Standing Up For Big Trees In Fairy Creek Valley

"If you wanna see real change, you're gonna have to stand up for it."

- Old growth protector at roadblock camp

Old growth forest protectors are standing up for big trees near Port Renfrew (Big Tree Capital of Canada) and blockading the construction of new logging roads into Fairy Creek Valley, the last pristine valley outside of a park on southern Vancouver Island.

In a saner world we would not allow the destruction of such a treasure on Vancouver Island's south coast. But we don't live in a sane world. 

Yet. 

When those that work for us in government fail in their responsibility to protect what is collectively ours, it is up to us to be the real stewards of the land, and protect its inherent right to be. 

If our public servants in government won't speak for a voiceless and defenceless nature, we have to.

Case in point is what is happening outside of Port Renfrew, town to an area long known for its (disappearing) big trees. There, just a few kilometres outside of town, Teal Jones is hacking through previously unhacked forest on their way to get to a pristine valley of big, ancient trees. 

The valley contains an ancient forest that has existed, relatively unchanged, since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago. It is a unique, irreplaceable ecosystem.

Some of the ancient yellow cedars there could be upwards of 2000 years old. 

Cutting trees that old in 2020, when we know better, should be an obvious crime against nature, and all around excellent example of the ongoing ecocide currently plaguing our planet.

Show me nature that has been preserved and protected from industrial butchery, and I will show you a scrappy, dedicated group of caring people that put their bodies on the line to do what is right.

It was such citizen groups dedicated to direct action that saved places like Clayoquot, Elaho, Stein Valley, Carmanah, Strathcona Park, and so many more beautiful places.

Respect, and a heartfelt thanks, to everyone on the Fairy Valley logging road blockades.

We appreciate you standing up for some of the last remaining old growth on south Vancouver Island. 

We support you 100%.

Big Trees Matter

Big trees are miracles of nature, and should be protected and preserved as such.

In the past we cut gigantic, century (or eons) old trees, sometimes for firewood. We didn't know as much back then as we know now, but how could a person even back then not have reverence for such a tree upon meeting it for the first time?

Who among us, upon seeing one of these incredible beings for the first time, would think, "I want to cut that down"? Even back then it seems odd to a tree enthusiast like myself.

One would think that such miracles of nature would instead be celebrated, honoured, revered, protected and preserved for the miracles that they are. 

Some people and cultures had that approach back then, and still do. In the west we don't (with "we" being non-indigenous residents), or at least we don't enough to stop their destruction once and for all. 

We continue to fell the largest ancients that remain. 

Some is still used for firewood, while old growth fibre ends up supplying ass wipe to the pandemically panicked. 

Who among us today, with what we know about our depleted forests globally, thinks that razing the little old growth that is left benefits people and the planet?

The big trees that are left, wherever they exist on Earth, deserve to be protected and preserved in perpetuity. 

Isn't that what most of us (that don't profit from their destruction) really want?

Big Trees Matter.

Declaring A Forest Emergency

At this late stage in our ongoing global environmental emergency, the continued cutting of old growth forests in BC (or anywhere) should be considered a crime against humanity. 

We are losing the forests and we are losing the forest creatures. We are losing the soil and the sea, and the atmosphere. All life is in peril. 

For what? Short term profit, another successful election win, unmitigated greed.

“Forests are complex systems that depend on the wildlife that live in them to keep them healthy, and the rapid decrease in forest wildlife in recent decades is an urgent warning sign. 

Forests are our greatest natural ally in the fight against climate breakdown. We lose them at our peril. 

“We need global leaders to declare a planetary emergency and kickstart a global programme of recovery to keep our forests standing to protect our planet.” 

- Baldwin-Cantello, WWF forests specialist

Read "Below The Canopy" here. 

Killing Ancient Trees Until They Are All Gone

You have to work hard to bring down an ancient red cedar that has been standing
in the primal forest for a thousand years, or more.

I found the photo above on a friend's Facebook account. It reportedly depicted a logging incident sometime recently on Vancouver Island. 

Like so much on social media, one can not be sure of what one is seeing. Is it one tree, or two? Even if it two, these represent large, old trees, the likes of which are disappearing in our coastal temperate forests.

Upon doing a bit of research, I found information that lent some credibility to this photo and the time in which is was taken. I hoped that it was a photo from decades ago when we were less enlightened. Maybe it is.

But the fact of the matter is that B.C.'s old growth trees, most of which are massive and ancient, continue to be cut down. When these trees go, so goes the health of the forest ecosystem.

When do we stop? Is the plan to cut all old growth down, for the profit of Wall Street hedge funds? What will the logging industry do then? 

Whatever they plan on doing when the old growth is driven to extinction, should be done now. BEFORE all the big, old trees are gone.

At this point, all remaining old growth forests on Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland are worth much more left standing than they are by cutting them down. People want to see these magical forests. There is no such thing as a magical clearcut.

If we allow corporate logging interests to kill the ancient trees until they are all gone, B.C., and the world, will be at a great loss. Our ancestors will wonder what was wrong with us, and why we allowed such beautiful living things to be liquidated.

