A Vancouver Island environmental organization is praising the B.C. government for protecting a unique old-growth forest known as Avatar Grove, but the Auditor-General has slammed the province for losing track of the forest resource.
Government management of B.C.’s timber supply is insufficient and has reached the point at the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry where the province isn’t properly monitoring its programs, said John Doyle’s ministry audit.
Avatar Grove, so named by environmentalists inspired by the Hollywood eco-fable Avatar, has become a tourism attraction due to its fantastically shaped western red cedars, including one tree nicknamed “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree” for its massive burls.
The Victoria-based Ancient Forests Alliance applauded the government’s decision to protect from logging almost 60 hectares of the old-growth cedar forest near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of rare, valley-bottom, old-growth forest because virtually all the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island are gone now,” forests alliance spokesman Ken Wu said on Thursday. – College Grants For Minorities [Original article no longer available]
“But at the same time thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across B.C.”
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said the protected area covers just under 60 hectares. B.C. forest company Teal-Jones Group, which held the licence to cut trees in the grove, will be compensated for losing its cutting rights there, Thompson said.
He said the government was persuaded to protect the grove after a public consultation process last fall that received 236 comments, only four of them against saving the unique region.
He said businesses in the Port Renfrew area see the grove as a potential tourism draw.
But Mr. Doyle’s report found that elsewhere in B.C., the government hasn’t been as diligent in protecting the future for forests.
“Industry is legally obligated to reforest the areas it harvests, and it does so,” said Mr. Doyle in a statement after the release of his 23-page audit.
“But government, which is responsible for over 90 per cent of British Columbia’s forests, and whose reforestation decisions have a significant impact on our future forests, is not clear about its own commitments.”
Mr. Doyle’s audit found the ministry has not clearly defined its timber objectives and, as a result, cannot ensure that its management practices are effective.
The report said existing management practices are insufficient to offset a trend toward future forests having a lower timber supply, and the audit found the ministry is not properly monitoring and reporting its timber results against its timber objectives.
Mr. Doyle’s report makes six recommendations, including developing performance measures that can be used to evaluate progress in achieving long-term timber objectives.
The ministry responded with a statement saying it was already meeting Mr. Doyle’s recommendations and “will strive to develop a publicly reported performance measure that shows progress in achieving timber objectives.”
Mr. Thomson said he’s confident the ministry will have an updated inventory of lands that require reforestation within the next six months.
He said he disagreed with the Mr. Doyle’s assessment that the ministry is falling behind on its management of the timber resource.
Mr. Doyle’s audit said that of the 95 million hectares of forested land in British Columbia, 22 million hectares are available for harvesting.
Industry is legally obligated to reforest 10 per cent of that land – about 2.2 million hectares – while the government is responsible for the management of the rest.
Mr. Thomson said the ministry has identified 733,000 hectares of land that is “non-sufficiently stocked.”
He suggested that amount could change once the ministry completes a review.
“I’m confident we have the resources and the staff available, and the technology available, to do the analytical work that will identify and clarify the lands that need to be restocked,” Mr. Thomson said.
Opposition New Democrat forests critic Norm Macdonald said Mr. Doyle’s audit is a condemnation of the government’s management of its timber supply over the past 11 years.
“The first place you start is you get the inventory right,” he said.
“Seventy-five per cent of the inventory is decades out of date. They just do not know what’s going on on the land base.”
Click here to view the Globe and Mail article.
B.C. Auditor-General faults government for failing to protect forests
/in News CoverageA Vancouver Island environmental organization is praising the B.C. government for protecting a unique old-growth forest known as Avatar Grove, but the Auditor-General has slammed the province for losing track of the forest resource.
Government management of B.C.’s timber supply is insufficient and has reached the point at the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry where the province isn’t properly monitoring its programs, said John Doyle’s ministry audit.
Avatar Grove, so named by environmentalists inspired by the Hollywood eco-fable Avatar, has become a tourism attraction due to its fantastically shaped western red cedars, including one tree nicknamed “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree” for its massive burls.
