Metchosin Holdouts - Old Growth Survivors

Ancient Douglas-fir in Metchosin close to Taylor and Rocky Point Rds,
seen from Kangaroo Rd looking south west

Bilston Creek Farm was established in 1853, and was the first colonial settlement of Metchosin. Up until then the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem had existed relatively unchanged since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Groves of giant fir were interspersed with Garry oak meadows. Arbutus grew on rocky outcrops and along the ocean.

After the arrival of Europeans, much of the original forest in the area was altered. But patches of old forest remain, and while much of it is on private property, parks in the area also provide a refuge.

Metchosin is not pro-development like neighbouring municipalities, so other than the agricultural areas, most of the land is covered in forest. For the patient tree hunter, individual giant first growth trees can still be found.

One such tree is the seemingly out-of-place, over-sized Douglas-fir that can be seen on private land just off Rocky Point Road near the intersection with Taylor Road. This lonely senior citizen of the forest continues to hold on after living for hundreds of years, and experiencing the death of most of its kin. Now it stands alone among the young whipper-snappers of trees half its size.

This big, old Douglas-fir has size and character - truly an impressive specimen

This wrinkled grandparent tree has swayed through countless gales blowing off the close-by ocean, and no doubt these strong winds have imposed many an indignity on the tree's lofty branches. Now, with deeply wrinkled bark and a dying leader up top, this graying holdout perches us on its rooty knees and regales us with stories of the mighty ancient forest that it was part of until recently.

We would be wise to listen to these elders, and learn the lessons they have to share with us. Otherwise, will the children of the future know that there were once magnificent trees such as this?

Log Booms Past And Present

Log boom off Clover Point in Victoria, July 04, 2012

Log booms were once a common sight on Canada's west coast. During Vancouver Island's logging heyday in the 1950s, giant log booms transported the big trees from the Douglas-fir forests of the east coast to mills up the Fraser River. The rafts, like long puzzles assembled in protected booming grounds, held millions of board feet of prime timber.

The Strait of Georgia was a salt water highway for the industry, and tugs towed rafts hundreds of meters long in an often perilous journey. Quickly changing weather, fog, strong tides, and rocks were constant threats, and many a log were lost on the trip.

Up until recently, the only log booms in transit I have witnessed were along the Sunshine Coast on Georgia Strait. Therefore, I was surprised to see a large boom off Clover Point during a recent visit to Victoria. Judging by the crowd that was gathered to see the tugboat maneuver the boom along the shore, it is indeed a rare sight these days.

Prior to the late 1980s, log booms entering Sooke Harbour destined for the old mill on Goodridge Island could be seen frequently.

Log booms at Sooke Forest Products mill, Goodridge Island, in the 1970's
Photo: Sooke News Mirror

The decades after WWII were boom years for logging on southern Vancouver Island as the industry creamed out on the best trees that will ever grow here. The Sooke Forest Products mill cut Douglas-fir into railway ties destined for the UK, and milled Douglas-fir and Hemlock into lumber for industrial and home construction. In the 1970s the mill began to process only Western red-cedar, the wonder wood of the west coast.

The Sooke Forest Products mill closed its doors for good at the end of the 1980s, which signaled the end of the logging era in the small coastal town.

As the most lucrative old growth becomes increasingly rare, logging is in decline. You are more likely to see a bulk whole log carrier shipping second and third growth trees overseas, than tugs towing booms along the salt water highway. 

Who's Really Poaching B.C.'s Old Growth?

Stump of ancient red cedar hauled away by poachers, Torrance Coste photo

With southern Vancouver Island's near total loss of unlogged watersheds and low elevation forests, we have to look at who is taking the last of the big trees. Since 1853, about 90 percent of the low elevation ancient forests, where the largest trees and greatest biodiversity can be found, have been logged.

In the above photo, Torrance Coste, of the Wilderness Committee, revisits the site of the recent tree poaching in Carmanah/Walbran Park.

Illegal poaching of Vancouver Island's trees is not unknown, or surprising, considering that an increasingly rare large Western red cedar can yield thousands of dollars worth of shakes, shingles, and other products.

