We hope you and your loved ones have a safe and healthy holiday season and find some time to spend in nature. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of standing in the presence of ancient giants; a wave of wonder, serenity, and calm washes over you. The healing nature of these ecosystems has never been more important to our personal and planetary well-being.
As 2023 comes to a close, we want to extend our deepest thanks for the support you’ve shown over this past year. Together, we have achieved so much. We look forward to all that’s still to come.
For the forests,
The Ancient Forest Alliance team
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Winter-Old-Growth.jpg13652048TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2023-12-25 07:00:422023-12-23 10:18:20Happy holidays from the AFA
The AFA Office in Victoria will be closed from Friday, Dec. 22nd to Monday, Jan. 1st. We will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2nd with regular business hours. Any AFA merchandise orders received during this time will be shipped on or after Wednesday, Jan. 3rd.
Thank you for your support and wishing you a healthy and joyous holiday season!
As 2023 comes to a close, we want to extend our deepest thanks to you for helping us achieve so much this year. We’re seeing some of the most significant progress towards nature conservation in Canadian history with the potential to keep ancient forests standing for generations to come. Read on to see our highlights from 2023, and if you’re able, please make a tax-deductible donation to help us keep the momentum going in 2024! Thank you!
Top 5 Campaign Highlights of 2023
1. Over one billion dollars announced for nature conservation in BC through the BC Nature Agreement.
We always joked that if we had a billion dollars, we could finally see ancient forests get the protection they deserve. Well, in November, that funding arrived! This is the largest provincial funding package in Canadian history for nature conservation and will be vital to support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives and deal with all the various costs of establishing new protected areas, particularly in contested landscapes. What a major victory!
2. $300-million conservation financing fund launched by the province.
We did it! After more than five years of campaigning for this specific goal, in November, the province launched its $300 million conservation financing fund to help protect old-growth forests through the creation of new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas while supporting sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging. We probably asked you to send a message calling for conservation financing about 300 million times, but our collective efforts truly paid off!
3. $100-million BC Old-Growth Fund launched to save the most at-risk old-growth forests.
Thanks to the work of MP Patrick Weiler, this federal-provincial funding pot (set to increase to at least $164 million) is now available to help protect anywhere from 400,000 hectares to 1.3 million hectares of the grandest, rarest, and oldest stands in the Coastal and Inland Rainforests and the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone. These areas include the spectacular forests you see in all of our photos! What an incredible leap forward!
4. Premier David Eby commits to protecting 30% of lands in BC by 2030.
The year started strong shortly after this commitment was made by Premier David Eby, which will double the current extent of legislated protected areas across BC (an additional area of about four times the size of Vancouver Island). It took over a century to get to the first 15%, now we’re set to double that in just seven years!
5. Draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework is released.
2023 ended with the BC government releasing its draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework, which, if done correctly, will open the door for a major paradigm shift in conservation: prioritizing saving the most endangered ecosystems via “ecosystem-based targets”. The draft framework aims to prioritize ecological values above timber extraction and other industrial activity across all ministries. It’s incredible to see this language being used when compared to where we were five years ago! Stay tuned for calls to action on this piece soon.
Ancient Forest Alliance photographer & campaigner, TJ Watt, beside an enormous old-growth Sitka spruce growing unprotected west of Lake Cowichan in Ditidaht territory.
Biggest News Stories of 2023
This year we were once again able to garner multiple international news stories, twice making the top story on Apple News! Here are a few of the year’s top stories below.
Thanks to your generous support, we continue to embark on field expeditions to explore and document the beauty and destruction of endangered old-growth forests in BC, which often results in the coverage you see here.
Top 3 Photos of 2023
Professional photography continues to be one of our greatest communication tools. Below are three of TJ’s photos that gained the most attention this year!
The most impressive tree in Canada. Flores Island cedar, Ahousaht territory.
The largest spruce in Canada, San Jo’s Smiley. Northern Vancouver Island, Quatsino territory.
Fallen giants. Northern Vancouver Island, Quatsino territory.
Our Favourite Video of 2023
Bringing ancient forests to life through video is one of our favourite ways to share our explorations with you. This spectacular video showcases the most impressive tree in Canada growing on Flores Island in Ahousaht territory!
Supporting Indigenous-led Old-Growth Protection
Together with our partners Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and Nature-Based Solutions Foundation, Ancient Forest Alliance continued its support for two exciting Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area proposals.