The Victoria-based Ancient Forests Alliance applauded the government’s decision to protect from logging almost 60 hectares of the old-growth cedar forest near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of rare, valley-bottom, old-growth forest because virtually all the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island are gone now,” forests alliance spokesman Ken Wu said on Thursday. – College Grants For Minorities [Original article no longer available]
“But at the same time thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across B.C.”
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said the protected area covers just under 60 hectares. B.C. forest company Teal-Jones Group, which held the licence to cut trees in the grove, will be compensated for losing its cutting rights there, Thompson said.
He said the government was persuaded to protect the grove after a public consultation process last fall that received 236 comments, only four of them against saving the unique region.
He said businesses in the Port Renfrew area see the grove as a potential tourism draw.
But Mr. Doyle’s report found that elsewhere in B.C., the government hasn’t been as diligent in protecting the future for forests.
“Industry is legally obligated to reforest the areas it harvests, and it does so,” said Mr. Doyle in a statement after the release of his 23-page audit.
“But government, which is responsible for over 90 per cent of British Columbia’s forests, and whose reforestation decisions have a significant impact on our future forests, is not clear about its own commitments.”
Mr. Doyle’s audit found the ministry has not clearly defined its timber objectives and, as a result, cannot ensure that its management practices are effective.
The report said existing management practices are insufficient to offset a trend toward future forests having a lower timber supply, and the audit found the ministry is not properly monitoring and reporting its timber results against its timber objectives.
Mr. Doyle’s report makes six recommendations, including developing performance measures that can be used to evaluate progress in achieving long-term timber objectives.
The ministry responded with a statement saying it was already meeting Mr. Doyle’s recommendations and “will strive to develop a publicly reported performance measure that shows progress in achieving timber objectives.”
Mr. Thomson said he’s confident the ministry will have an updated inventory of lands that require reforestation within the next six months.
He said he disagreed with the Mr. Doyle’s assessment that the ministry is falling behind on its management of the timber resource.
Mr. Doyle’s audit said that of the 95 million hectares of forested land in British Columbia, 22 million hectares are available for harvesting.
Industry is legally obligated to reforest 10 per cent of that land – about 2.2 million hectares – while the government is responsible for the management of the rest.
Mr. Thomson said the ministry has identified 733,000 hectares of land that is “non-sufficiently stocked.”
He suggested that amount could change once the ministry completes a review.
“I’m confident we have the resources and the staff available, and the technology available, to do the analytical work that will identify and clarify the lands that need to be restocked,” Mr. Thomson said.
Opposition New Democrat forests critic Norm Macdonald said Mr. Doyle’s audit is a condemnation of the government’s management of its timber supply over the past 11 years.
“The first place you start is you get the inventory right,” he said.
“Seventy-five per cent of the inventory is decades out of date. They just do not know what’s going on on the land base.”
Click here to view the Globe and Mail article.
Island version of Avatar Grove given provincial protection
/in News CoverageA grove of giant, old-growth trees that has drawn thousands of tourists to Port Renfrew over the past two years will be protected by the province.
Avatar Grove, a unique stand of centuries-old Douglas firs and red cedars, will be at the heart of an expanded, 59-hectare old-growth management area, Forests Minister Steve Thomson said Thursday.
“A lot of the requests that came in recognized the importance of the grove to the community,” Thomson said in an interview.
“It’s very good news for Vancouver Island.”
Logging and mining are not permitted in old-growth management areas, but the designation is one step short of legislated protection given to parks.
The decision follows a public review period, with 232 out of 236 comments favouring protection.
The grove, with massive gnarled trees and an abundance of wildlife, gained public attention after being discovered by members of the Ancient Forest Alliance who gave it the Avatar nickname. Shortly after the initial visit in February 2010, the area was flagged for logging and a public campaign to save Avatar Grove gained steam. At that time only 24 per cent of the grove was in an old-growth management area.