In the Carmanah incident, an 800 year old cedar was cut through by poachers, but left standing. Parks officials had to knock the tree down as it was an obvious hazard to visitors. The thieves returned later to haul away the carcass. They have not yet been caught and held responsible for their crime.

Massive, 1000 year old red cedar 'legally' cut by government sanctioned loggers

Some would say that the ongoing elimination of the island's old growth forests by government-sanctioned logging interests is a crime. With most of these trees, among the largest and oldest on the planet, long gone, it boggles the mind as to how we can justify continuing the slaughter.

The massive red cedar stump above was photographed by TJ Watt of the Ancient Forest Alliance. It was freshly cut in the Klanawa Valley (northwest of Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island) in June 2011. It may have been legal, but I don't think it is moral.

The Klanawa Valley is not far from Pacific Rim National Park, and the location of the Cheewhat Cedar, Canada's largest tree.

Paul George visiting old growth logging bordering Cathedral Grove Park in 2000

Paul George is the founder of the Wilderness Committee. He is also the author of the 2005 book Big Trees, Not Big Stumps. The photo above shows George visiting the location of forest giant Weyerhaeuser's ancient forest destruction next to world famous Cathedral Grove in 2000.

While the legalities may differ between 'poaching' and 'logging' the old growth, the results are identical. One is illegal, the other legal, but both are wrong.

Destroying Vancouver Island's last stands of old growth trees is a crime any way you look at it.

Big Trees, Big Roots

Giant roots holding an old growth Douglas-fir as it slumps
 into the sea on Billings Spit, Sooke Harbour

The misty coastal forest is the place to see monumental trees. As awesome as these giants are, we are only seeing 3/4 of the total tree, and even less of the total forest life. There is a lot going on under our feet as our gaze is lifted skyward.


Roots can compose 25% or more of the total biomass of a tree. Scientists have found that up to 66% of a Douglas-fir forest's total biomass is out of sight underground.

Trees on Port Renfrew beach showing root remnants

A sapling can have several feet of roots, so it is not surprising that an ancient tree can have hundreds of kilometers of them. An old growth tree 150 meters (300 ft) tall and and 5 meters (15 ft) wide, needs an extensive root system to support the trunk and canopy.

Early settlers on Vancouver Island used bonfires and dynamite to extract the massive stumps and roots when clearing the big trees of the primal forest.

"Well into the 20th century 'stumping powder' (low-grade dynamite) was used to blow a stump apart, so that the fragments could be removed more easily. Someone wishing to remove a stump tunneled under it, inserted enough powder to break it apart (preferably without damaging the arable soil), lit a fuse and got out of the way. If the detonation didn't come, it was best to avoid the area for a day or so, as many a stump-wrangler lost life or limb to a belated blast."  - source

This Western red cedar's roots look a lot like octopus tentacles

Roots anchor the tree, provide uptake of nutrients and water for growth, store food reserves, and produce organic materials required for tree growth. Roots also interact with beneficial fungi, and with other trees.

Tree roots exposed by the flowing waters of Sooke River

Douglas-fir roots readily fuse together, blending the lines between individual trees (and species of trees) and the forest as one large organism. This crossover of roots can keep the stump of a cut Douglas-fir alive long enough to grow a layer of bark over the cut.

Roots are fragile structures that can't handle rough treatment. Soil compaction restricts water and oxygen uptake, and can be caused by heavy foot traffic over the tree's root zone. It is best to avoid, if possible, walking or driving over a tree's roots.

Small protective fence surrounding the Harris Creek Spruce, Port Renfrew

It is because of potential soil compaction and root damage that you will find fences and boardwalks around some of Vancouver Island's most visited big trees. The Harris Creek Spruce has a small protective fence around its ample base, but a raised boardwalk would be ideal.

Heaven Tree boardwalk, Carmanah/Walbran Park

Heaven Tree, in Carmanah/Walbran Park, has boardwalks built over the tree's roots and around the tree's circumference. Such measures prevent soil compaction over the root zone, and helps protect these trees from being loved to death.

Next time you are out in the forest, pause to consider all the activity that is occurring under your feet. Notice the places roots make their presence known, such as along hiking trails through the forest, and in areas that have been eroded, leaving roots exposed.

