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Photo: Cute Bear Cub Climbs Tree!

Jul 11 2025/in Creature Feature, Educational

Cuteness alert! A baby black bear climbs a tree! ??

This little cub on the west coast of Vancouver Island was likely born inside the hollow heart of an ancient redcedar, a favourite maternity den for mother bears in this region.

Newborn black bears are among the smallest mammals in proportion to their mothers. This cub likely weighed about 300 grams (just over half a pound) at birth, roughly one three-hundredth the size of its mother. These blind, nearly hairless little jellybeans stay in the den with their mother for 2–3 months before emerging as playful, fuzzy cubs.

Trees continue to provide safety as the cubs grow. At the first sign of danger, mother bears will send their babies scrambling up a tree trunk or use trees as a safe place for cubs while she forages nearby. In spring, black bears also visit hemlock trees like this one for a sugary treat, stripping away the outer bark of young hemlocks to feast on the sweet cambium when the sap starts to flow.

Thankfully, we were able to view this little cutie from a distance without meeting Mom and then carried on our way. You never know what you might stumble upon while exploring old-growth forests!

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Thank you to these businesses and organizations!

Jul 9 2025/in Thank You

As a business or organization, there are many ways to support the old-growth campaign in BC. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the following for their passion and commitment in helping to ensure these endangered forests are protected!

Thank you to:

Mme. Leblanc’s students at École des Glaciers, who executed an entrepreneurial project in which they sold a handmade product at the local farmers market and gave 10% of all their sales to the Ancient Forest Alliance.
Robinson’s Outdoor Store, who gave a generous donation as part of their Patagonia Thrifting for Charity Initiative, and who are valued long-time supporters.
And the Ewasiuk-Dobbie Family Foundation for their kind contribution to the campaign.

Your generosity and belief in the work we’re doing here at AFA are greatly appreciated, and we’re very grateful! If you work at or own a business that shares our vision and would like to support old-growth protection through a one-time or monthly donation, contact info@ancientforestalliance.org to learn more.

Photos: Sydney River Valley – Clayoquot Sound

Jul 7 2025/in Photo Gallery

On the far western edge of Clayoquot Sound lies the Sydney River Valley, a fully intact rainforest watershed at the head of Sydney Inlet. In 2024, after years of advocacy, much of the watershed was permanently protected under the leadership of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. To learn more about this incredible valley and see photos, click the image below!