A massive redcedar in the endangered Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew

Group Optimistic About Government Considering Protection of Old Growth Forests

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A GROUP SEEKING PROTECTION FOR OLD GROWTH FORESTS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND IS FEELING CONFIDENT AFTER FORESTS MINISTER PAT BELL ANNOUNCED THE BC GOVERNMENT WILL LOOK INTO THE ISSUE

“the forest practices board made a recommendation that BC should find creative ways to protect monumental trees and ancient forest stands. This is the government’s watchdog. They appointed the body to review forestry in BC and now their own watchdog is saying we need to move farther to save our old growth forests”

ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE SPOKESPERSON KEN WU IS CALLING ON LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES FOR BOTH THE LIBERALS AND NDP TO TAKE ON THIS ISSUE IN THEIR CAMPAIGNS

“it’s an ecologically necessary position to take, to support saving old growth forests and the sustainable logging of second growth forests, and it’s a winning position in terms of public opinion today”

WU SAYS NDP LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE JOHN HORGAN HAS ALREADY VOICED HIS SUPPORT FOR THE PROTECTION OF AVATAR GROVE

AVATAR GROVE IS LOCATED NEAR PORT RENFREW AND IS HOME TO A STAND OF ENDANGERED MASSIVE RED CEDAR TREES, THAT ARE THREATENED BY LOGGING

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Flagging tape marked "Falling Boundary" in the lower Avatar Grove when the forest was initially surveyed for logging.

BC Government considers protecting the Avatar Grove and Ancient Trees

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Yesterday Minister of Forests, Lands, and Mines Pat Bell announced that the BC government is looking into the possibility of protecting the endangered Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew, and is also looking at developing new legal tools to increase protection of exceptional ancient trees and old-growth stands in BC. See the Vancouver Sun here. [Original article no longer available]

“We gladly welcome and commend any move by the BC government to protect the endangered Avatar Grove, and their recognition that ancient forests need more protection,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “I have to admit this was an unexpected surprise, considering the rocky relationship the BC government has had with our campaign for so long. If this is genuine, Minister Bell should be commended for taking the first steps towards positive change here. Lets see if this pans out.”

Forests Minister Pat Bell’s statements comes on the heels of a new Forest Practices Board report released on Thursday that calls on the BC government and industry to seek “creative ways” to save ancient trees, that the land-use policy framework exists for the BC government to readily protect the Avatar Grove, and that there is a “strong public interest in seeing more ancient trees and forest stands preserved to live out their natural lives and functions, and managed as a social, economic and ecological asset to the public and surrounding communities.” See the report at: https://www.fpb.gov.bc.ca/IRC174_NEWS_RELEASE_Complaint_highlights_public_value_of_ancient_trees.htm

“We need progress for saving ancient forests at all scales – monumental trees, whole stands, and landscape level old-growth protections like valleys and regions. Starting with trees and stands is certainly a welcome beginning, while bearing in mind the greatest need is to protect old-growth ecosystems on a larger scale,” stated Wu. “Protecting an old-growth stand as special as the Avatar Grove from logging would be a first rate government decision that would benefit all British Columbians.”
The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC government to undertake a Provincial Old-Growth Strategy that will inventory and protect old-growth forests in regions where they are scarce, such as on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, southern Interior, etc.  The AFA is also calling for the sustainable logging of second-growth forests (which now constitute most of the forests in southern BC) and for a ban on raw log exports to foreign mills.

An effective BC Old-Growth Strategy would necessarily entail legally-binding (not voluntary) old-growth protections at various spatial scales, including on the level of individual trees, stands, and landscapes:

Individual Trees – This is particularly important in regions where scattered “veteran” old-growth trees left behind by the original logging now constitute much of the remaining old-growth remnants, such as in the Coastal Douglas Fir zone on eastern Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, and around some of the Lower Mainland. This would also be important for saving ancient trees of exceptional size and importance for environmental, tourism, historic, and cultural purposes. Individual old-growth trees also provide sources of lichens and arthropods to colonize surrounding second-growth stands and are often “wildlife trees” for birds, bats, salamanders, bears, small mammals, and invertebrates as they age and die. Protected old-growth veterans should have a significant buffer of protected trees around them.