To the amazement of many residents of Port Renfrew, a community formerly based on logging, the big trees drew a steady stream of sightseers.
“I was shocked at the amount of people,” said Rosie Betsworth, Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president.
Through last summer, at least a dozen people stopped daily at the Chamber of Commerce information booth asking about Avatar Grove. Tours run by the AFA drew up to 80 people each time. “We owe the Ancient Forest Alliance a big thank you for bringing Avatar into the public focus,” Betsworth said.
Ken Wu, AFA co-founder, said the success of Avatar Grove as a tourist attraction will be watched in communities across the province.
“It is important that environmentalism has a component on how people can make revenues and have jobs,” he said.
Wu and co-founder TJ Watt applauded the provincial protection, but would have preferred the stronger park designation. They want the government to stop all old-growth logging on Vancouver Island.
“Virtually all of the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island, where the biggest trees grow, have been logged,” Watt said. “Our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect all of B.C’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable second-growth industry instead.”
Surrey-based Teal-Jones Group, which holds logging rights for Avatar Grove, will be compensated with 57 hectares removed from other old-growth management areas. That is a legal obligation to license holders, Thomson said.
But the AFA questions why compensation should be paid on publicly-owned Crown forests.
“The company does not own the land or the trees, all they have are access rights to the resource through their licence,” Wu said.
View the Times Colonist article here: https://www.timescolonist.com/
B.C. earns kudos for protecting Avatar Grove; slammed by auditor general on forestry
/in News CoverageA Vancouver Island environmental organization praised the B.C. government Thursday for protecting a unique old-growth forest known as Avatar Grove, but the auditor general is slamming the province for losing track of the forest resource.
Government management of B.C.’s timber supply is insufficient and has reached the point at the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry where the province isn’t properly monitoring its programs, said John Doyle’s ministry audit.
Avatar Grove, so named by environmentalists inspired by the Hollywood eco-fable Avatar, has become a tourism attraction due to its fantastically shaped western red cedars, including one tree nicknamed Canada’s Gnarliest Tree for its massive burls.
The Victoria-based Ancient Forests Alliance applauded the government’s decision to protect from logging almost 60-hectares of the old-growth cedar forest near Port Renfrew, located about 110 kilometres south of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
“We commend the B.C. government for protecting this key tract of rare, valley-bottom, old-growth forest because virtually all the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island are gone now,” said forests alliance spokesman Ken Wu.
“But at the same time thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across B.C.”
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said the protected area covers just under 60 hectares. B.C. forest company Teal-Jones Group, which held the licence to cut trees in the grove, will be compensated for losing its cutting rights there, Thompson said.
He said the government was convinced to protect the grove after a public consultation process last fall that received 236 comments, only four of them against saving the unique region.
He said businesses in the Port Renfrew area see the grove as a potential tourism draw.
But Doyle’s report found elsewhere in B.C. forests, the government hasn’t been as diligent in protecting the future for forests.
“Industry is legally obligated to reforest the areas it harvests, and it does so,” said Doyle in a statement following the release of his 23-page audit.
“But government, which is responsible for over 90 per cent of British Columbia’s forests, and whose reforestation decisions have a significant impact on our future forests, is not clear about its own commitments.”
Doyle’s audit found the ministry has not clearly defined its timber objectives and, as a result, cannot ensure that its management practices are effective.
The report said existing management practices are insufficient to offset a trend toward future forests having a lower timber supply, and the audit found the ministry is not properly monitoring and reporting its timber results against its timber objectives.
Doyle’s report makes six recommendations, including developing performance measures that can be used to evaluate progress in achieving long-term timber objectives.
The ministry responded with a statement saying it was already meeting Doyle’s recommendations and “will strive to develop a publicly reported performance measure that shows progress in achieving timber objectives.”
Thomson said he’s confident the ministry will have an updated inventory of lands that require reforestation within the next six months.
