killing them in sizable numbers.

The Independent
By Jeff Barnard

Sunday, 6 August 2000

"The largest living organism ever found has been discovered in an ancient American forest.

The Armillaria ostoyae, popularly known as the honey mushroom, started from a single spore too small to see without a microscope. It has been spreading its black shoestring filaments, called rhizomorphs, through the forest for an estimated 2,400 years, killing trees as it grows. It now covers 2,200 acres (880 hectares) of the Malheur National Forest, in eastern Oregon.

The outline of the giant fungus stretches 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometres) across, and it extends an average of three feet (one metre) into the ground. It covers an area as big as 1,665 football fields.

The discovery came after Catherine Parks, a scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station in La Grande, Oregon, in 1998 heard about a big tree die-off from root rot in the forest east of Prairie City.

Using aerial photos, Ms Parks staked out an area of dying trees and collected root samples from 112. She identified the fungus through DNA testing. Then, by comparing cultures of the fungus grown from the 112 samples, she determined that 61 were from the same organism, meaning a single fungus had grown bigger than anything anyone had ever described before.

On the surface, the only evidence of the fungus are clumps of golden mushrooms that pop up in the autumn with the rain. "They are edible, but they don't taste the best," said Tina Dreisbach, a botanist and mycologist with the US Forest Service in Corvallis, Oregon. "I would put lots of butter and garlic on them."

Digging into the roots of an affected tree, something that looks like white latex paint can be seen. These are mats of mycelium, which draw water and carbohydrates from the tree to feed the fungus and interfere with the tree's absorption of water and nutrients. The long rhizomorphs that stretch into the soil invade tree roots through a combination of pressure and enzyme action.

In 1992, another Armillaria ostoyae was found in Washington state covering 1,500 acres, near Mount Adams, making it the largest known organism at the time.

"We just decided to go out looking for one bigger than the last claim," said Gregory Filip, associate professor of integrated forest protection at Oregon State University, and an expert in Armillaria. "There hasn't been anything measured with any scientific technique that has shown any plant or animal to be larger than this."

He said scientists want to learn to control Armillaria because it kills trees, but they also realise it has served a purpose in nature for millions of years."

Metchosin's Pears Road Landmark Douglas-fir Trees

2011-06-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Landmark Douglas-fir on Pears Road, Metchosin

The main route, Highway 14, from Victoria to Sooke (and up the southwest coast of Vancouver Island) is very scenic. It twists and turns through tree-covered hills, with occasional water views as you get closer to Sooke. For the sharp-eyed passengers (drivers should keep eyes on the road) there are several outstanding big trees to discover.

But there are also many alternate routes between the two coastal communities that offer beautiful views and interesting trees. As an added bonus, the alternate roads are more tranquil than the main highway which can get busy depending on the time of day.

Companion tree with dead top

The drive I recently took is a deviation off of Highway 14 leaving the main route at Metchosin Rd by Victoria, and then returning to it at the intersection with Gillespie Rd near Sooke.

Along the way are rolling lands that have been farmed for many years. Most farms have areas of forest, which often include some great Douglas-fir, as well as Garry oak, and Arbutus. Keep your eyes peeled and you will see many such trees.

A couple of the notable holdouts are the landmark trees on Pears Rd near the Metchosin Golf and Country Club. The two Douglas-fir are outstanding in their age and character, and are right off of Pears Rd so are easily viewed. The tree closest to the road is the more robust, even with a broken top. Its companion tree is not doing as good and has a dead spire jutting above a small growing canopy.

These tree have been gracing this land for hundreds of years while battling Pacific storms coming off the Juan de Fuca Strait. The trees show their experiences in their twisted character-laden limbs and broken bits. Even more dangerous, they survived the dreams of land-clearing farmers and enterprising loggers. Today, the biggest threat is residential development.

The big tree and beyond: Juan de Fuca and Olympic Range

This alternate scenic route is a nice change to driving the faster, busier main highway. The route crosses the Galloping Goose Trail in several places. One can get out of the car and hike or bike a bit away from motor vehicles. The trail has stunning views of the area, forest, farm, and ocean.

