Exploration

Fairy Creek Headwaters in the Snow

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A gigantic, ancient yellow cedar tree dubbed ‘Titania’ in the unprotected headwaters of Fairy Creek near Port Renfrew. Logging company Teal-Jones is looking to clearcut this forest.

The magical ancient forests of Fairy Creek in the snow. These giant yellow cedars - which can live to be upwards of 2000 years old - are what logging company Teal-Jones is after.

Road construction into the headwaters of this unlogged valley near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory in August 2020 sparked what has now become the longest running blockade movement in BC’s history.

Today the RCMP announced they will be moving in to forcibly remove people who are not only standing up for the protection of Fairy Creek but all of BC’s endangered old-growth forests.

Premier John Horgan and the BC NDP must stop this escalation of the War in the Woods by deferring logging where their own report says they should (the high productivity and at-risk old-growth); committing significant funding for the sustainable economic development of First Nations communities as an alternative to old-growth logging; allocating funding to support workers and communities to transition to a value added, second-growth forest industry; and creating a dedicated Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on private lands.

The polarization of this issue as a jobs vs. environment must end for the sake of both the people and our planet.

MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD! Use our Contact Decision Makers page here: https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/contact-decision-makers/

Loup Creek: Exploring for Ancient Giants

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In March, I identified a spectacular grove of unprotected ancient giants along Loup Creek near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory. This region was heavily logged in the 1970s and 80s, save for a strip of old-growth along the river. Most of the old-growth that remains today along Loup Creek is protected within an Old Growth Management Area and a Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA) for marbled murrelets. But a prime section (pictured below) containing dozens and dozens of ancient redcedars, giant amabalis fir, and Douglas-fir trees was left unprotected. While bushwhacking, we also spotted ribbons marked "Falling Boundary" and "Road Location", indicating potential future logging plans by Teal-Jones.

The BC government is currently working to expand WHAs for marbled murrelets. We've recommended to the Ministry of Forests that this grove should be added to the adjacent WHA, ensuring a contiguous stretch of old-growth is protected along the river, but we don't know whether they will listen.

Tell BC Forests Minister Doug Donaldson to enact both immediate and longer-term, science-based solutions for ancient forests by: 1) Emailing him at: FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca. 2) Tagging him on Twitter using @DonaldsonDoug 3) Phoning his office at: 250-387-6240

Little Mountain near Parksville

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Stumbled upon this gem of a viewpoint earlier this week while I had some time to spare in Coombs. Easy to access with some crazy sheer cliffs and panoramic views!! Lovely place to take a break and watch sunrise/sunrise. Hiked around to the base of the cliffs as well, which were super incredible to behold from below! So many strange shapes and formations in the conglomerate rock. There were even a number of rare and impressive old-growth Douglas-fir trees! Unfortunately, illegal dumping appears to be a big problem here. Much of the cliff base looks like a landfill. Efforts have apparently been made to clean it up in the past but it keeps piling up. Come on humans, take care of special places like this! Google map

Explore Magazine - Speak for the Trees

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Check out the summer issue of Explore Magazine for a feature interview I did on the topic of BC's ancient forests! The article covers the history of the Avatar Grove campaign, the economic value of standing old-growth forests, and debunks the BC government's claim that these forests are not endangered. Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce President, Dan Hager, and Spirit of the West co-owner, Rick Snowdon, share their personal experiences as tourism operators as well.

The Hunt for a Big Tree

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Hunting for big trees is, in my opinion, one of the very greatest adventures a person can embark on. It almost always involves a lot of bushwhacking through the dense and rugged forests found on BC’s coast (the fun part!) but thanks to recent improvements in satellite imagery, it’s sometimes possible to hone in on a specific tree even before you leave your house. When I first noticed the large crown and dark shadow looming above the forests near Cheewhat Lake in the screenshot below, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Was it a giant cedar? Something else? I didn’t know but It sure looked impressive! Months went by until finally I had a free day to make the 4 hour drive out there. A quick scope from the road revealed that it was not in fact a giant redcedar but a Sitka spruce! It was tall with a wide canopy and a decent size trunk. The next step was to push through the dense second-growth bordering the road to physically reach the base of the tree. By my best guess, it looked to be about 7 feet wide but was too difficult to measure since the back of the tree flared over a steep hillside. Though it didn’t turn out to be a record breaker, it was impressive none-the-less! And what it lead me to later that day (the giant cedars in the previous post) was well worth all the effort :)

Exploring Ancient Forests at Cheewhat Lake

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An massive western redcedar tree measuring 14.6ft in diameter near Cheewhat Lake in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on southern Vancouver Island.

I spent recently spent two days exploring for giant trees in the Cheewhat Lake region on southern Vancouver Island. Here is where you can find the Cheewhat Giant, Canada’s largest tree and also now the world’s largest western redcedar (20ft in diameter!). I have a personal goal of finding the new champion tree and figured this would be a good place to start looking! I didn’t end up finding it on this trip but I did see a number of exceptional cedars, including the one pictured above. There were also numerous CMT’s (culturally modified trees), including a partially finished canoe which was overgrown with plants and trees - so cool! The bushwhacking was intense and the mosquitoes were relentless but the rewards were huge. My next trip to this remote and wild landscape can’t come soon enough!

Hiking the Wild Side Trail on Flores Island

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It's been a crazy summer with more adventures than ever and I have quite the backlog of photos to share but to start, here are some pics from a recent hiking trip along the Wild Side Trail on Flores Island - one of the most beautiful places on Earth! If you have 3 days, it's hard to think of a more rewarding place to visit. Located just north of Tofino in Clayoquot Sound, the trail's 11km length winds you along stunning coastlines, through amazing ancient forests, and ends at the long, sandy beaches of Cow Bay. Wildlife such as wolves, cougars, and bears are found here along with the rich cultural history of the Ahousaht First Nation, who still call the island home. You can catch a boat to Flores from Tofino for $20 through this water taxi and support the Ahousaht Nation - who's Land Use Plan Vision declares for more than 80% of their traditional territory to be protected from industrial activity - by paying the small trail and camping fee. Happy hiking!