Jobs Or Trees

Bloody stumps in a clear cut of an ancient forest near Port Renfrew. This dismal scene was witnessed by
the good people from Ancient Forest Alliance who found the 2nd largest Douglas fir in Canada among
the stumps of its forest family. Photo: TJ Watt

"What kind of person can cut an ancient forest to bloody stumps, bulldoze the meadows to mud, spray poison over the mess that's left, and then set smudge fires in the slash? And when the wounded mountainside slumps into the river, floods tear apart the waterfalls and scour the spawning beds, and no salmon return, what kind of person can pronounce it an act of God -- and then direct the bulldozers through the stream and into the next forest, and the next?  

I hope there's a cave in hell for people like this, where an insane little demon hops around shouting, 'jobs or trees, jobs or trees,' and buries an ax blade in their knees every time they struggle to their feet."

 -Kathleen Dean Moore

Take Us To Your Tree People

"Sorry, we are looking for intelligent life forms with patience and a sustainable, cooperative attitude."

"Greetings gentle tree people, carriers of sustainable, cooperative approaches to living. You have so much to share. If we were looking for a cooperative, sustainable model to emulate, your forest ecosystem would be unsurpassed.

Thousands of species working together in perfect harmony resulting in a stable system that can last little unchanged for many eons. Until those pesky suit-wearing humans intervene."

Intelligent life forms know that driving entire ecosystems to extinction is not a good idea. Here is hoping that the new year brings you, the enlightened reader, plenty of forest experiences that motivate you to join the growing chorus to save the last of the old growth on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and around the world.

Happy new year. Happy better year.


"Beam me up. After they killed all the trees there's no intelligent life left down here."

Refugee Trees

Sooke Harbour Douglas-fir in middle of photo, with Sitka spruce lining the beach to the right 

Wherever I go my gaze is automatically drawn to the landscape, especially the trees. Big trees poke out like beacons from the past. They whisper to me of an ancient forest of which they were once a part. Today, many of these trees stand alone.

This old Douglas-fir may be the largest tree on Sooke's Whiffin Spit, and is one of the largest in town

One such tree lives at the west end of Sooke Harbour on Whiffin Spit in Sooke, BC. It is another one of those refugees that dot the land, standing alone surrounded by younger trees and in this case, residential development.

Standing at 30 meters (98 ft) plus, this ancient entity has been here longer than the Europeans who have exploited the original forest to near-extinction.

Sooke is an excellent place to fill your tree spotting life list as it sits in a transitional zone between Vancouver Island's two major ecosystems. To the east and up the inside coast is the dry Coastal Douglas-fir ecozone, and to the west and north is the wetter Western Hemlock ecozone. It is a big tree spotting paradise.

Candelabra Cedar

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).

First Day of Summer

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.

Forests Are The Lungs Of The World

"Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air

and giving fresh strength to our people."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Can Hemp Help Save Our Forests?

Save a Tree: Stop Hemp Prohibition

Can hemp save our forests? The short answer is probably "No", but it definitely could take pressure off of trees and forests harvested unnecessarily for paper and cardboard products. Growing hemp as a fibre alternative to wood would also give struggling farmers an excellent crop to produce, thus keeping farms running and development of farmland at bay.

Hemp has been used for a variety of purposes in China for 10,000 years. The first paper made from hemp fiber was made there 2000 years ago. Today, China is stockpiling B.C. trees in vast whole log storage facilities. They also happen to be the world largest producers of hemp fiber.

Using virgin forests for paper, single use products, and cardboard production is ecological insanity. Especially when there is a completely viable alternative fibre source available now.

It makes no sense to cut trees with lifespans measured in the hundreds of  years to make paper and single use convenience items. Even second growth trees require decades of growth before they are ready for harvest. It is time to try something different. Something better.

Hemp fiber is stronger than tree fiber

Interesting Hemp Facts

• Hemp fibers are stronger than tree fiber. Therefore any hemp cardboard or paper can be recycled four times more.
  
  
• Hemp requires no chlorine bleaching...this making the waste usable as compost...unlike bleached paper products which are toxic waste, producers of dioxin, one of the 12 worst industrial pollutants.
   
• Hemp can produce many spin-off industries...such as paper, cardboard, building paneling, soaps, foods, livestock feed, plastics (non toxic), insulation, fabrics, oils, fuel and so forth. No tree can match this usefulness.
   
• Hemp requires no pesticides, thus reducing pollution everywhere.
   
• Hemp agriculture can save farmlands from sprawl by making them economically viable.
  
  
• Hemp restores soils damaged by modern pesticide intensive etc farming techniques.
   
• Hemp needs very little water...unlike cotton (which also happens to be one of the top pesticide using crops).
   
• Logging workers MUST be educated about the alternative of hemp jobs...that will not poison or kill them or destroy forever parts of their and their children's own ecosystem.

Cartoon and Hemp Facts from: John Jonik

Protecting Our Ancient Forests

Tofino Creek, Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, Garth Lenz

The coastal old growth forests of Vancouver Island and the BC mainland, after 144 years of exploitation, continue to come under assault by short-minded economics and small-minded thinking. We have done a poor job of protecting our ancient forests.