Getting There

The route can get complicated, so is best explored on the map below. Zoom in for a more detailed view. You can use the map to locate other interesting routes along back roads through the hilly semi-wilderness. Big old growth trees still hang on here and there throughout this region, despite the heavy alterations that have occurred since the arrival of Europeans. Drive carefully, watch for the big trees - and the deer, bear and cougar that live among them.

View Pears Road Landmark Douglas-fir in a larger map

First Day of Summer

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Under a big Arbutus in Roche Cove Park, East Sooke

Yesterday at about 10:30 am we hit the summer solstice, and today is the first whole day of summer. I don't like to think about the days getting shorter now. Instead, I look forward to the sun and heat that summers bring to the coastal forest. And things are beginning to heat up.

You can smell it when out in amongst the trees. It smells dry, and distinctly like conifers. The heat carries the smell of sap and the full on growth that is taking advantage of having adequate water, sunshine, and heat. The biodiversity can be smelled on the breeze. It is rich here.

Sun by Joe Wilson, Duncan, BC

Large, downed logs in the forest that are saturated in winter rains will carry moisture through dry periods in the summer. Many creatures, salamanders included, will seek refuge in these vital habitats.

The coastal forest is always wild, but the summer is the most forgiving season. It is a good time to get out to visit the big trees. Enjoy, and let us know when you find big ones not mentioned here.

Natural Capital: Save A Forest, Fight Climate Change, Get Paid

2011-06-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

"Canadians are coming to understand that the national environmental agenda can no longer be separated from the national economic agenda. Sustainable development, therefore, demands that we integrate social, economic and environmental considerations into decision-making in a way that enhances productivity and prosperity without compromising the integrity of the environment." - Natural Resources Canada

Intact, pristine, natural systems contribute over $33 trillion dollars of 'value' to our economy every year, as calculated in 1997. Traditional economics does not take these contributions into account, even though all life (and the economy) depends on them. The current biodiversity crisis, rapid deforestation, and global climate change is beginning to change that.

'Natural capital' is increasingly being acknowledged and taken into account, and conservation, restoration, and sustainability are concepts that we are likely to hear a lot more about in the near future. This bodes well for all our forest lands including the precious, and dwindling, old growth.

Forests are one of the Earth's great atmospheric regulators, and they store more carbon than any other biome on the planet. In most cases our forests, especially pristine, untouched areas, are more valuable standing than cut for lumber or other uses.

Forest carbon projects recognize the value of the carbon-storage capacity of forests, and pay out credits to keep trees growing and sequestering to help mitigate industrial greenhouse gases.

The largest to date in North America, and the first deal of its kind in Canada, was launched recently in Vancouver, BC. The Nature Conservancy Of Canada (NCC) signed a deal that saw them receive carbon credits worth $4 million dollars that mitigates 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

A forest is worth far more standing than it is when cut down to make stuff

The NCC is receiving the cash for its 55,000-hectare piece of land known as Darkwoods. The area, which has extensive virgin forest including trees over 500 years old, is on Kootenay Lake near Nelson, BC. The deal represents the beginning of a process that promises great benefits for the environment, biodiversity, trees, and forests.

The concept of natural capital is just beginning to take off, and there will be bumps in the road as it progresses. One complaint is that it is difficult to measure the value of nature's systems without some agreement on methods of valuating and auditing at least the global forms of natural capital (e.g. value of air, water, soil). We have not yet arrived at such agreement.

But we are moving in the right direction as we change how we think about, and value, nature. It may very well save what is left of our once vast forests, and reclaim and restore degraded forest lands so they may thrive again.

Pagoda Honours Contributions Of The Mighty Douglas-fir

2011-06-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Big Tree Pagoda in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria

We may have descended from the trees millions of years ago, but we still go to bed every night in homes built out of trees. In every way, shape, and form trees make our lives possible. Wood can be used to meet an amazing variety of human needs.

I thought of this while strolling around Goodacre Lake in Beacon Hill park and coming upon what I call the Big Tree Pagoda. It has been fashioned from a large Douglas-fir log set on end, and has cedar shake roof providing shelter for the circular bench below.