Stands – Much of southern Vancouver Island consists of scattered “pockets” of old-growth stands dozens to hundreds of hectares in size in the sea of surrounding clearcuts and second-growth tree plantations, such as the 50 hectare Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew. Old-growth stands are important as refugia for both small and larger wildlife (eg. deer wintering range), and can provide high quality nature experiences for tourists and for environmental education and research initiatives. The Cathedral Grove near Port Alberni is perhaps the most famous old-growth stand of high tourism and ecological value in North America.

Landscapes – Protecting the larger and more contiguous tracts of old-growth forests is the most important priority from an ecological perspective. Larger old-growth tracts, such as whole valleys and clusters of valleys, where they still exist are better able to sustain species over time (especially wider ranging creatures like wolves and cougars), store large amounts of carbon, provide clean water for fisheries and as drinking watersheds, provide wilderness tourism experiences, and have greater resilience in the face of climate change. The Upper Walbran Valley, Nahmint Valley, East Creek Valley, and Clayoqout Sound with its scores of intact valleys and islands are examples of larger tracts of ancient forests that need protection on Vancouver Island.

Old-growth forests are important to sustain endangered species, the climate, tourism, clean water, and First Nations cultures. 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have been logged on Vancouver Island, including 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow and most biodiversity resides. See “before and after” maps at: https://16.52.162.165/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/

The Avatar Grove is the most easily accessible, monumental stand of endangered ancient redcedars and Douglas firs on southern Vancouver Island. Most of the route to the Avatar Grove is paved, it exists on relatively gentle terrain, and is only a 15 minute drive from Port Renfrew. Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt came across the Avatar Grove in December, 2009, while on an exploratory expedition in the Gordon River Valley. Support for protecting the Avatar Grove includes the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, the Sooke Region Tourism Association, and elected political representatives at three levels, including federal Liberal MP Keith Martin, provincial NDP MLA John Horgan, and Regional Director Mike Hicks. See spectacular photos at:  https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/
See the new Youtube clip “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree – Save the Avatar Grove” at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uPkAWsvVw

“We’ve had thousands of people sign our petition, write letters, rally, and visit the Avatar Grove. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to save one of the most magnificent, easily accessible stands of monumental trees in BC that will hugely benefit the local economies of Port Renfrew, Sooke, Lake Cowichan, and Victoria,” states TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner. “Saving the Avatar Grove would be the gift that keeps on giving. I commend Forests Minister Pat Bell for opening the door to potentially protecting the Avatar Grove – lets hope he makes good on his stated intention.”

Standing beside a massive 16ft diameter redcedar stump is Hans Tammemagi

Call for Port Renfrew Foresters not to chop down ancient trees

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B.C.’s independent forest watchdog has sided with an environmental studies professor who filed a complaint last summer about a logging company that razed several huge, ancient trees in an area zoned for logging near Port Renfrew.

The Forest Practices Board (FCB) said the trees in question, cut by logging company Teal-Jones, were between 500 and 1,000 years old. Logging the trees was legal, but the board in a report released Thursday called for foresters and land managers to get “creative” about conserving trees of exceptional size, form, age or historical significance.

“Having withstood the ravages of time over many centuries, [ancient trees] can inspire awe and reverence, a sense of spirituality and connection to past events,” the report reads.

“This complaint highlights the strong public interest in seeing more ancient trees and forest stands preserved to live out their natural lives and functions, and managed as a social, economic and ecological asset to the public and surrounding communities,” said board chair Al Gorley.

Hans Tammemagi, an adjunct professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria, said he was “appalled” last summer to find about a half-dozen stumps of freshly cut ancient trees in an area north of Port Renfrew known as the “Gordon landscape unit.”

“I stood on top of a stump that you could have built a house on,” he said. “It was huge. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

“. . . When they come across trees like this [I would like to see them] stop, and either cut around them or consult with the local community.”

He said his entreaties to Teal-Jones, a 65-year-old family-run logging company, fell on deaf ears when he phoned to complain.

“They really didn’t want to talk to me,” he said. “They were pretty adamant that they were doing everything legally, which they did.”