The 'feet' of the giants can be as fascinating as their more glamorous and obvious parts.

Mapping BC's Big Tree Registry

View Original Map by Craig Williams

Red Creek Fir, Port Renfrew

As big tree tourism gains momentum in British Columbia's forests, people increasingly want to know "where are the biggest, tallest, oldest trees?"

The map above, compiled by Craig Williams, shows the locations of many trees on British Columbia's Big Tree Registry, as well as other notable trees.

One of the trees on the map is the Red Creek Fir near Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island. This monument to the primal forest of old is the largest Douglas-fir in the world. It has an estimated wood volume of 349 cubic meters.

BC's registry of big trees has the ambitious task of recording the top 10 largest and tallest known trees of each of the province's 50 plus native species.

But listed trees are only the known champions. It is probable that larger trees exist in nooks and crannies of little visited, remote locations in the BC wilderness, or possibly even in your own urban neighbourhood or park area.

BC's tree registry depends on the public to find and nominate trees for inclusion in the list of notable specimens.  Although you will see the names of professional tree hunters like Robert Van Pelt on BC's registry, most trees have been nominated by interested amateurs.

Sooke's old school tree hunter, Maywell Whickheim, had the distinction of adding Canada's largest tree, the Cheewhat Cedar, to the registry. He has hinted that an even larger Western red-cedar exists somewhere in the green, dripping, rain forest of southern Vancouver Island.

He is not saying where the tree is, leaving that to present and future big tree hunters looking for a record-breaker.

It is hard to imagine a cedar larger than the mighty Cheewhat tree (which can be found in a remote part of Pacific Rim National Park, east of Cheewhat Lake).

Cheewhat Cedar, Pacific Rim Nat. Park, largest Western red cedar in BC
Largest tree in Canada

This champion is a girthy 18.34 m (60 ft) in circumference, 55.5 m (182 ft) in height, with a crown spread of 15.60 m (51 ft), 917 American Forestry Association points, and a wood volume of 449 sq m.

You can zoom in on the Cheewhat Cedar, and other champions from the BC Big Tree Registry, on the map above. Click on the tree icons for more information on type of tree, its location, and more.

You can also click on the link under the map to visit the original that has additional handy features. Our 'Visit Them' page also has more information on the locations of some of Vancouver Island's champion trees.

The Carmanah Giant is BC's tallest Sitka spruce, 95 m (313 ft) tall
Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park

You may even develop an interest in becoming a big tree hunter yourself, and adding some champions to the provincial registry. That is what Randy Stoltmann did, and he ended up saving a bunch of them, too, like the amazing Sitka spruce of Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park. Many of BC's champion trees, like Port Renfrew's Red Creek Fir, still have no official protected status.

Randy's name appears in the Big Tree Registry more times than any other, the result of a short (he died in a wilderness accident in 1994), but serious period of exploration in BC's exceptional forests.

Nominations to the registry are always welcome, and can be submitted on the UBC Forestry website.

BC Government Considering Logging Parks/Protected Areas

Big trees, not big stumps!
Sitka spruce on Haida Gwaii,
caro-on-the-islands.blogspot.com

Just as the public is discovering the beauty and importance of old growth trees and forests, the provincial Liberal government is proposing we cut them down for short term gain.

A leaked plan has emerged which advises the province look at logging old growth forests in parks, protected areas, old growth management areas, and wildlife corridors in the pine beetle-ravaged interior of the province. Due to the infestation, current wood sources are running out.

The hope is to save approximately 12,000 jobs by keeping mills open with trees from previously protected areas.

Timber panel eyes logging protected areas

WENDY STUECK

VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail

"A committee looking for ways to boost B.C.’s dwindling store of timber is looking at logging protected areas such as old-growth forests as one way out of a supply crunch. 

The options, included in a June 11 discussion paper of the government-appointed Special Committee on Timber Supply, come in advance of community open houses scheduled for June and July and provide more detail on plans that came to light in April, when leaked documents revealed the government was looking for ways to bolster timber supply."

Read more here.

