The Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni has some of the last remaining tracts of unprotected old-growth Douglas fir forests.

Old Forests Get Protection

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Old forests get protection

Keri Sculland, Alberni Valley Times

Published: Thursday, August 05, 2010

While the provincial government has sectioned off thousands of hectares to protect old-growth forests, none are located in the Alberni Valley.

The government sectioned off two types of old-growth forest on Crown land to preserve the natural trees and forestation. On the east side of the Island, about five kilometres were sectioned off to preserve the Coastal Douglas Fir Ecosystem, which is a rare type of ecosystem that only covers a small portion of the Island. Other parts of the Island in the northern central area and southern areas were also protected from future logging and land management.

The catch is, explained TJ Watt, forest campaigner from the Ancient Forest Alliance, these areas aren’t legislative protected areas, they are regulatory protected areas, meaning the areas won’t be considered provincial parks, like Cathedral Grove and the Pacific Rim Provincial Park.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “it doesn’t cover anything within the Alberni Valley… there is still a need to go further on protection for Vancouver Island.”

The five parcels of Crown land between Nanaimo and Courtenay have been made off-limits to logging through new Land Use Orders. These new additions have increased protection in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone from 7600 hectares to 9200 hectares.

The ecosystem is characterized by its mild, Mediterranean-like climate, trees like the Douglas fir, Garry oak and arbutus, and large numbers of species at risk such as the alligator lizard and sharp-tailed snake.

Of the productive old growth on Vancouver Island, 75% of it has been lost. That includes the large trees and valley bottoms. Since 2004, 90% of the valley bottoms have been logged, and 99% of the big old-growth Douglas fir.

“There’s an area we are pushing to have protected in the Nahmint Valley,” Watt said. “Some of the last strands of Douglas fir are [there].”

Manager of economic development for the city, Pat Deakin, said he isn’t aware of the old-growth conditions in Nahmint.

“Diversity is important,” he said. “But it’s not an end-all-be-all situation.”

The Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem is considered to be among the top four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, along with the Tallgrass Prairie in Manitoba, the Carolinian Forest in southern Ontario, and the “Pocket Desert” near Osoyoos in southern B.C.

“We could go much further than this,” Watt added. “We are not against logging, we’re basically stating that we should be protecting endangered old growth forests where they are scarce.”

AFA also wants to focus on sustainable logging in second-growth forests, and a ban on raw log exports to create a value-added industry here.

“We’ve actually had a lot of forestry workers on our sides for those points,” Watt said.

The new protection was implemented by the Ministry of Forests and Range, the Integrated Land Management Bureau and Forest Minister Pat Bell.

Zoe Miles speaking to a crowd of support during an Avatar flash mob in downtown Toronto to help protect BC's endangered ancient forests.

Sending a message to Brookfield Asset Management on Bay Street, "Hands off BC’s last old growth trees."

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The message is simple “Hands off the last of the Coastal Old Growth in BC”.

On Friday morning, Young “Avatars” (giant blue folk – like in the recent movie) will storm Bay Street in a flash mob protest against the logging of the last of the coastal old growth in BC. The protest has caught the eye of MTV and will be featured in an upcoming documentary on the hit show The Buried Life.

How do I know? My teenage son went out with a bunch of his friends, last Saturday, and talked with MTV about their horror at the possibility of seeing clear cuts replace miles of old and gorgeous forest, in areas where they’ve camped and kayaked since they were little kids.

Considerable disruption to the financial district is expected, as police may choose to close Bay Street over the midday due to the number of people expected to participate.

It may be a bad day for Brookfield Asset Management, as the media-shy mega-conglomerate comes into the spotlight for their plans to log the last remnants of our ancient forests. The parallel between the recent movie Avatar and the reality on the west coast is bringing activists together in what looks to be a sustained campaign against old growth logging.

The movement was started by the passionate commitment of one young woman to save her home from destruction, and now is drawing attention from far and wide. It is estimated that 99.5% of the Douglas Fir old growth has already been cut, but Brookfield still is gunning for the little that’s left over. That these precious trees mostly leave the country as raw log exports, means disaster to both the economy and ecology of places like Cortes Island, where Zoe Miles was born and has launched her epic quest for justice.

What: “Avatar” themed Old Growth Logging Protest filmed by MTV
on Bay Street

Where: Brookfield Asset Management’s Corporate Headquarters
181 Bay Street (just North of Front Street and Union Station)
Toronto

When: Friday August 13 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Press Conference at 11:30 AM

Ancient Forest Alliance

VIDEO: Fight to save local landmark going international

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It’s the best, worst-kept secret on Vancouver Island.