Darlene Omen, spokesperson for the FCB, said the recommendations released in Thursday’s report are not legally binding, but are meant to “highlight” the issue.

Tammemagi was encouraged, but not entirely satisfied by the board’s response.

“It’s positive, but it’s a bit on the weak side,” said Tammemagi. “I had hoped they’d come out with some stronger recommendations.”

Meanwhile, environmentalists as well as the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce continue to lobby Teal-Jones and the Forests Ministry to protect another ancient grove in the area known as Avatar Grove, which is considered a prime ecotourism destination.

Three quarters of Avatar Grove — home to what some say is the “world’s gnarliest tree” — remains vulnerable to Teal-Jones’ saws. The other quarter is legally protected.

“I would really like to see Teal Jones say voluntarily that they will not log Avatar Grove,” said Tammemagi.

Teal-Jones did not return The Province’s call Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals (ABCFP), the organization responsible for registering and regulating foresters, said its members are required under the Foresters Act to attempt to balance environmental, economic and social values when creating timber harvest plans.

“We will be raising this [report] with our members,” she said.

A giant 14ft diameter old-growth redcedar stump sits among dozens more in the clearcut near Port Renfrew

Watchdog wants big trees protected

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Creative ways should be found to protect the ancient giants in B.C.’s forests, says the Forest Practices Board.

The watchdog board investigated a complaint about massive old-growth trees being cut near Port Renfrew and concluded that, although the forest company — Teal Cedar Products Ltd. — did nothing wrong, government and forest companies should pay more attention to trees of exceptional size, form, age or historical significance.

“This complaint highlights the strong public interest in seeing more ancient trees and forest stands preserved to live out their natural lives and functions and managed as a social, economic and ecological asset to the public and surrounding communities,” said board chairman Al Gorley.

The report says such trees “can inspire awe and reverence, a sense of spirituality and connection to past events.”

Public awareness of special trees -often between 500 and 1,000 years old -is increasing as forest areas become more accessible, Gorley said. “From a public relations point of view, for the logging companies it’s sometimes going to make more sense to leave [the trees] there,” he said in an interview.

But the board stopped short of recommending hard and fast rules and, instead, is suggesting voluntary co-operation.

Forest companies could incorporate special trees into leave-alone areas, roads and landing areas could be planned to protect big trees or logging boundaries moved so big trees are not in the cutting area, Gorley said.

Some giant trees are protected through old-growth management areas and parks, but no one knows whether the most valuable and unusual sites are protected because B.C.’s forestry inventory and policies do not differentiate between forest stands 250 years old and those 500 years or older, the report says.

“A result is that the discovery of ancient, exceptional and irreplaceable trees often occurs with the onset of harvest planning. This situation can lead to public uncertainty and a sense of urgency and conflict in considering whether, in the circumstances, such trees should be protected,” it says.

Gorley said he does not know whether voluntary measures are enough to protect special trees.

“Time will tell. If over time we find we are losing them, then maybe government will feel it has to actually enact more specific rules,” he said.

The giant stumps near Port Renfrew were discovered close to a grove of huge trees, nicknamed Avatar Grove by the Ancient Forest Alliance, a group pushing for oldgrowth protection.

After photographs of the grove and the stumps were made public, an increasing number of hikers and tourists visited the area.

Ken Wu of the Ancient Forest Alliance said government needs to immediately expand the number of oldgrowth management areas and sites such as Avatar Grove should be given full protection.

The stump of a 14ft diameter old-growth redcedar freshly cut in 2010 found along the Gordon River near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.

Companies urged to conserve ancient trees

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 The Forest Practices Board is encouraging the government and forestry companies to get creative to save trees of exceptional size or form, age or historical significance.

The recommendation comes out of an investigation into a public complaint about logging of particularly large trees near Port Renfrew on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, the board said in a news release.

“This complaint highlights the strong public interest in seeing more ancient trees and forest stands preserved to live out their natural lives and functions, and managed as a social, economic and ecological asset to the public and surrounding communities,” said board chair Al Gorley.

“These significant trees can be from 500 to over 1,000 years old. Having withstood the ravages of time over many centuries, they can inspire awe and reverence, a sense of spirituality and connection to past events,” the release states.