The devastation in the photo above documents an "alternative logging operation" in 1991 at Tofino Creek, Clayoquot Sound, on Vancouver Island. It became widely seen as a poster for a Greenpeace campaign to end clear cut logging.

More recently, ancient forest campaigner TJ Watt added to the documentation of the end of the ancient forest. He took the award-winning photo below near the big tree town of Port Renfrew.

Circumference: 35ft
Diameter: 11ft
Species: Redcedar
Valley: Bugaboo Creek in the Gordon River Valley
Region: Port Renfrew area, Vancouver Island

Ancient Forest Alliance, of which Watt is a co-founder, is the fastest growing environmental group in Canada. The dedicated and hard working organization is "working to protect the endangered old-growth forests of BC, and to ensure sustainable forestry jobs in the province". See more of Watt's work, along with an interview here.


The Sierra Club images below graphically illustrate why so many people are concerned about old growth forests on Vancouver Island and the BC mainland coast. They highlight the vanishing forest, which by the way, happens to be a global phenomena.

About half of the worlds forests have been similarly affected. "The clearing of the forests has been one of the most historic and prodigious feats of humanity."

Click on images to enlarge.

Forest cover prior to European settlement (click to enlarge)

The 10,000 year old forest after 144 years of exploitation

British Columbia's mainland coastal forests, and Haida Gwaii have also been the target of industrial logging interests over the past century and a half.

It is time to end old growth logging in BC's forests

Vancouver Island Forest Facts (source: AFA)


The most recent photo analysis based on 2004 LandSat satellite images shows that:

• 73% of the original productive old-growth forests of Vancouver Island have been logged. ie. 27% remained by 2004.
• 87% of the original productive old-growth forests on southern Vancouver Island, south of Barkley Sound/Alberni Canal, have been logged. ie.13% remains
• 90% of the low elevation (less than 300 meters above sea level), flat (less than 17% slope) ancient forests, such as the valley bottoms, where the largest trees grow and the greatest biodiversity resides, have been logged. ie. 10% remains
• Only 6% of Vancouver Island's productive forest lands are protected in our parks system.
• Only 1% of the original old-growth Coastal Douglas fir zone remains.
• Less than 1% of the original very dry eastern Coastal Western Hemlock forests are protected.
• Only 2% of the original very dry western Coastal Western Hemlock forests are protected.

Carmanah Valley, Vancouver Island, Garth Lenz

The photo above shows some of the unbelievable Sitka spruce of Vancouver Island's Carmanah Valley. Once slated to be logged, the tallest spruce trees in Canada were saved after an extensive campaign and public outcry.

Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park is reached via a rough logging road, and is in a remote and rugged location. It is worth every bit of effort to visit this amazing place and witness some of the largest and tallest trees on earth.

There are more old growth forests like the Carmanah Valley that need our help. The following immediately come to mind, although there are more that I will be writing about in future posts:

• Mary Lake, Highlands District
• Muir Creek, west of Sooke
• Avatar Grove, Port Renfrew
• Clayoquot Sound, Tofino
• The Great Bear Rainforest, mainland coast
• Flores Island, Tofino

Tell Premier Clark you support the protection of British Columbia's remaining ancient forests.

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

Make 2011 The Year B.C. Stopped Logging Ancient Forests

What will happen when our ancient forests are gone? Considering that we are inevitably headed in that direction, government and industry must have a plan. Right? Wrong. They are winging it, and extracting maximum profit before the party is over. Then what?

They don't care, because the individuals that are perpetrating the continued pillaging of public resources will be long gone by the time fate deals its hand. With comfortable pensions, and fat bank accounts such folks will do just fine... except for that nagging feeling that they did something horribly wrong.

They can be stopped by citizens rightfully claiming what belongs to them - the natural resources of this province. Improved environmental stewardship must be placed high on the political agenda, for what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.

Please consider writing letters, phoning elected officials, and supporting non-profits working on our behalf to save what is left of our beleaguered forests. Let's make 2011 The Year B.C. Stopped Logging Ancient Forests.

Lower Avatar Grove, Port Renfrew (this ancient forest is surveyed for logging)

Giant Sooke River Snag

Giant Douglas-fir snag in Sooke represents an ancient forest that no longer exists

This is one of my favourite local big trees, a Douglas-fir snag of epic proportions. It is kind of a shame that it is only the bottom 12 metres, as this must have been a massive specimen before it was snapped off in a wind storm some time in the past.

Still, it remains impressive even with the little that is left. There are not many trees, snags or still living, of this size left in the town of Sooke. And as development rapidly changes the face of this formerly rural town, more big trees are coming down.

Sooke does not have a tree protection bylaw like some of its neighbours in the Western Communities. Esquimalt's tree protection bylaw for example, recognizes that "it is in the public interest to provide for the protection and preservation of trees, the regulation of their cutting and removal, and their replacement". That is some kind of forward thinking for a variety of reasons. Big tree tourism is one of them, and one that this blog promotes.