A 100-hectare forest wonderland: pristine, untouched and about a thousand years old.

But there are real and imminent fears this space may not be long for this world.

It is de facto owned by logging company Teal Jones.

The firm hasn’t applied to the provincial government for a logging permit yet, but activists with the Ancient Forest Alliance claims the company is making plans to cut.

The alliance, local government, and tourism associations have been asking the BC government to protect this area, so far without success.

But is the fight to preserve a local landmark about to get international profile?

That’s the plan according to cast of “The Buried Life,” an MTV show about tying up life’s loose ends, featuring four guys from Vancouver Island.

The show’s producers are promising a flash-mob protest in Toronto on Friday, near another national landmark – the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame.

More Avatar Grove videos:

Thumbs up/ thumbs down

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To the provincial government, which says enough old-growth trees have been protected in the area between Sooke and Port Renfrew. That does not bode well for the trees in an area near Port Renfrew, nicknamed Avatar Grove, which are under threat of a harvest. The Forests Ministry says 24 per cent of the grove will be protected, and that is enough.

"Canada's gnarliest tree" grows in Avatar Grove

Avatar Grove, the Cathedral Grove of Port Renfrew, under increasing threat due to BC Government intransigence

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The BC Ministry of Forests and Range recent rejection of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce’s and the Sooke Regional Tourism Association’s request that the Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew be spared from logging (see https://www.vancouversun.com/travel/chops+down+protect+Avatar+Grove/3361175/story.html) has the Ancient Forest Alliance preparing for a ramped-up battle. The organization already has over 2000 members on its “Save the Avatar Grove” Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=480609145246#!/group.php?gid=480609145246&v=wall) and 7000 members on its main Facebook Groups, and will be working to ramp-up membership in the Avatar Grove Group in preparation for a future “Ancient Forest Week of Action” of protests, events, and rallies (dates to be announced) at various BC government offices in numerous communities.

“The Avatar Grove is like the Cathedral Grove of Port Renfrew. It is the most easily accessible of the monumental, endangered old-growth stands on the South Island. If the Avatar Grove falls, Port Renfrew and southern Vancouver Island won’t get another chance like this for another thousand years,” stated Brendan Harry, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner. “The BC government could quickly protect the Avatar Grove by enacting a Land Use Order that would make the area off limits to logging. The existing Old-Growth Management Area covers only a small fraction of what is a small area to begin with, and it excludes the vast majority of the largest trees.”

The Avatar Grove grows in the Gordon River Valley about a 15 minute drive from Port Renfrew, only a couple minutes past the end of a paved road, on gentle terrain. It is full of large numbers of giant, ancient redcedars and some Douglas firs, including “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree”, an old-growth redcedar with an enormous, contorted burl. The area is within Tree Farm License 46 and is threatened with being logged by the Teal-Jones Group. The Minister of Forests and Range states that one-fourth of the Grove is protected in an Old-Growth Management Area. The Grove enjoys widespread support, including from local Liberal MP Keith Martin (who is proposing the area’s inclusion in his proposed expansion of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve), local NDP MLA John Horgan, and many businesses and community groups in Port Renfrew and Sooke.

See photos of the Avatar Grove (photos can be reprinted with credit to TJ Watt) at:
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=480609145246#!/group.php?gid=480609145246&v=photos

and in the new photogallery (along with other big tree photos from southern Vancouver Island) at:
https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/

“Why would the BC Liberal government jeopardize millions of dollars in potential tourism revenues and long-term local jobs for a few weeks of logging work for maybe half a dozen people? The vast majority of the forests on the South Island are second-growth now, they should be sustainably logging and value-adding them instead of trying to cut down the last tiny remnants of old-growth here,” stated Harry.

On Vancouver Island, there were over 2.3 million hectares of productive old-growth forests at the time of European colonization – only 600,000 hectares remain unlogged today. About 200,000 hectares of this has been protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas, while another 400,000 hectares remain unprotected. The BC government recently announced the protection of 39,000 hectares of old-growth forests on northern and central Vancouver Island, which the Ancient Forest Alliance is commending them for – however, the protections do not extend to southern Vancouver Island and still exclude 90% of the endangered ancient forests.