The report found that the licensee in question complied with legislation, and did retain some trees of similar size and age to those harvested.

Avatar Grove

Forests minister to protect ancient trees

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Forests minister Pat Bell said Friday that ancient trees in British Columbia need more protection than they now have under existing legislation.

The minister’s acknowledgment that more needs to be done to protect monumental trees is not exactly a revelation. Environmental groups, particularly the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Wilderness Committee have been pushing for it for years.

However, it took the government’s own advisory group, the independent Forest Practices Board to climb on board before Victoria responded. (see story here) In a report released Thursday the board recommended  that the province, forest professionals and timber companies “seek creative means to preserve trees of exceptional size or form, age or historical significance when they encounter them.”

The board waded into the ancient tree fight after a private citizen, University of Victoria professor Hans Tammemagi, filed a formal complaint about logging in the so-called “Avatar Grove” near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island. The complaint was the mechanism that launched the review. The board’s finding lifted the issue beyond the usual polarization that characterizes most of the debate over just how much old-growth needs to be saved.

Bell said in an interview Friday that he has asked the province’s chief forester to review existing regulations and to develop new “tools” for protecting trees that, because of their age, have values that make them worth preserving.

“Certainly we have been hearing the message for some time from different organizations that we should be considering some tools, perhaps new tools that we could use when particularly unique trees are identified. They may be individual tees or small areas like the Avatar Grove that provide incremental value over and above the timber resource value,” the minister said.

He said the tools would likely be surgical in nature, permitting the forests ministry to protect individual trees and the forest patch around them. What these tools will look like, however, will be up to the chief forester.

The move was supported by the leading environmental group in the fight over Vancouver Island old growth, the Victoria-based Ancient Forest Alliance.

“That’s good, considering they appointed the board. It’s their advisory group. The question is, what tools are they going to use to protect monumental trees,” said the alliance’s Ken Wu.

He said the fight is not over, though. Monumental trees are the symbol the alliance is focusing in its fight to protect more old-growth eco-systems.

The trees in question are not just old-growth, which the province characterizes as anything more than 250 years old. The board uses the term “ancient” meaning they are over 500 years old.

The Avatar Grove was named by the alliance after the movie of the same name because the tree trunks are so huge and gnarly. The ancient trees are scattered throughout a much younger forest that likely originated because of fire or high winds about 100 years ago. Some of the area is protected from logging through the government’s old-growth management strategy for the Gordon River watershed. It requires five to 14 per cent of the trees to be protected as wildlife trees patches.

The board found that although the government has a strategy in place to manage the old-growth forest in the Gordon River watershed, there was not sufficient data to estimate the extent of ancient forest on the landscape. Inventories are not that detailed.

The board’s report states that if the government is to manage more precisely for ancient trees, more detailed inventories are required.

Click here for original article [Original article no longer available]

San Juan Spruce tree and the Red Creek Fir - some of the Canada's largest trees found right nearby!

Naturalists set to meet Island forests

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Images of the largest and most ancient trees on Vancouver Island and the campaign to protect them will be featured at the next free public meeting of the Cowichan Valley Naturalists.

This spectacular and informative slide show and talk by TJ Watt of the Ancient Forest Alliance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the Freshwater EcoCentre in Duncan.

Vancouver Island’s remaining old-growth forests are important for wildlife, salmon, tourism, climate, recreation, and their spiritual value. The talk will explain the campaign to protect them while maintaining forestry jobs through a sustainable second-growth industry and ending the export of raw logs. Watt will describe and show images of both the ecology of these forests and the political and economic environment that threatens their survival.

Each month the Cowichan Valley Naturalists sponsor two free public presentations; an evening meeting on the third Tuesday and a morning “coffee house” on the first Monday. The next coffee house, at 9:30 on Monday, March 7, will feature a talk on habitat restoration by biologist Dave Polster. The March evening meeting will feature a talk on plant-pollinator interactions with biologists from SFU. It is also the annual general meeting of the Naturalists’ Society.

Members in the Cowichan Valley Naturalists participate in a program of outings, conservation activities, and citizen science. Membership in this friendly group is a fun way to learn about our wonderful natural environment and how to care for it. They also sponsor and support the Young Naturalists Club of the Cowichan Valley for children and their parents.