He said he disagreed with the Doyle’s assessment that the ministry is falling behind on its management of the timber resource.
Doyle’s audit said that of the 95 million hectares of forested land in British Columbia, 22 million hectares are available for harvesting.
Industry is legally obligated to reforest 10 per cent of that land — about 2.2 million hectares — while the government is responsible for the management of the rest.
Thomson said the ministry has identified 733,000 hectares of land that is “non-sufficiently stocked.”
He suggested that amount could change once the ministry completes a review.
“I’m confident we have the resources and the staff available, and the technology available, to do the analytical work that will identify and clarify the lands that need to be restocked,” Thomson said.
Opposition New Democrat forests critic Norm Macdonald said Doyle’s audit is a condemnation of the government’s management of its timber supply over the past 11 years.
“The first place you start is you get the inventory right,” he said.
“Seventy-five per cent of the inventory is decades out of date. They just do not know what’s going on on the land base.”
Read it on Global News: Global BC: https://www.globaltvbc.com/protecting+unique+old-growth+stand+on+vancouver+island+dooms+other+ancient+trees/6442582501/story.html
Forest alliance welcomes government announcement to preserve Avatar Grove
/in News CoverageIt’s good news for organizations fighting for the protection of old growth forests on Vancouver Island, but it isn’t enough.
The BC Government announced Thursday that a unique stand of old growth cedars known as the Avatar Grove will be entirely protected from development and logging.
Ken Wu with the Ancient Forest Alliance says while it is a promising announcement, more needs to be done.
“We commend the BC Government for protecting this key tract of extremely rare, valley-bottom, ancient forest. Virtually all the valley-bottoms on Southern Vancouver Island, where the biggest trees grow are now gone, literally 95 per cent of them. But at the same time, thousands of hectares of old growth forests are being logged every year on Vancouver Island and millions of hectares are endangered across BC. So our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect all of BC’s endangered, old growth forests and ensure sustainable second growth forestry instead.”
Wu says the Ancient Forest Alliance is coming up on its two-year anniversary and the government’s announcement is welcome news.
CFAX article: https://www.cfax1070.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5011:mainlocal-news-template&catid=45:mainlocal-news&Itemid=155
Avatar Grove now protected
/in News CoverageKen Wu called it a “campaign on steroids,” and Rose Betsworth called it a “soft approach,” but whatever it was called, the provincial government listened.
On February 16, Minister Steve Thomson for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced that all of Avatar Grove is now protected from harvesting.
Wu, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, said he would like to commend the B.C. government for protecting this key old growth forest.
“Eventually we would like to see it as a legislated park or conservancy,” said Wu.
Rose Betsworth, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce is understandably pleased. For her community it means Avatar Grove will be made more accessible with upgrades to the trails and tidying up the area.
“Now we can make it better for everybody… we can put a trail in and do upkeep,” said Betsworth.
She said the Ancient Forest Alliance had the right approach which was a soft one where they educated people and gained respect out of that. The AFC included forestry workers’ and the small business community’s comments and concerns in their efforts to save the grove.
“They’re not a bunch of radicals,” said Betsworth in referring to the way the AFA conducted their campaign.
The campaign led to a public review and comment period during the fall of 2011 where 232 out of 236 comments expressed support for preservation of the grove.
The unique stand of old-growth cedar near Port Renfrew is now protected in an expanded old-growth management area, totaling 59.4 hectares,
TJ Watt, the other co-founder of AFA, came across the grove in December 2009, popularized it and began the goal of preserving the monumental stand of valley-bottom ancient red cedars and Douglas fir.
“We commend the BC government for protecting this key tract of extremely rare valley bottom ancient forest – virtually all of the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island where the biggest trees grow have been logged, literally 95 per cent of them, ” stated TJ Watt. “At the same time, thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are being logged every year on Vancouver Island, and millions of hectares of old-growth forests are endangered across B.C. Our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect all of B.C.’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable second-growth forest industry instead.”