In percentages, about 75% of Vancouver Island’s original, productive ancient forests have been logged, including 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow, and 87% of the productive ancient forests on the South Island south of Port Alberni. Less than 10% of the original, productive ancient forests on Vancouver Island are protected.

Old-growth forests are important for tourism, wildlife, the climate, clean water, and many First Nations cultures.

“We have so little old-growth forests left. The BC government needs to undertake a Provincial Old-Growth Strategy that will protect our remaining endangered ancient forests across Vancouver Island and BC, ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, and end the export of raw logs to foreign mills.”

A waterfall cascades through the old-growth redcedars in the endagered Avatar Grove.

B.C. chops down bid to protect ‘Avatar Grove’

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Big trees would bring more money into Sooke and Port Renfrew than logging a unique, old-growth grove, community groups have told the provincial government.

But the province is refusing to budge from its position that sufficient old growth has already been protected in that area.

The Sooke Regional Tourism Association and Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce wrote to the province asking that the area just outside Port Renfrew, nicknamed Avatar Grove, should be saved and that the Teal-Jones Group, which has cutting rights, should be offered a replacement piece of Crown land.

“Tourism would contribute more value and benefit many more people than cutting old-growth sites located in accessible tourism development areas,” tourism association president Neil Flynn said in a letter to Forests Minister Pat Bell.

But the reply from the ministry says 24 per cent of the grove is in an old-growth management area, meaning no cutting is permitted.

“I think it is important to mention that not all old-growth forests can be protected. A certain amount must be harvested to provide a viable and sustainable wood supply to the forest industry, which is an important component of the provincial economy,” says the letter from the ministry’s field operations staff.

Teal-Jones has not yet applied for a cutting permit in Avatar Grove, but a land swap would not be possible as the entire land base of TFL 46 is already under tenure, said company spokesman John Pichugan.

An example of the Coastal Douglas fir ecosystem as seen in Francis King regional park near Victoria

BC Government Commended for Protecting 1600 Hectares of Extremely Endangered Coastal Douglas Fir Ecosystem

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The Ancient Forest Alliance is thanking the Ministry of Forests and Range, the Integrated Land Management Bureau, and Forest Minister Pat Bell for protecting 1600 hectares of public (Crown) lands within the Coastal Douglas Fir biogeoclimatic zone on southeastern Vancouver Island.

The five parcels of Crown lands between Nanaimo and Courtenay have been made off limits to logging through new Land Use Orders. These new additions have increased protection in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone from 7600 hectares to 9200 hectares.

“This is a major leap forward in protection for one of Canada’s most endangered ecosystems, much of which today lies underneath the cities of Victoria, Nanaimo, and Duncan. The protected areas include pockets of old-growth Douglas firs and a large array of rare and sensitive habitats,“ stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance campaign director. “Today we’re giving great thanks to the BC government for starting to rekindle some forest protection policies on Vancouver Island. We hope they will continue along this trajectory, because so much more needs protecting and so little time remains in an area under intense development pressure.“

The Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem is considered to be among the top four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, along with the Tallgrass Prairie in Manitoba, the Carolinian Forest in southern Ontario, and the “Pocket Desert“ near Osoyoos in southern BC. Only 1% of the original old-growth forests remain in the Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem, and about 50% of the entire ecosystem has already been completely eliminated by agriculture and urbanization. The ecosystem is characterized by its mild, Mediterranean-like climate, trees like the Douglas fir, Garry oak and arbutus, and large numbers of species at risk such as the alligator lizard and sharp-tailed snake.

Less than 10% of the Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem lies on public (Crown) lands while over 90% is privately owned. In order to establish an ecologically viable protected areas network in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone, the Ancient Forest Alliance advocates the protection of all of the Crown land parcels within the zone and the establishment of a joint provincial-federal parkland acquisition fund of at least $40 million/year ($20 million from each level of government) to purchase private lands for the establishment of new protected areas.

“While the BC government has taken a great step forward in moving to protect this ecosystem, they are taking a destructive stance in regards to the Nanoose Bay old-growth forest. They seriously need to change their direction about the site – there needs to be an immediate ban on all logging of the last 1% of old-growth forest in the Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem, it really should be a no-brainer,“ stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer.

The Nanoose Bay old-growth forest, or cutblock DL-33, is a 60 hectare tract of old-growth and second-growth Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystem imminently threatened by logging. Local citizens are working hard to save the stand, but the Ministry of Forests and Range currently insists that the logging will take place.