Douglas-fir pillar surrounded by a place to sit

Douglas-fir has been the premier tree since logging first began on Vancouver Island in the 1800s. It grows straight and tall, and is one of the fastest growing trees in the coastal forest.

On older trees, there are no branches for a major portion of the lower trunk. This makes for a great volume of straight, strong, knot-free lumber. More lumber than any other tree in North America.

The dense wood is hard, stiff and durable. It has traditionally been available in large dimensions, making it useful for large structural projects. Besides shady pagodas, it has been used for a huge range of purposes, including pilings for piers, train trestles and bridges, ships masts, and framing.

Logs and finished products have been shipped around the world from the coastal forest for 150 years. San Francisco's piers were built (more than once due to fire) with BC Douglas-fir pilings.

Today, the large 125-plus meter (410 ft) trees, rather than being common, are increasingly difficult to find. Over 90% of coastal Douglas-fir forests have been logged, and in places the big trees continue to fall.

New research suggests these trees could have grown to a mind-numbing, dizzying height of between 130 m (430 ft) and 145 m (476 ft).

Douglas-fir - beautiful tree, beautiful wood

The mighty Douglas-fir, a tree that has contributed so much, has qualities that doomed the species - it was too useful, not to mention profitable. What could have been an endless source of good wood has been squandered for ignorance and short term gain.
Ancient Douglas-fir giants, and old growth forests are almost extinct.

We should see them and save them while we can.

World's Largest Douglas-fir - The Renfrew Red Creek Fir

2011-06-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Height: 73.8m (242'), Circumference: 13.3m (43.7'), Diameter: 4.2m (14')

The Ancient Forest Alliance recently released this video of Port Renfrew's amazing Red Creek Fir. It is truly a colossus, the biggest of the big.

The AFA website states that "the tree and a small surrounding stand of trees currently receive 'soft' protection through an Old-Growth Management Area, but legislated 'hard' protection is needed in the form of a conservancy, park, or ecological reserve that also encompasses a much larger buffer area."

To see a giant old growth tree that was common here in pre-European times, visit the big tree capital of southern Vancouver Island, Port Renfrew. The Red Creek Fir, which can be found along logging roads 45 minutes from town, is one of the last of its kind. In the area, there are several old, large Western red-cedar worth seeing, too.

The access route to the Red Creek Fir is not recommended for low-clearance vehicles. It is rough and slow even for four wheel drives. Drive cautiously on active logging roads, always giving the right of way to logging vehicles.

When you get home, visit the AFA's website and sign their petition.

Getting There

You can find more information on getting to the Red Creek Fir here.

Forest Creatures: Great Blue Herons

2011-06-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Endangered Great blue herons live in the coastal forest

It was on one of my hikes of Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail that I learned of an endangered species living in the coastal forest. Great Blue Herons, the largest North American herons, are year round residents. And they build their nests in trees.

We were hiking toward Nitinat Narrows when we first heard the primeval squawk of Great blue herons. As we approached, the noise was a discordant symphony of primitive vocalizations - it was the first heronry I had ever seen, or heard, and it was both chaotic and beautiful.

Heron chicks on the nest

It seems weird for these long-legged, large birds to be hanging out in the tops of tall trees. They seem more comfortable stalking prey in shallow water.

But for the part of the year when they are nesting, they make their large homes built of sticks at the tops of huge coastal trees.

Although herons are on the endangered species list, it would be hard to tell during a visit to the south island area. There are many herons around, including in my own neighbourhood. It is not uncommon to see up to 10 herons tolerating each other in rich, low tide seaweed beds of the Sooke River estuary. One can also find heron nesting sites in several locations, including one urban heronry in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.

While herons are not social for most of the year, when it comes to breeding time, around March, these solitary birds come together in large groups. The Beacon Hill Park herons had established a large heronry in the 1980s, numbering up to 100 nests at its largest. It was a rare urban wildlife experience. Until 2007, when a resident bald eagle started to prey on the heron's nests.

Heron parents defending their nest from another Birdzilla attack in 2007, Beacon Hill Park

The eagle, nicknamed 'Birdzilla', quickly tore through the heronry, and within the course of a weekend had gone through 71 nests and consumed 39 chicks and 187 eggs. The herons, as herons will do when harassed by predators, bailed as a group, and abandoned their long-time nesting site. Some herons returned to the park in 2010 to establish new nests. Herons have been seen taking sticks from the old nests to build new ones.