To fulfil the province’s obligation to Teal-Jones Group, which holds the logging rights for Tree Farm Licence 46 where Avatar Grove is located, the boundaries of other old-growth management areas were adjusted by removing 57.4 hectares.
Of the 862,125 hectares of old-growth forests on Crown land on Vancouver Island, it’s estimated that over 520,000 hectares will never be harvested.
Sooke News Mirror article: https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/139468763.html
Les bûcherons ne pourront pas couper les arbres anciens de la forêt Avatar Grove
/in News CoverageLe gouvernement provincial va protéger une forêt de cèdres géants près de Port Renfrew, sur l’île de Vancouver, a déclaré jeudi Steve Thomson, le ministre des Forêts, des terres et de l’exploitation des ressources naturelles.
Victoria accorde à la zone Avatar Grove un statut de protection d’environ 59hectares.
Le secteur abrite des cèdres rouges et des sapins de Douglas, dont certains ont plus de 500 ans, qui devaient être coupés par une compagnie forestière.
La décision a été prise à la suite d’une consultation publique cet automne lors de laquelle la grande majorité des commentaires du public favorisait la protection d’Avatar Grove.
Il s’agit également d’une victoire pour le groupe écologiste Ancient Forest Alliance qui se bat depuis 2009 pour protéger cette ancienne forêt des bûcherons.
Cette annonce du gouvernement intervient le jour même de la publication par le vérificateur provincial d’un rapport critiquant la gestion des forêts en Colombie-Britannique.
Radio-Canada: https://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/colombie-britannique/2012/02/16/006-avatar-grove-protection.shtml
AFA supports Avatar Grove’s protection, calls for provincial old-growth plan
/in Media ReleaseToday’s announcement by the BC government to legally prohibit logging of the Avatar Grove by including it in 59.4 hectares of Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA) was met with happiness by the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), the BC environmental group that identified and popularized the monumental stand of valley-bottom ancient redcedars and Douglas fir near Port Renfrew two years ago. Of 236 public comments, during the public input process from September through November 2011, 232 comments were in favour of Avatar Grove’s protection.
“We commend the BC government for protecting this key tract of extremely rare valley bottom ancient forest – virtually all of the valley bottoms on southern Vancouver Island where the biggest trees grow have been logged, literally 95% of them, ” stated TJ Watt, the Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder who came across the Avatar Grove in December of 2009. “At the same time, thousands of hectares of old-growth forests are being logged every year on Vancouver Island, and millions of hectares of old-growth forests are endangered across BC. Our main goal is to see a new provincial plan to protect ALL of BC’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable second-growth forest industry instead.”
The Avatar Grove is an easy 15-minute drive mainly along paved roads from the town of Port Renfrew on southwestern Vancouver Island. Over the past two years, thousands of people have visited the Grove. The AFA has held countless hiking tours and slideshows to thousands of people, taken media from across the country on tour, organized rallies and protests, and worked with the local businesses of Port Renfrew through the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce to ensure the protection of the Avatar Grove. The Grove was surveyed and flagged for logging when the campaign began in February 2010.
See a Youtube Clip of Avatar Grove at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uPkAWsvVw
See a photo gallery of TJ Watt’s incredible Avatar Grove photos: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/avatar-grove/
“This Avatar Grove campaign has been an ancient forest campaign on steroids – with thousands of people from across BC and around the world coming for a visit, and international media like Al-Jazeera covering the issue. This is a great day for the tourism businesses of Port Renfrew, Sooke, Lake Cowichan, and Victoria, and for the wildlife of Avatar Grove. The next step is to get this area legislated as a park or conservancy,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder. “But it’s important to note that the Avatar Grove was always a springboard for our provincial campaign to protect all of BC’s endangered old-growth forests, and 2012 will be a year when we wage a relentless campaign to that end.”