Big tree tourists may be amazed to find that the mossy, furrowed, fire-scared bark of the Douglas-fir above is almost a foot thick at the base. Small fires over the hundreds of years this old timer lived would not have threatened its asbestos-like covering. Its canopy would have been far, far above the flames beyond reach. Imagine the entire Sooke area covered in these monumental fire-resistant giants.

Development in Sooke and south Vancouver Island, combined with intensive industrial logging have decimated the ancient forest. While it is almost extinct, it is nice to know that there are still some ancient holdouts scattered throughout the area waiting to be found. The tree above, residing in an area where development is closing in on all sides, is one of them.

Visit This Tree
I am not sure how far along the Sooke River the official Sunriver Nature Trail extends. Following the trail you will not see any signage indicating you have left the park, so I figure it is alright. However, as far as I know the trail may extend into private property. Either way please hike respectfully. Stay on the designated trail, don't leave anything behind, and try to leave the area in better shape than you found it. Enjoy the trees.


View Sooke River Douglas-fir Snag in a larger map

B.C. Forest Service No Longer Geared Toward The Public Interest

Things are not going well in B.C.'s Forest Service, or in B.C.'s forests. 3/4 of the logging in the coastal forest is of old growth, and over 3/4 of that is by clear cutting. Whole log exports ship trees and jobs overseas. Mismanagement by successive governments has meant that our public forest lands are in grave danger.

Grave danger of being turned into biocide-sprayed rows of non-native tree crops. Danger of being taken over by a ‘professional reliance’ management model in which there is essentially no government oversight. Danger of of being privatized, sold off, and rendered off-limits to the people that collectively own it.

The B.C. Forest Service took its modern form in April of 1945. At the time it was the steward of the timber, range and recreation resources of B.C.'s Crown forest land, which covers 2/3 of the province. The Forest Service mandate was to manage the land for multiple uses including recreation, forage, timber, heritage, and wilderness. Those days are officially over.

The Forest Service has seen such extensive budget cuts in recent years that it is no longer able to protect Crown forests for the public good. The brave new world of forestry has as its objectives the maintenance and enhancements of an economically valuable supply of commercial 'fibre' (they're not even TREES anymore), as well as to protect investor value. Therefore, the Forest Service is being systematically disbanded, paving the way for the fibre managers.

Since coming to office, the B.C. Liberals have slashed almost 1,100 forestry workers’ jobs in eight years — the very people who ensure our public forests are sustainably managed and harvested. From 2002-2004, the Campbell government eliminated 800 jobs in the Ministry of Forests and Range — 304 positions in compliance and enforcement alone. This year, 204 more forestry jobs are being axed — 62 per cent from compliance  and enforcement and field operations. Then on May 27, deputy forests minister Dana Hayden confirmed that an additional 42 positions would be eliminated, as the ministry moves forward budget cuts planned for next year.  May 27, 2010, BCGEU

If the people who have been looking out for our forests are no longer able to protect the public interest, who will? Throughout the massive changes to our forests and forest service, the government has ignored recommendations by government forestry specialists - the people that have been in our forests for the past 65 years, and know it best. Not only that, the Liberals have also restricted the opportunity for public input.

The Wilderness Committee has repeatedly reminded us that "75% of the original productive old-growth forests have been logged on Vancouver Island, including 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow. Only about 6% of the Island's original, productive old-growth forests are protected in parks."

A poll conducted in March, 2008 found that 88 percent of British Columbians polled agreed that protecting habitat for endangered species is important. But when the public indicates a desire for increased forest protection the government refuses to listen.

Maybe they will listen to artist/activist Briony Penn, who wrote "The Big Burn" (2010) after extensive research and investigation, and after interviewing those most knowledgeable about the state of our forests:

Since 1978, the Forest Service’s mission statement has stressed integrated management of the many values we ascribe to our forests, with a commitment “to manage, conserve and protect the province’s forest, range and outdoor recreation resources to ensure their sustainable use for the economic, cultural, physical and spiritual well-being of British Columbians, who hold those same resources in trust for future generations. In respecting and caring for public forest and range lands, the ministry is guided by the ethics of stewardship and public service".

Apparently, that’s now all history.

A recent internal Ministry of Forests and Range document titled “Response to the Changing Business Environment” lays out the new mission for the ministry as “To provide a superior service to resource stakeholders by supporting competitive business conditions” and gives priority to “Enhancing industry competitiveness” and “Identifying clear outcomes for investors.” An earlier internal memo dated June 9, 2009 from Jim Gowriluk, regional executive director, to his district managers, titled “Re: Advocating for the Forest Industry in the Coast Forest Region,” clearly articulates the new single-function mandate of the Forest Service of “fulfilling our role as advocates for the forest industry.”

Protecting the public interest has disappeared.

Penn's frightening article goes on to uncover a plan to privatize large sections of our public forest lands at the request of private industry. They are seeking a new forest tenure classification that would allow them long term leases to grow Frankentrees (fast growing poplar hybrids) to eventually convert into pellets as a fuel source. Because of a Kyoto Accord loophole, these companies will not have to account for the carbon production of the entire process, including the burning of the carbon-intensive pellets.