We have partnered with the Kanaka Bar Indian Band in the Fraser Canyon to help support their T’eqt’aqtn Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) which will protect some of the most diverse old-growth ecosystems found anywhere in BC, including 42 species at risk.
These Indigenous-led conservation initiatives will eventually see over 43,000 hectares (430 km2) of combined old growth protected — an area about four times the size of Vancouver!
We’ll continue to expand our efforts with other key First Nations in 2024.
Old-growth Douglas-fir forest in the Burman River valley. Proposed Salmon Park, Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory.
On top of what was one of the most action-packed years in the history of our organization, we also received charitable status this year! If you’re inspired by the progress you see above, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us launch into 2024.
A sincere thank you to all those who contacted decision-makers, donated, organized a fundraiser, purchased AFA gear, met with your elected representatives, signed a resolution, shared our photos and news articles, or simply cheered us on. British Columbians and people from across the globe continue to demonstrate that they will stand up for the protection of endangered old-growth forests. Collectively, we are changing the world.
We can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in 2024!
For the forests, The Ancient Forest Alliance team
(L-R) Nadia Sheptycki (Victoria Canvass Director), Joan Varley (Administrative Director), TJ Watt (Campaigner & Photographer), Kristen Bounds (Communications Coordinator), Coral Forbes (Donor Relations & Administrative Associate) and Ian Thomas (Research & Engagement Officer)
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Giant-Cedar-Northern-Vancouver-Island.jpg13652048TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2023-12-19 15:32:192023-12-21 15:50:59Best of 2023 — AFA’s top photos, videos, news & campaigns!
TJ Watt, a co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, a charitable organization that works to protect endangered old-growth forests, waited more than a year after first happening across the massive tree, which he nicknamed “The Wall,” to even tell the world about its existence, according to The Washington Post.
During that time, Watt consulted with members of the Ahousaht First Nation, who have lived in the area for thousands of years.
“It was decided that we should keep the tree’s location a secret because these are sensitive areas, and everything could get pretty trampled if word got out where to find it,” Watt told the Post.
He also took time to thoroughly measure and document The Wall. It is believed that the massive tree is over 1,000 years old, standing 151 feet tall and 17 and a half feet in diameter.
“I’ve found thousands and thousands of trees, and I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of photos of old-growth forests,” Watt told the Post. “But I’ve never seen a tree as impressive as this one.”
“It was incredible to stand before it,” he continued. “I’d describe it as a freak of nature because it actually gets wider as it gets taller. As I looked up at it, I felt a sense of awe and wonder.”
Canada’s largest documented tree, a humongous red cedar known as the Cheewhat Giant, is located in the protected Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and stands 182 feet tall and 19 feet in diameter, per the Post.
Old-growth forests play an essential role in wildlife habitat, species diversity, carbon storage, and other crucial ecological processes. However, like so many parts of the natural world, they are threatened by pollution, the effects of human-caused extreme weather events, and the logging industry.
Although trees such as the Cheewhat Giant are protected, per the Post, 80% of the original old-growth forests on Vancouver Island have already been logged, according to the Ancient Forest Alliance. That’s why it is essential that The Wall stays protected and its location unreleased.
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Flores-Island-Clayoquot-Sound-147.jpg13652048TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2023-12-18 11:07:352023-12-18 11:07:35Nature photographer discovers ancient ‘freak-of-nature’ tree hiding in plain sight: ‘I’ve never seen a tree as impressive as this one’
Thanks to all who attended and/or supported our Year-End Celebration & Fundraiser!
We’re feeling extremely grateful following our event this past Tuesday evening, where you helped us raise $5,284 for old-growth protection through donations, the silent auction, and merchandise sales! We hope you enjoyed the engaging presentations, food, drinks, and socializing with other old-growth fans.
As always, meeting and having conversations with many of you in person is a great reminder of what a dedicated, passionate, and kind community we have standing with us. We couldn’t have achieved all the latest success without you!
Your support this season will make a huge difference and will ensure we’re able to hit the ground running come 2024.
For the forests, The Ancient Forest Alliance team
https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AFA-Year-End-Event-2023-40.jpg13652048TJ Watthttp://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px-300x300.pngTJ Watt2023-12-01 16:57:152024-07-15 17:17:20Thanks for the support at our Year-End Celebration & Fundraiser!