The Avatar Grove has some of Canada’s largest trees, including scores of giant western redcedars – some over 4 meters (15 feet) wide, including “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree” with its 3-meter (10 feet) wide burl. The Grove itself is found on gentle terrain in the valley bottom, almost all of which have been logged on southern Vancouver Island. Virtually all other remaining old-growth stands are also far along bumpy logging roads, on steep slopes. It is home to Vancouver Island’s largest wildlife species: wolves, cougars, black bears, elk, and deer.
Unfortunately, the BC government has also compensated the licensee, the Teal-Jones Group, in Tree Farm License 46 where the Avatar Grove is found, with 30 hectares of second-growth forests and 27 hectares of old-growth (57 hectares). “We’re opposed to compensation for the company, as they don’t own the land or the trees on Crown lands – all they have are access rights to the resource through their license. If the government enacts conservation regulations to protect deer or trout in areas where their populations are down, those with hunting or fishing licenses don’t get compensation for not being able to take all the deer or trout in those areas. Neither should logging companies on publicly-owned Crown forests,” states Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder.
On Vancouver Island, over 600,000 hectares of productive old-growth forests (ie. old-growth stands with moderate to fast growth growing conditions, where most logging occurs) remain, out of 2.3 million hectares of such forests originally (ie. about 1.7 million hectares have been logged). About 200,000 hectares are protected in parks or off-limits to logging through Old-Growth Management Areas. In addition, another 700,000 hectares of Vancouver Island consists of low-productivity old-growth forests (ie. stunted bog and subalpine forests with small trees and slow growth rates, most of which are unprofitable to log). In percentages, about 75% of Vancouver Island’s original, productive old-growth forests have been logged, including about 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow, and about 95% of the valley bottoms on the South Island (south of Barkley Sound).
See maps and stats at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/
The Ancient Forest Alliance is coming up to its two-year anniversary. The organization was officially registered as a not-for-profit society in British Columbia on February 24, 2010.
Avatar Grove to be protected by province
/in News CoverageA grove of giant, old-growth trees near Port Renfrew, which has brought thousands of visitors to the area over the last two years, will be protected by the province.
Avatar Grove, a unique stand of centuries-old Douglas firs and red cedars, will be included in an expanded, 59-hectare old-growth management area, Forests Minister Steve Thomson said Thursday.
That means no logging or mining, but is one step short of the legislated protection of park designation.
Surrey-based Teal-Jones Group, which holds logging rights for the area around Avatar Grove, is being compensated with 57 hectares removed from other old-growth management areas.
Much of Avatar Grove, named after the movie, was slated for logging two years ago when the Ancient Forest Alliance started campaigning for its protection.
At that time only 24 per cent of the grove was included in an old-growth management area.
Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder, applauded the move by the province, but said all old-growth forests on Vancouver Island should be protected.
“We do commend the B.C. government for protecting this tract of extremely rare old-growth valley bottom, as 95 per cent (of that ecosystem) has already been logged on Vancouver Island,” he said.
The Alliance wants to see an end to all old-growth logging on Vancouver Island and a sustainable second-growth forestry industry.
Read more: https://www.vancouversun.com/news/thewest/Avatar+Grove+protected+province/6164261/story.html
Call to write letters
/in Take ActionHello friends, there is an urgent need for your voice on numerous endangered ancient forests in BC right now! Please take a moment to assist with each area – if you commit just 30 minutes, you could help each area listed below right now: Avatar Grove, Cortes Island, the Great Bear Rainforest, Flores Island, McLaughlin Ridge, and Mossy Maple Grove:
AVATAR GROVE
GOOD NEWS! The BC government this morning declared the Avatar Grove legally off-limits to logging through a new, 59 hectare Old-Growth Management Area! We’re aiming that eventually the Avatar Grove will be protected through legislation as a park or conservancy, but this keeps out the chainsaws now! The Avatar Grove campaign has been an “old-growth campaign on steroids”. Thousands of people have visited this incredible monumental stand of extremely rare valley-bottom ancient redcedars and Douglas firs near Port Renfrew in a campaign spearheaded by the Ancient Forest Alliance. The Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role by joining our call for the area’s protection. Unfortunately the logging company, Teal-Jones will be compensated with 30 hectares of second-growth and 27 hectares of old-growth (57 hectares) in the area – the AFA opposes compensation since the company does not own the land nor the trees, these are public forests. Lets remember too that THOUSANDS of hectares of old-growth forests are logged
EVERY year on Vancouver Island, tens of thousands of hectares are logged across BC, and millions of hectares remain unprotected and endangered in the province – this is a campaign to end logging of ALL endangered forests and to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry in BC.