It is easy to privatize what rightfully belongs to the people. All the politicians have to do is give away public property to their friends, then wait for the kickbacks to flow in. It is much more difficult to reverse such decisions.

Will our old growth forests and big trees end up being liquidated entirely to make way for non-native GMO tree plantations? Will our Crown forests end up benefiting only private companies for the next 999 years, similar to the BC Rail deal? Already a small army of government 'fibre officers' are combing our province looking for sites suitable for conversion to hybrid poplar plantations in long term leases with biofuel companies.

It is up to us, now. We must all be Green Rangers and fight for our trees and forests. Future generations, and hundreds of at-risk species, will be grateful.

Carmanah Rain Forest Canopy Research Station First Of Its Kind

Collecting moss in the Rain Forest Canopy Research Centre, Credit: Bob Herger

A common misconception is that when we cut old growth forests all we are taking is the trees. But when we clear cut forests we are decimating entire ecosystems. Old growth trees and forests provide habitat for thousands of species. Kill the trees and you kill most of the other species, too.

Until 1992 there had not been any systematic study of the northern temperate rain forest canopy - we had no idea of the diversity we were destroying. Then the Western Canada Wilderness Committee set up the first ever rain forest canopy research station in a cluster of 5 Sitka spruce over 60 m tall in the then threatened Carmanah Valley.

Volunteers built rope climbing systems to scale the great heights of the old trees. A variety of platforms at different spots up the trunks were set in place, and rope bridges were strung to connect them all together.

Since then researchers have collected over 3 million insects in this extensive study, and of the species that have been identified, 300 were new to science. This forest contains more biomass per square meter than any other forest on earth. Its richness is reflected in the research that has been done here.

It is evident that many living things require ancient forests that have not been disturbed for hundreds of years. Such a forest has mixed aged trees ranging from seedlings to massive old growth. Standing dead wood, and fallen trees on the ground provide habitat and nutrients for this web of life. But can't this delicate web be maintained in second growth forests that grow after the original forest is gone?

No. Second growth forests do not provide the structure and conditions old growth reliant species require. The Wilderness Committee says,

"The primary problem is that second-growth tree plantations and old-growth forests are very different. Unfortunately, the goal of B.C.’s forest management system is to replace our wild forests with tree farms that are clear cut after 40 to 120 years, long before they acquire old-growth features. Only by slowing down the excessive rate of cut and establishing large protected areas will we ensure that we always have ecologically viable tracts of ancient forests on Vancouver Island."

Some of the creatures that require the massive trees that grow in forests older than two or three hundred years are: spotted owls, salamanders, marbeled murrelets, salmon, bald eagles, many species of insects and spiders, as well as thousands of life forms not yet studied.

The Carmanah Valley Rain Forest Canopy Research Station is providing us with a glimpse into the deep, dark, and unknown forest. This ground-breaking research is showing us that eliminating most of Vancouver Island's forests and replacing them with even-aged tree plantations spells doom for the survival of many species.

No doubt we have already caused the extinction of many creatures that we will never know about. Let's save what is left. Say, "NO" to old growth logging in British Columbia, and around the world. We must ensure that we always have ecologically intact areas of ancient forests for everything that is dependent upon them... including us.

Rare Nanoose Douglas-fir Forest Not Protected In Recent Announcement

View Larger Map

District Lot 33 is crown land in the Nanoose District. It is the large square of forest in the map above.



When I posted here regarding the recent B.C. government announcement of protection for some of Vancouver Island's old growth forests, I was pleased, but sceptical. Often decisions, such as the ones Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced July 30th, are made on a political basis rather than on ecosystem management. 64 hectare Nanoose District Lot 33, north of Nanaimo, might be the victim of such a decision.

Lot 33, is a patch of endangered mature coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) forest. The land is crown (public) land, a rarity in the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway east coast land grab area. 80% of the CDF forest is on private property, so Lot 33 provides a special opportunity for protection.

The Arrowsmith Parks and Land-Use Council, and forest activists, have been working hard to conserve the special forest on Lot 33. Their pleas seem to have fallen on less than sympathetic ears since the lot has been approved for logging. The Snaw-na-as First Nation is looking to log one quarter of the area to raise about $750,000 much-needed dollars.

The government puts the Nanoose Band in a position where it does not have the financial ability not to log. But intact old forests are worth more than the logs that can be harvested. The government should pay the band $750,000, and protect this forest. Lot 33 represents part of the 1% of CDF forest that is left after industrial logging decimated the old growth starting in the 1940s, and continuing to this very day.



Lot 33 is a prime candidate for protection under the governments CDF conservation plan. Local municipal governments have already voted unanimously to designate Lot 33 for protection under the CDF program. However, Forestry Minister Pat Bell says that we "can't save all the old growth".

Although the B.C. government is beginning to acknowledge the importance of old growth, they refuse to see the importance of ending old growth logging now. They fail to recognize the needs of the citizens of B.C., or the 43% of the province's species that are in danger of disappearing due to habitat destruction.