Herons swallow food whole - some have been known to die in the attempt

Herons can be found in a range of habitats such as fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, or shorelines, but are always found close to bodies of water. Their tree top nesting sites are usually always no more than a few kilometers from aquatic feeding grounds.

The primary food for Great blue herons is small fish, though it is also known to feed on a wide range of shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents and other small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and small birds.

Photo credit: all photos (except Beacon Hill eagle attack) from Wikipedia
Beacon Hill photo: Rhiannon Hamdi

Preserving Our Forests, Protecting Our Future

2011-06-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

"It was strangely like war. They attacked the forest as if it were an enemy to be pushed back from the beachheads, driven into the hills, broken into patches, and wiped out. Many operators thought they were not only making lumber but liberating the land from the trees..."
[On the first logging of the U.S. Olympic Peninsula, Washington]

- Murray Morgan

June 5 - 11 is Environment Week in Canada, and the week's theme is of interest to tree lovers and the general public alike. Preserving Our Forests, Protecting Our Future is a theme that dovetails nicely with the UN's 2011 International Year of Forests. It gives a much-needed nod to the importance or trees and forests in meeting many basic human needs.

This is a step in the right direction considering the gravity of the situation in Canada, and globally. If we don't protect our forests, the future will be bleak.

Celebrate The Trees

You can take part in a tree-planting campaign during Environment Week. GreenWave is a multi-year global campaign that enables children and youth to make a difference - one school, one tree, one step at a time. Plant a tree and register it at www.greenwave.cbd.int.

Or go for a hike on a local nature trail and revel in the beauty and serenity we are trying to preserve for future generations. Visit a favourite tree or forested area.

Write a letter or email to our elected officials to tell them trees and forest are important to you, and you would like to see real action toward protecting our ancient forests for future generations.

"There can be neither civilization nor happiness if forests crash down under the axe, if the climate is harsh and severe, if people are also harsh and severe. ... What a terrible future!" — Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Big Tree Art: Emily Carr

2011-06-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Lone Cedar

Post-Impressionist artist Emily Carr was born in Victoria, BC in 1871. At that time the early settlement was a few thousand souls surrounded by towering ancient trees. As can be seen in her art, they had a huge impact on her.

Among The Firs

Carr was fascinated with the coastal forest, and its original inhabitants. She spent much of her life in First Nations villages, and enjoyed the dark haunting forests, wild beaches and vast skies of Vancouver Island.

Odds and Ends

She enjoyed her adventures, and considered herself to be "the little old lady on the edge of nowhere" since many of her locations were, and still are, in isolated locations. Amazing artworks resulted from her repeated forest forays.

Painters and Painting

As Carr aged her focus changed from aboriginal themes toward landscapes, particularly forest scenes. Such scenes depict, probably better than any other artist, the grandeur, magic, and spirit of the coastal forest.

Tree In Autumn

Of her work, Carr said, "I glory in our wonderful west and I hope to leave behind me some of the relics of its first primitive greatness. Only a few more years and they will be gone forever into silent nothingness and I would gather my collection together before they are forever past."

Indian Church

Save Mary Lake Campaign

Emily Carr's words were prophetic, and her beloved and much-exploited forest is indeed fading into 'silent nothingness'. But small bits of the original forest hang on. The Mary Lake property is one such bit.

Carr is said to have frequented a cabin deep in the cool, ancient Douglas-fir forest next to Mary Lake, a short horse ride from her birthplace in Victoria. Here she found the solace and sanctuary required for her art.

This beautiful small lake, surrounded by 107 acres of forest, is currently slated for development, threatening the magic that provides inspiration for the artist within us all to this day.

Find out more about the Save Mary Lake Campaign by clicking on the image on the right.

We could consider saving Mary Lake as a gift to Emily Carr for sharing with us the special way she saw the trees and the forest. She knew how important they are to everything.

