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%.

World's Largest Yellow Cedars Are On Vancouver Island

St. RandAlly, previous champion Yellow cedar

When it comes to the world's top six largest Yellow cedars, Vancouver Island is where it is at. Five of the top six are in British Columbia (the other is in the state of Washington). Of those five, at least three are on Vancouver Island.

The current largest commonly known specimen of Yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) can be found near the small town of Sayward on the north west part of the island. It is in an area of big trees along Cooper Creek, and its name is Admiral Broeren.

The previous champion Yellow Cedar grew for many centuries close by to where today's champion stands. Shortly before the St. RandAlly recreational site was to open, the 2000 year old giant tree fell to the forest floor.

The tree was named after Randall Dayton and Ally Gibson, the forestry engineers that discovered the record breaker in 1993. It fell in 2004.

This fallen Yellow cedar boasted impressive measurements:

• Height 61m (200 ft), 
• Circumference 13.08m (42ft.11in), 
• Diameter 4.16m (13.7ft), 
• Crown Spread 16m (52.5ft), and 
• Stem Volume 175 cubic meters (6,200 cu. ft). 

Note: Champion trees in North America are determined with a point system used by the American Forestry Association that awards 1 point per inch of circumference at breast height, 1 point per foot in height, and 1 point for every 4 feet diameter of the live crown.

Sgt. RandAlly's score in AFA Points was 728.

Admiral Broeren, current world champion Yellow cedar, 
photo credit: Bud Logan, see more at gohiking.ca

Admiral Broeren, at 575 points, has more volume (188 cubic meters) than Sgt. RandAlly, but is smaller in height, crown and diameter.

The British Columbia Big Tree Registry lists a Yellow cedar with more AFA points (618) than Admiral Broeren. It is listed as a "recent addition", is not named and no location is recorded. I suspect it is on Vancouver Island somewhere, but at this time I can not confirm that.

The tree is recorded as having the following dimensions which would make it more impressive than Admiral Broeren, and the largest in the world:

• Height  46.40 m (152 ft) 
• Circumference 11.59 m (38 ft)
• Diameter 3.68 m (12 ft), 
• Crown Spread 12.2 m (40 ft), and 
• AFA points 618

Yellow cedar wood

Yellow Cedar Facts

• Yellow Cedar grows well in deep moist soils. 
• They usually grow as single trees, but may also occur  in small groves. 
• Can be found alongside western red cedar and western hemlock.
• Their beautiful, rot-resistant wood is highly valued. 
• Given optimum conditions, they can reach monumental proportions.
• Many Yellow Cedars are dying in the northern part of their range - global warming has been fingered as the culprit. 
• Chamaecyparis is derived from the Greek word for the ground cypress, an Old World shrub; nootkatensis refers to Nootka Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island where Yellow cedar was first identified by botanists.

Range of the Yellow cedar

These trees are common in old growth forests on Vancouver Island, but are rarer in the south island and east coast where it is too warm. In the southern part of their range they are found high in the hills where it is cooler, and where snow accumulates in winter.

Top Six Largest Known Yellow Cedars

(Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)

 Rank     Height            Diameter Volume Name and Location
               (m)  (feet)                                  m3 (ft3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.            46.40 (152)  3.68 (12.0)        -                               Unnamed tree - unknown location in

British Columbia

2.            46.9 (154.0) 3.31 (10.9) 188 (6,650) Admiral Broeren - Memekay RiverValley,

Vancouver Island, BC

3.            61.0 (200.0) 4.16 (13.7) 175 (6,200) Sergeant RandAlly - Crown Land north

of Campbell River, Vancouver Island, BC. (tree fell in 2004)

4.            39.3 (129.0) 3.65 (12.0)         128 (4,530) Big Creek Cedar - Big Creek Trail near

Lake Quinalt, Olympic National Park, WA

5.            45.1 (148.0) 3.32 (10.9) 128 (4,520) General Buxton - Kelsey Bay, Crown

Land, TFL#39. Vancouver Island, BC

6.            39.6 (130.0) 2.28 (7.5) 103 (3,650) Cypress Park Cedar, Cypress Provincial

Park, Vancouver, BC

The Oldest Tree On Record In Canada

Image from: Friends of Caren

The longest-living tree on record in Canada is a Yellow-cedar that lived in Canada's oldest forest in the Caren Range on the Sunshine Coast. It was felled in a large clear cut operation in 1980. The tree was 1835 years old. The Friends of Caren discovered the huge stump in 1993. Seen above is a cross section of the ancient tree that the group used to educate Canadians about the importance of the Caren Range ancient forest.




Yellow-cedar is common on Vancouver Island, being right in the prime of its growing range (which extends in a narrow strip along the coast from Prince William Sound in Alaska to the California-Oregon border). It is a high elevation species in most of its range, only growing down to sea level in the north.



A scientific paper written on tree ring analysis of Yellow-cedar on Vancouver Island (Laroque and Smith, 1999) gives these trees the record for the longest living conifers in Canada.



The 'Old List' on this site is a database of ancient trees from around the world. On it the big tree hunter will find a Vancouver Island Yellow-cedar that was dated at 1636 years old. It also includes a Douglas-fir on Vancouver Island that dated at 1350 years old. I would love to know where these trees are, but location data is not given.


On Vancouver Island the Yellow-cedars are at elevation. One location in the south island area that I have enjoyed visiting big, old Yellow-cedar is along logging roads that go up into the hills behind the Jordan River/China Beach area. The forest up here is very different from the forests closer to sea level. They are not as packed with a profusion of life like down below. Up here conditions are harsher and growth takes place at a slower pace. Yellow-cedar shares the slopes and mountain tops with Mountain hemlock and the true firs.


Grab your tree identification guide and get up into the hills to see this amazing senior of the coastal forest. Surely Canada's oldest living Yellow-cedar still stands somewhere on these forest-covered hills. Will you be the person to discover it? Let me know if you do.

If you are on the mainland and wish to visit the Caren Range remnant old growth forest, the directions below will get you there. It is said to be the oldest forest in Canada, or at least what is left of it.

Take Highway 101 for 11 kilometres north of Sechelt. At the bottom of the long downhill stretch just before Halfmoon Bay, turn right onto Trout Lake Road. Proceed up this logging road and fork left at the main junction at kilometre 12. The ancient stand of trees begins at about kilometre 15, with the road running through the stand for about 2 kilometres. The best place to access the forest is to walk downslope 200 metres before the next clearcut. There is no trail, and little walking is required.
Information from: http://www.vancouverisland.com/trails/?id=46