Bell does recognize the needs of the logging industry, though, and claims they must get the old growth they need.

But what will the logging industry do when all the old growth is gone? What will the Marbled murellets do? Lot 33 is a prime candidate for preservation as an example of a rare, low-level, mature coastal Douglas-fir forest.

Upper Goldstream Trail Old Growth Trees

There are 17 provincial parks within 50 km of British Columbia's capital city, and shady, mossy Goldstream Park is one of them. It occupies the Goldstream River valley 16 km north-west from Victoria. Yet, once immersed in the forest, you are transported back to a time when monumental trees were common. Goldstream is one of the most accessible spots to get up close and personal with Vancouver Island's famous big trees.






Goldstream Park is one of the Capital Region District's most popular parks. Thousands of visitors a year come to see the fall salmon run, and the eagles that gather in the hundreds to prey on their spawned out carcasses.

Others come for the 700 year old trees, and a taste of the grandeur of an ancient forest.





Upper Goldstream Trail is in the campground side of the park, and passes through some of the biggest and oldest trees. This easy 30 minute hike parallels the Goldstream River, and is surrounded by a high density of old growth trees. Huge conifers such as Douglas-fir, Western red-cedar, and Hemlock dot the small valley. Broad-leafed trees such as Big leaf maple, Arbutus, and Black cottonwood are also represented in the park.





It was very hot the day I walked through the park approaching the Upper Goldstream trail head. The trail winds its way up the river valley alongside Goldstream River, which is criss-crossed by huge fallen trees. Large ferns cover the forest floor, and lichens drip from ancient branches. Sunlight penetrates the dark of the forest in brilliant shafts, nurturing the saplings that will eventually replace the old trees.






The temperature dropped several degrees after I entered the forest. All around the forest looked shaggy, drippy and green. Moss and lichen hung everywhere.



Some of these massive trees are 600 - 700 years old. It is an amazing feeling to be surrounded by these sky scraping monuments. The vertical scale is all out of whack.




What is it about these ancient entities that draws us to them? Somehow their stillness, strength, and defiance of temporal boundaries works its magic on us. We are humbled at the base of their wide, wrinkly trunks. We love them, admire them, and are astounded by them.



Increasingly we are able to recognize their irreplaceable importance, too. That someone in the past thought that this forest was worth protecting is a boon to all of us now. The old growth forests we save today will be appreciated and enjoyed by future generations.



Large diameter woody debris lay all around, and enormous standing snags provide feeding stations and bird condos 20 stories tall. In this forest all ages of trees are represented, from seedlings to seniors. It is here that we find the greatest diversity of life - it just does not compare with second growth tree plantations that are all one age of trees, and are sprayed with herbicide to make the fiber farms more 'productive' and profitable.


The Douglas-fir and Western red-cedar are the largest trees along the trail. Along with Hemlock, the hiker will find enough old trees to keep you looking up and astounded.







No proper Vancouver Island old growth trail would be complete without the 'walk through the fallen log' feature, and the Upper Goldstream trail does not disappoint.







Eventually the trail leads to Goldstream River Falls. Cool, fresh water rushes and tumbles down the steep valley. Florescent green moss covers everything, and ferns luxuriate in the wet, humid micro-climate. It is this clean, cold water that keeps the salmon run going after thousands of years.







Upper Goldstream Trail is the most accessible old growth forest closest to Victoria. While in this forest you get the illusion that you are in an ecologically intact area - an area where nature and the forest rule. Alas, though, Goldstream Park is surrounded by development and encroachment continues unabated. This valley is unfortunately much smaller than it initially feels.





Although I didn't see anyone the day I hiked, this trail is heavily used. The forest floor has been trampled by visitors that know not the importance of staying on the designated path. However, it remains an impressive remnant of old forest and gives the visitor a good idea of what it must have been like on the south island before 98% of the Coastal Douglas-fir zone was razed in massive clear cuts.

Need a retreat from the city? Goldstream Provincial Park is a good place to get away from it all, just minutes from downtown. If you squint a bit, and pretend there aren't houses just up over there, you can get lost for a while in this lush, green place.

Getting There

Goldstream Provincial Park is located about 16km from Victoria. To get to the Upper Goldstream Trail head follow Highway 1 (Trans Canada Hwy.) north. Take the Westshore Parkway turnoff to Amy Road, then Sooke Lake Road to Golden Gate Road, which descends into the campground section of the park. There is only pay parking in the park so I park at the top across the street from the pub and walk in.

The entrance to the day use area is further along Highway 1, then turn right at Finlayson Arm Road. There are nice Western red-cedar here, as well as huge Black cottonwoods along the Goldstream River. Note: The access to the park's day use area is along busy Highway 1. Exercise extreme caution when entering and leaving this busy area.

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Province Announces Protection Of Old Growth On Vancouver Island

I came across a couple of press releases today in which B.C. Forestry and Range Minister Pat Bell announced the protection of almost 39,000 hectares of old growth forest on Vancouver Island. Old growth forests were identified by trees older than 250 years. Is the government finally seeing the light?