More Beacon Hill Park Giant Sequoias

2011-06-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

Looking past a big Douglas-fir to a Giant Sequoia next to Goodacre Lake

Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC is a 154 acre park that encompasses both natural and human-created landscapes. One thing both have in common is trees. The park has a wealth of natural and exotic trees, and because of this huge variety, is a tree lovers paradise. A favourite of many visitors is the collection of Giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), native to small parts of California.

Map Of Beacon Hill Park by Ken Lajoie

Giant sequoias are located on Circle Drive across from the Children’s Farm, near Park Way, as well as three more on the north side of Goodacre Lake near the Stone Bridge. These unique conifers are hard to miss as they tower above most other trees in the park.

One of the Circle Drive sequoias with bark worn smooth by climbers

The sequoia across from the Children's Farm is a park favourite due to the massive, low-reaching bottom branches which provide a scaffolding for curious climbers. This giant, gnarled tree, which would not be out of place on a fantasy movie set, was planted here in 1913, making it only 98 years old. It could still be here in 5511.

Another Circle Drive sequoia (we call it "Kite Eater"), framed by Garry oak

A short walk from downtown, and fronting the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Beacon Hill Park is a tree lovers treat, and a great place to have a picnic, rest, and enjoy nature.

A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization

2011-05-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

5000 years of the Wood Age

John Perlin's, "A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization," is book of epic proportions. This monumental story does justice to both the beauty, and the importance of trees. In it, Perlin weaves together a 5000 year history of the Wood Age, as well as the history of greed, selfishness, and hubris that accompanied it.

The availability of wood has affected civilization from the start. There is some question as to whether civilization would even be possible without trees. Perlin would say it is not. Tragically, the planet's forests would have been enough to meet everyone's needs, within environmental limits.

Unfortunately, civilization has never recognized limits of any kind. Repeated waves of forest over-exploitation, followed by erosion and loss of soil, then heavy silting of waterways and harbours, caused cycles of unbelievable wealth and luxury, followed by environmental collapse and abandonment. Perlin records the peaks and troughs from Mesopotamia to 18th century America.

Even 5000 years ago, the Mesopotamian writers of Gilgamesh knew that once civilization gained access to the deep, dark, primeval forest, trees would never be safe again. This proved to be true as Gilgamesh entered the cedar forest, "abode of the gods", and started the war on forests which has continued to this very day. Mesopotamian cedar forests were replaced with agriculture, which was followed by reduced soil productivity, famine, and the desertification that we are familiar with today.

Forest Journey describes how forests across the ages were transformed into fuel for industry, from smelting to glass-making. Vast amounts of wood were also required for firing pottery and making bricks. Seemingly endless global forests were the source of timber for shipbuilding, which for centuries was the main pathway to wealth and power. For this reason, repeated efforts to curb forest exploitation (starting 5000 years ago) were met with threats and death.

In the Wood Age trees were the primary energy resource and building material, and empires crumbled as their sources of timber disappeared. Parallels for us as deforestation continues unabated, and as we reach Peak Oil simultaneously, are obvious.

A Forest Journey is a good read with a good message - our forests are critically important, and as we destroy them, we destroy ourselves.

"The American Colossus was fiercely intent on appropriating and exploiting the riches of the richest continents - grasping with both hands, reaping where he had not sown, wasting what he had thought would last forever. At long last, however, the reaction began, and lovers of their country, bewailing its baldness, are now crying aloud, 'Save what is left of the forests!'" - Gifford Pinchot, 1890

Langford Lake

2011-05-29T00:58:00.000-07:00

Tall trees at the boat launch end of Langford Lake Park/Ed Nixon Trail

Langford lake is a glacial kettle lake, a depression found in moraines, which are landforms made up of glacial rock debris. When the last glaciers melted 10,000 years ago and drew away from this area, huge blocks of ice broke off and were covered by earth and rock. As the blocks melted, the ground above them subsided, forming kettles. When these filled with water lakes were formed.

Wetland area on Ed Nixon Trail

Langford Lake's watershed is in scenic rolling and undulating forest-covered hills. Although development is rapidly encroaching, the lake still has a small strip of Coastal Douglas-fir forest on its shores. The forested area, and a few big trees, can be accessed via the Ed Nixon Trail, a two kilometer trail over varied terrain, including extensive boardwalk passing over sensitive, shallow wetland areas of the lake.