Advice From A Tree

I would add:

• be flexible
• don't take more than your fair share
• cooperate with your neighbours
• enjoy the sunny days AND the rainy ones
• do what you can, with what you've got, where you're at

AFA Big Tree Tours

AFA guided hike, Avatar Grove, TJ Watt photo

 

I started VIBT in 2009 in order to celebrate the big trees I have come to love since my first visit to the island 33 years ago. A major goal for me is to have people experience these trees for themselves, in the hopes that they will become advocates for preservation of British Columbia's remaining old growth.

But not everyone is comfortable with grabbing a map and a set of directions and heading out onto logging roads that are sometimes far from civilization, and trying to hunt down the elusive 'Big One'.

There is another way to get to, and enjoy, the big trees, and that is as part of a guided tour.

Thankfully, there are organizations dedicated to educating the public about the beauty and importance of old growth trees and forests in the hopes of creating much needed forest defenders.

On Vancouver Island, Ancient Forest Alliance is working to "protect the endangered old-growth forests of British Columbia and ensure sustainable forestry jobs in the province". 

The group gives guided tours to various big tree destinations, the most recent being a fund-raising tour of Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew. 

Check their website for more information on upcoming hikes.

See them - save them.

There Goes The Neighbourhood

Truck in Germany

There goes the neighbourhood.

When we clear cut old growth forests we are not just taking trees - we are clearing an entire ecosystem.

Everything that depends on the forest, that has covered the Pacific Northwest for the past 10,000 years, is out of a home.

The race is on globally. Will we retain any of our original forests, and all the creatures that live there, or will we log our forest ecosystems to death?

French Beach Park: Future Old Growth Forest

Old cedar stump along French Beach trail

Early History

Adventurer James French knew the country of Canada better than most. In the late 1800s he took two years to walk across the vast land mass between the Atlantic Ocean at New Brunswick, and the Pacific Ocean surrounding Vancouver Island.

After all the beauty he had seen of the country, and Vancouver Island, in 1885 he decided to settle among the big trees of the primeval forest on a 59 hectare waterfront property 25 kilometers west of Sooke.

French's pre-empted property was enjoyed by his family after his death in 1952. The family was active in local logging up to 1974 when the land was donated to make a park.

Protected Second Growth Forest 
Ensures Old Growth For The Future

Today the property is a protected  and healthy second growth forest of Western hemlock, Western red cedar, Douglas-fir, and Sitka spruce.

The forest at French Beach is no longer populated by the giant first growth trees (although a few survive) that grew here when James French first arrived, although the odd stump attests to the fact that they were once here.

However, this is a great place to see how the forest regenerates over time. Although French's land has been logged, there are some nice medium-sized second growth trees that will one day attain the lofty status of their predecessors.

In another 200 years the forest will have regained its old growth status.

Sitka Spruce Dominate The Park

Stunted, weather-beaten spruce fringe trees are genetically identical
 to the taller Sitka spruce in the park

Fronting the beach are pure stands of the salt-tolerant Sitka spruce, one of the only conifers that can survive the harsh conditions along the beach. The Sitka spruce in the park vary from lofty, soaring tall trees to the krummholz (literally 'crooked wood') of the wind and sand scoured spruce fringe.

Big stumps are not the only evidence of the big trees of old. Because the property was logged before heavy-duty industrial logging, much of the original forest profile was preserved, including nurse logs.

In many areas along the park trails through the forest one can make out the remnants of downed giants that are now becoming the forest floor. In many cases the ancient downed trees, that may have been decomposing on the forest floor for hundreds of years, have new trees growing from them. The old nursing and nurturing the new.

Big Beach Trees

Large Sitka spruce along the beach in picnic area

The beach and forest trails are available for both day trips and camping. The picnic areas just behind the beach are good spots to see the twisted trees of the spruce fringe, and the taller spruce behind them.

The campground, and some of the other trails, are good places to see some of the larger trees. Away from the effects of the wind and waves, the tree enthusiast will find nice hemlock, cedar and Douglas-fir.

Today you don't have to walk across the continent to get to French Beach, although it would be worth it if you did. This beautiful day use and campground site is conveniently located on Highway 14, and is a leisurely and enjoyable one hour drive west of Victoria.

Park Map