Or is it some sort of green washing? I wonder about the quality of the areas identified. Is it protect a bit here, decimate everything else? Will there be a shift from sustainable yield to ecosystem management, and from old growth to second growth logging?

Ken Wu looked at the data concerning the island's old growth inventory in 2008, and reported it in Pacific Free Press:

"Analysis of satellite photos of Vancouver Island in 2004 revealed that of an original 2.3 million hectares of productive old-growth forests, only about 600,000 hectares remained - one-fourth of what was originally here. Of this, only about 140,000 hectares are protected in our parks, or about 6% of the original big trees. In addition, only one-tenth of the original, productive old-growth forests on the valley bottoms - the areas with the largest trees, richest soils, greatest biodiversity, and all of the fish-bearing streams - still remained."

It is hard to say anything bad about the further protection of old growth forests, unless they are too small to maintain ecological integrity. But saving the big trees is what it is all about.

The protected areas announced today are in the northern and north-central part of the island and include: Tsitika, Naka, Adam-Eve, Salmon and White (all north of Campbell River and Sayward) within the Campbell River forest district – and Nahwitti, Tsulquate and Marble (located west of Port Hardy and Port McNeill) within the North Island-Central Coast forest district.

What about the south island district where the old growth forest first began to be affected by industrial logging? The south coast where a whopping 80% of the land is privately owned. The Wilderness Committee estimates only about 13 per cent of the original old-growth forest remains on southern Vancouver Island, and less – only about 10 per cent – is on valley bottoms where the biggest trees grow. Only one per cent of the original old-growth coastal Douglas-fir zone is protected.

The province also announced today the protection of bits of this Coastal Douglas-fir forest zone, which is obviously needed. 1598 hectares of coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem, mostly on private and municipal land, will go under a new land use order protecting the areas from resource extraction and logging. The majority of new areas selected for protection are on the east coast of Vancouver Island, between Courtenay and Nanaimo.

Press Releases From Ministry of Forests and Range, July 30, 2010

VICTORIA – The Province has identified an additional 38,779 hectares on Vancouver Island to protect old-growth forests, Minister Responsible for the Integrated Land Management Bureau Pat Bell announced today.

“British Columbia’s old growth forests are known and admired by people from around the world,” said Bell. “Adding another 39,000 hectares nearly doubles the old-growth management areas on Vancouver Island and demonstrates B.C.’s leadership in sustainable forest management.”

On the Coast, old-growth trees are those 250 years or older. The 38,779 hectares of old-growth management areas identified in the coastal temperate rainforest of northern and north-central Vancouver Island will be managed to help sustain old-growth forests for the benefit of many plants and animals that need old growth forest conditions to survive. These include species-at-risk such as the marbled murrelet, a seabird that builds its nests on large branches of old-growth trees near the ocean.

Setting aside old-growth management areas also provides certainty for forest companies, who are required to identify such areas in their forest stewardship plans. By designating areas that cannot be logged, forest companies can plan their timber harvesting and other operations in the remaining forested areas. Many of the areas now set aside were identified jointly by government, company foresters and biologists, a collaborative effort that will benefit British Columbia for generations to come.

With today’s announcement, the amount of old-growth management areas established on Vancouver Island increases to 83,687 hectares. As well, there are about 438,000 hectares of parks and protected areas on Vancouver Island. Province wide, there are approximately 25 million hectares of old-growth forests with around 3.7 million hectares fully protected – an area larger than Vancouver Island.

The old growth management areas are within the following eight landscape units: Tsitika, Naka, Adam-Eve, Salmon and White (all north of Campbell River and Sayward) within the Campbell River forest district – and Nahwitti, Tsulquate and Marble (located west of Port Hardy and Port McNeill) within the North Island-Central Coast forest district.

1,598 HECTARES OF COASTAL DOUGLAS-FIR TO BE PROTECTED

VICTORIA – Under a new land use order, British Columbia will increase the protection of the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem on provincial Crown land to almost 40 per cent, Pat Bell, Minister Responsible for the Integrated Land Management Bureau announced today.

“Protecting an additional 1,598 hectares is an important step in our ongoing effort to preserve B.C.’s Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem,” said Bell. “Most of the ecosystem lies on private and municipal land, so even with the Province's significant contribution to conservation, only six per cent of the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone is protected. We will continue to work with local governments and private landowners to ensure everyone is doing what they can to be part of the solution.”

The Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem is ranked both globally and provincially as high-priority for preservation, and is home to 29 endangered plant communities. Eighty per cent of the global range of Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem occurs in the southern Strait of Georgia area. Of the 256,800 hectares in British Columbia, only nine per cent, or 23,500 hectares, is provincially owned.

The additional 1,598 hectares will increase the amount of provincial Coastal Douglas-fir Crown land protected from logging and other resource development activities to 9,197 hectares.

The majority of new areas selected for protection are on the east coast of Vancouver Island, between Courtenay and Nanaimo. A copy of the land use order and map is available online at:

http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/content/news/2010/07/29/1598-hectares-coastal-douglas-fir-be-protected

Ecologists considered a number of criteria when deciding which parcels to include for protection. These included land parcel size, adjacency to already protected areas, risk of being disturbed, landscape context and ecological diversity.