Two of the biggest Douglas-fir along the Ed Nixon Trail at Langford Lake

From the boat launch park there is some boardwalk before the wide, graveled trail begins. After crossing through shrubby wetland of skunk cabbage, spirea, sedges, willow, and grasses, the trail enters the forest. There are some huge Douglas-fir, along with Western red-cedar taking advantage of the cool, wet location. Along the trail one can also see many large Arbutus, including some large trees in a small grove.

Big Douglas-fir rising up into the sky

At the 1 kilometer mark there is a side trail across a very nice small peninsula covered in trees, including some large Black cottonwood. At the end there is a picnic table, small fishing dock, and an outhouse (during the summer months). In the spring the fragrant smell of the cottonwood's resinous buds provides a sweet, distinctive backdrop to your hike.

Black cottonwoods on lake shore

Getting There

From Veterans Memorial Parkway turn onto Goldstream Avenue heading west. Turn left onto Leigh Road, just past Spencer Middle School. Follow Leigh Road to the parking lot at the end of the street.

There are picnic tables, a boat launch, wheelchair accessible outhouse, and parking. The Ed Nixon trail begins past the boat launch, and extends for 2 kilometers to a small parking lot at the other end.

View Langford Lake Park/Ed Nixon Trail in a larger map

What Is A Tree Worth?

2011-05-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

It depends who you ask...

People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world which cannot sustain people.
-- Bryce Nelson

Give me a land of boughs in leaf, a land of trees that stand; where trees are fallen there is grief; I love no leafless land.
-- A.E. Housman

Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.
-- Bill Vaughan

By means of trees, wildlife could be conserved, pollution decreased and the beauty of our landscapes enhanced. This is the way, or at least one of the ways, to spiritual, moral, and cultural regeneration.

-- E.F. Schumacher

The forests are the flags of nature. They appeal to all and awaken inspiring universal feeling. Enter the forest and the boundaries of nations are forgotten. It may be that some time an immortal pine will be the flag of a united and peaceful world.

-- Enos A. Mills

Giant Sequoia Seeds Are Not Giant

2011-05-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Giant sequoia cone opening and dropping seeds

While pausing in the shade of a tall, red-barked Giant sequoia in downtown Victoria, I stooped to pick up a small cone from the grass. I marveled that these trees are here at all, since they are native to only a small area of California along the coast. But growing conditions on southern Vancouver Island favour these amazing trees, and Victoria has many excellent examples spread about town.


General Sherman, Giant sequoia, largest tree on earth

The sequoia is the largest tree species in the world, but there is nothing giant about their cones - sequoia cones are only 4-7 cm long, and the seeds that fall out of them are tiny.

The seed is dark brown, 4-5 mm long and 1 mm broad, with a 1 mm wide yellow-brown wing along each side. So small is this little packet of potential that it barely covers the head of the loon on the loony (Canadian one dollar coin).

The cones mature in 18-20 months, though they typically remain green and closed for up to 20 years; each cone has 30-50 spirally arranged scales, with several seeds on each scale giving an average of 230 seeds per cone. When the cones mature they turn brown, and before they open they look like little turds.

Some seed is shed when the cone scales open during hot weather in late summer. Seeds are also dispersed when the cone dries out from fire and/or insect damage.

Giant sequoia along Gorge Road, Victoria

Giant Sequoia is a very popular ornamental tree in many areas, including western and southern Europe, the Pacific Northwest to southwest British Columbia, southeast Australia, New Zealand and central-southern Chile. It is also grown, though less successfully, in parts of eastern North America.

Giant sequoia grow to an average height of 50-85 m (150-280 ft) and 5-7 m (16-23 ft) in diameter, so don't plant them too close to your house. Record trees have reached 93.6 m (307 ft) in height, and 8.85 m (29 ft) in diameter. The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on ring count is 3,200 years old.

The oldest sequoia in the Victoria region, brought north as saplings by early settlers from California, is probably not even 200 years old. But that does not mean that they are not big. Image what they will be like if they are allowed to live another 3000 years.
Find out more about viewing Giant sequoia in the Victoria area here.