CORTES ISLAND
Over 1000 hectares of endangered “dry maritime” forests are threatened with logging by Island Timberlands. Determined local residents on this northern Gulf Island have built different teams to undertake petition and letter-writing drives, fundraising, negotiations, mapping, and potentially blockades – which may happen shortly. BC’s Ministry of Environment has responded to our first round of letters calling on them to help protect these lands that it has “no funds available”.
Let’s ramp-up the call by targeting Premier Christy Clark now at premier@gov.bc.ca (include your full name and mailing address so they know you are a real person). Write her a quick letter to let her know it is the province’s responsibility to help purchase the endangered forests, sensitive ecosystems, and rare old-growth groves on Island Timberland’s private lands on Cortes Island. Only 1% of BC’s old-growth coastal Douglas firs remain!
GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST
The central and northern mainland coast of BC is massive, twice the size of Vancouver Island and bigger than many European countries. It is home to numerous First Nations communities and the towns of Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Bella Bella, and Bella Coola. It is also home to hundreds of ancient forest valleys with grizzlies, spirit bears, wolves, cougars, and salmon. BC made headlines six years ago when the province promised to save the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. Today 50% of its forests are off-limits to logging while the rest remains at risk.
FLORES ISLAND
Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound is Heaven on Earth. It is one of the most extensive intact ancient rainforests left in southern BC. Located near Tofino in Nuu-cha-nulth territory, it is home to wolves, cougars, deer, and black bears on the land, and gray whales, humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, and sea otters in its marine waters. Unfortunately it is under threat from logging.
MCLAUGHLIN RIDGE
Near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, this 400 hectare tract of extremely rare old-growth Douglas firs and hemlocks is considered to be the finest deer wintering range on southern Vancouver Island and is critical habitat for the endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk. Island Timberlands is still intransigent and won’t commit to not logging the ridge.
MOSSY MAPLE GROVE, a.k.a. “Fangorn Forest”
This unique, newly located stand of magnificent, massive mossy maple trees near Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island is just about the most beautiful forest you could imagine – straight out of a fairy tale!
MOST of ALL please SIGN and FORWARD our online petition to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs at: staging.ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/
************************
Support the Ancient Forest Alliance!
We are a new organization and greatly need your support.
Please DONATE securely online at https://donate.staging.ancientforestalliance.org
Visit the Ancient Forest Alliance online at:
Web: www.staging.ancientforestalliance.org
Email: info@staging.ancientforestalliance.org
Petition: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancient_forest
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/BCAncientForest
Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest
/in News CoverageThis video, created by BC’s Ancient Forest Alliance, showcases the mossy beauty of Mossy Maple Grove, a forest near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island.
From the Forest Alliance: “This is the unprotected “Mossy Maple Grove”, Canada’s mossiest rainforest, a stand of enormous old-growth Bigleaf maple trees — some as much as 2 meters (7 feet) wide in trunk diameter — completely draped in hanging gardens of mosses and ferns… This is in the traditional territory of Cowichan Tribes who are part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group.
Unlike other spotlighted old-growth forests in BC, this is an old-growth ‘deciduous’ or broad-leaf rainforest. This area has also been nicknamed “Fangorn Forest” after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.”
Link to original artlcle from The Tyee: https://thetyee.ca/Video/2012/02/09/fangorn-forest/