In addition, social and economic considerations, as well as existing commitments for First Nations treaty settlements, were also factors in parcel selection. During the public review and comment period that closed in February, more than 1,000 individual submissions were received.

Establishing the areas for protection under the Land Act is the first phase of government’s conservation strategy for Coastal Douglas-fir. The next phase involves informing local governments and private landowners on actions they can take.

Eleven per cent of Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem is owned by other levels of government and 80 per cent is in private ownership.

Muir Creek: Potential Old Growth Parkland

Just past Sooke along West Coast Road you will find the magnificent Muir Creek watershed. The lower part of the watershed contains one of the most easily accessible chunks of old growth forest left on South Vancouver Island. Here you will find large diameter (up to 3m/9ft), soaring (up to 76m/250ft) Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir, Western red-cedar, and the B.C. Big Tree Registry-listed second largest Pacific yew. If you are in the south island area, Muir Creek is a big tree highlight not to be missed.








Several of the old trees along the creek are large and tall enough to be eligible for inclusion in the provinces registry. This is not surprising - historically some of the largest trees on Vancouver Island came from this valley. So big and tall were the trees of old that sailing ships in the 1800's would anchor off of Muir Creek in search of the best specimens to use as masts.






A monument in Victoria's Beacon Hill Park, touted as the world's tallest free-standing totem pole, began as a tree growing in the Muir Creek valley. It was carved from a 50m (164ft) Western red-cedar that was cut, then floated down the creek before being pulled by tugboat to Victoria. There it was carved by renowned Kwakwaka'wakw artist Mungo Martin and his team. The pole was raised in 1956, and is 38.8m (128ft) tall.




Although the area has been logged since the 1800's - evidence of this can be seen throughout the forest - many old growth trees have survived the decades of extraction. Especially notable for the oldest trees are the lower reaches of the creek and steep hillsides next to it. Modern industrial logging methods such as helicopter logging now make these trees economical to harvest. They are currently within logging territory.



Originally this was part of the T'Souke Nation traditional territory. They used the Muir Creek area for winter dancing and fish processing. The land was taken from them in the E&N Railway land grab of the 1880's. 2 million acres were given to the railway company as compensation for building a rail line.With one stroke of the pen much of the T'Souke's traditional territory became off limits to the very people that had lived there for generations. Politicians of the time said the land held no value to the native groups. Therefore, there was no compensation for this grievous loss.



Since then much of this land has fallen into the hands of industrial logging interests that have used it to generate billions of dollars in revenue. Successive governments have failed to acknowledge the theft of land originally, and continue to fail to ensure it is being cared for by profit-minded multi-national corporations.








The land here also provides access to the ocean, something that is increasingly difficult to find as the south island becomes more developed. There are fossil beds in the seaside cliffs, and at low tide one can walk for hours on the cobble and sand beach. There are occasional large trees to be seen up on the headland as you hike beside the surf.









Rather than being seen for the ecological gem that it is, the Muir Creek area is viewed by some as nothing more than potential profit. Now that Timber West has gone into the real estate business, residential development of these wild lands is possible. Logging activity of second growth in the watershed has increased dramatically and loaded logging trucks are once again rumbling through downtown Sooke. Will the old growth trees be next?





The Muir Creek Protection Society is working to preserve all that Muir Creek has to offer. A park would protect the area for the bears, cougars, jumping slugs, otters, mink, eagles and salmon that currently reside there. 95% of the west coast of Vancouver Island is private land. A park would protect the old growth trees and provide much needed recreational opportunities for local residents and tourists alike.


With the recent purchase of Sandcut Beach and Jordan River property we will be told there is not money available to secure Muir Creek for future generations and the maintenance of biodiversity. That is obviously not true as we easily came up with billions for that big party back in the winter of 2010. TimberWest, CRD, and other officials have discussed the need for parkland between Sooke and Port Renfrew, and Muir Creek has been identified as a prime location.


It would be an awful shame to loose this amazing area. Check it out for yourself - you know what I say, "See Them, Save Them". Stand beneath a 500 year old Sitka spruce and try to maintain perspective. These ancient tree's massive diameter soars skyward with very little taper until the trunks disappear into the canopy of the forest.


The forest here is of an increasingly rare variety, and this is a excellent opportunity to save it from the saw. Encourage the politicians that work for us, and TimberWest that makes a profit exploiting lands of global significance, to save Muir Creek.



Getting There

Muir Creek is 14 km past Sooke on West Coast Road/Highway 14. Once you pass the gravel pit on your left the road dips down to one of the only flat coastal areas along this stretch of the Juan de Fuca. This is the Muir Creek estuary.


Parking is available on the south-west side of the bridge, and access to the big trees is on the north-east side of the bridge. Follow the trail upstream on the east bank of the creek, keeping to your left. The trail will take you to the creek, then continues upstream. Either side of the bridge has trails down to the beach.