For more information about the Cowichan Valley Naturalists, the Young Naturalists Club, or other local conservation organizations, visit www.naturecowichan.net or call John at 250-746-6141.

Liberal MP Keith Martin stands on top of a massive

Forestry Watchdog Concludes Strong Public Interest for Saving Ancient Forests and that BC Government can Readily Protect Avatar Grove

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The Ancient Forest Alliance is encouraged by several conclusions from yesterday’s report by BC’s Forest Practices Board (FPB) about the Avatar Grove and a nearby clearcut of enormous stumps close to Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island [see photos in the next email – also video clips available by request for TV media].  Click here to see report The Forest Practices Board is a government-appointed, third party watchdog group on BC’s forestry practices. 
 
The report was issued yesterday in regards to a private complaint from a BC resident (a University of Victoria Environment Studies professor) regarding two old-growth areas, one logged and one still standing, in the Gordon River Valley near Port Renfrew:  an ancient stand of near-record size redcedars – now a clearcut of giant stumps (logged in early 2010) – and the nearby Avatar Grove, still standing for now but threatened with potential logging. Both areas were found and highlighted to the media in 2010 by the Ancient Forest Alliance. 
 
“This report brings the welcome conclusions that there is ‘strong public interest’ in protecting our extremely rare, monumental stands of coastal ancient forests like the Avatar Grove, and that the BC government has the legal mechanisms to quickly protect them – if they have the political will,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and explorer who stumbled across the Avatar Grove over a year ago. “Lets hope the BC government will listen to their own appointed watchdog.”
 
The logged stand of ancient western redcedars investigated by the FPB report was among the most exceptional groves of remaining giant trees in North America until it was cut down – with several tree specimens that were 13 to 15 feet in trunk diameter. The Avatar Grove is perhaps the most easily accessible, endangered stand of monumental ancient Douglas firs and redcedars (some with remarkably giant burls, see the incredible photogallery at:  https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/ ) in BC.  Both areas are featured in the Ancient Forest Alliance’s newest video clip (1 minute), “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree – Save the Avatar Grove” on Youtube, which has had almost 4000 viewers in just two weeks. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uPkAWsvVw 
 
The report of the Forest Practices Board which investigated concerns about the “special value of trees of exceptional size or form, age or historical significance” that can be from 500 to over 1,000 years old, states that, “Having withstood the ravages of time over many centuries, they can inspire awe and reverence, a sense of spirituality and connection to past events,” and there is “strong public interest in seeing more ancient trees and forest stands preserved to live out their natural lives and functions, and managed as a social, economic and ecological asset to the public and surrounding communities.”
 
The report notes that a miniscule fraction – just 1% – of the Gordon Valley region (“landcape unit”) consists of protected stands of exceptionally large, monumental old-growth trees over 400 years in age, which the complainant to the FPB termed “ancient forests” to distinguish them from regular old-growth forests. In addition, it notes that only 15.7% of the Gordon landscape unit is protected in Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA’s).
 
The report also states in regards to the endangered Avatar Grove, 75% of which is open for logging (25% is protected within OGMA’s), that “current options to protect the unprotected part of the area include creation of a new park or other reserve, or expansion of the existing OGMAs” and that “If further protection is warranted for Avatar Grove, government has available policy and procedures to guide potential amendment of its land]use objective” to protect the area.
 
The Avatar Grove is the most easily accessible, monumental stand of endangered ancient redcedars and Douglas firs in a wilderness setting on southern Vancouver Island. It can be accessed not far past the end of a paved road, growing on relatively gentle terrain, only a 15 minute drive from Port Renfrew. Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt came across the Avatar Grove in December, 2009, while on an exploratory expedition in the Gordon River Valley. It is home to cougars, wolves, bears, elk, and deer. Support for protecting the Avatar Grove is extensive, and includes the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, the Sooke Regional Tourism Association, and elected political representatives at all three jurisdictional levels, including federal Liberal MP Keith Martin, provincial NDP MLA John Horgan, and Regional Director Mike Hicks.
 
“If the Avatar Grove falls, Port Renfrew won’t get another chance like this again for many human lifetimes,” stated TJ Watt. “The protection of the Avatar Grove – should the BC Liberal government have the wisdom and foresight – could very well become the ‘breadbasket’ for a tourism dependent community like Port Renfrew. I think most businesses in the community recognize this.”
 
The Ancient Forest Alliance is working to end the logging of endangered old-growth forests in BC, to ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests which now comprise most of southern BC’s forest lands, and to end the export of raw logs to foreign mills.
 
Old-growth forests are important for endangered species, the climate, tourism, clean water, and many First Nations cultures.
 
“Our ancient forests are as much a part of BC’s heritage as the Canucks, whale-watching, and Stanley Park,” states Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “How many jurisdictions on Earth still have trees that grow as wide as living rooms and as tall as downtown skyscrapers?  And how many still say it’s good to cut down them down? We now have a major second-growth alternative, so it’s nuts to keep logging towards the end of the old-growth resource at this stage in our history.”
 

Old-growth clearcut near the Avatar Grove in the Gordon River Valley.

Photograph of Vancouver Island clearcut wins national competition

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 A beautifully haunting photo of an old-growth clearcut on Vancouver Island has won a national photography competition.

Ancient Forest Alliance photographer T.J. Watt took first place in Outdoor Photography Canada magazine’s “Human Impact” photo contest with an image taken in the Gordon River Valley near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.

“As a photographer working for a cause you’re always looking for that elusive shot that truly captures both the emotional and the factual aspects of the issue in one image,” Watt said in a statement.

“It’s difficult to get both together but this picture is quickly proving to have done just that. Of the hundreds of thousands of photos I have taken, as sad as it is, this is the one I am most proud of.”

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the B.C. government to protect the province’s remaining old-growth forests, ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, and to ban raw log exports to foreign mills.

View other photos by T.J. Watt of Canada’s largest trees and stumps at: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/

Read more: https://www.vancouversun.com/Photograph+Vancouver+Island+clearcut+wins+national+competition/4227150/story.html#ixzz1D2PN2ply

Old-growth clearcut near the Avatar Grove in the Gordon River Valley.

Photo of Old-Growth Clearcut on Vancouver Island Takes Top Prize

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A raw and striking image of an old-growth tree stump in a clearcut near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island, BC, recently claimed 1st place in Outdoor Photography Canada magazine’s “Human Impact” photo contest in its latest fall/winter edition. The photo, taken by Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) photographer TJ Watt in the Gordon River Valley last March, shows a stark, foggy clearcut with a man solemnly poised on a giant stump surrounded by logging slash and a fringe of the former forest in the background. See the winning photo here: https://16.52.162.165/pic.php?pID=12  

 

“As a photographer working for a cause you’re always looking for that elusive shot that truly captures both the emotional and the factual aspects of the issue in one image. It’s difficult to get both together but this picture is quickly proving to have done just that. Of the hundreds of thousands of photos I have taken, as sad as it is, this is the one I am most proud of,” notes Watt.

 

Photography is a powerful and essential tool for raising environmental awareness and Watt feels its key benefit lies in its ability to bring remote or unseen places to the public’s eye.

 

“My images focus mainly on the threats to BC’s endangered old-growth forests and often times I am taking photos where less than and a handful of people have stood, if any at all. The rugged rainforests of Vancouver Island go largely unexplored and the clearcuts are very treacherous so it’s really important to be able to share the images from these places that few people see,” says Watt. “If you can’t bring the 4 million people in BC to the woods then you need to bring the woods to them. And now with the power of GPS mapping and Google Earth you can extend that concept to include the entire world.”

 

Watt and a hiking partner snapped the winning shot after they finished leading a public hike through the nearby endangered Avatar Grove (see Watt’s photo gallery here: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/) – a stand of easily accessible, monumental old-growth forest flagged and surveyed for logging that has caught the attention of thousands of British Columbians, elected officials, and media over the past year.

 

See other photos by TJ Watt of Canada’s largest trees and stumps at:   https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/

 

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC Liberal government to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests, ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, and to ban raw log exports to foreign mills.

 

 

You can visit Outdoor Photography Canada magazine’s website here: https://www.outdoorphotographycanada.com/