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Thank you to these foundations for their support!

Mar 6 2024/in Thank You

An exciting component about the Ancient Forest Alliance becoming a charitable organization is we can now accept donations through foundations! We would like to thank the following foundations for their generous support toward ancient forests in BC in 2023 and so far in 2024. Thank you to:

Edmonton Community Foundation’s “Gaia Fund” and “Don & Joan Stanley Fund”
Gencon Foundation
The Langar Foundation
The Rossy Foundation
Lannie and Ralph Keller, and Erica Lewis and Rick Erickson, both Seed Funds of the St. Louis Community Foundation
Victoria Foundation’s “Pass-Through Grants Fund”
Peter McAllister through Gift Funds Canada, and;
MakeWay Foundation’s “Jack and Nance Giving Fund”

Please consider us next time you’re making a donation through a foundation! Your support is very appreciated.

Hair Ice

Feb 27 2024/in Educational

Hidden among the rainforests of BC you can find wonders of ephemeral beauty and minute delicacy, and few of these are stranger or lovelier than the phenomenon of hair ice.

Also known as “frost beard” or “ice wool”, hair ice appears only on dead deciduous wood when the temperatures are hovering just below zero degrees and when the air is humid. At first, it looks like a silvery moss or fungus, but a closer inspection shows instead a mass of fine icy filaments. These are incredibly slender, about .02 mm in diameter. Densely packed, they form a pearly cloud of ice. The slightest touch of a warm finger or even a breath will dissolve this fragile sculpture like cotton candy on the tongue.

But where does it come from? This magical winter phenomenon, like so much that is strange and mystical in forest ecology, is associated with a particular species of fungus: a jelly fungus called Exidiopsis effusa.

Under ideal conditions, a process called “ice segregation” occurs. This is when water freezes on the outside of dead wood, sandwiching a thin film of water between this ice and the wood pores. At this “ice front”, water is then drawn up through the wood pores towards the ice surface, where it freezes and adds to the existing ice. Lignin and tannin from the fungus are found in the ice and are thought to work as a sort of anti-freeze, inhibiting the delicate ice from recrystallizing into coarser structures and helping stabilize their unique shape for hours.

Because hair ice is associated with a specific fungus inside the wood, the same pieces may produce hair ice year after year. Around Vancouver Island, these are commonly the dead branches of red alder trees. If you are lucky enough to find it, take careful note of the exact spot, you may be able to repeat the encounter, even several years later, when the conditions are once again just right!

It’s AFA’s 14th birthday!

Feb 23 2024/in Announcements

We’re celebrating our 14th birthday on February 24th and all we’ve accomplished this year together. Will you celebrate with us by giving $14 to help protect the ancient forests of BC?

Our birthday is upon us again and we have much reason to celebrate given the historic successes we’ve seen over the past year! And whether you just joined us now, or you’ve been with us since our founding in 2010, thank you — our work wouldn’t be possible without you. Together, we’re changing the course of conservation in BC in major ways.

In honour of our 14th birthday and recent milestones, and to support the critical work that still needs to be done, please consider giving $14 or more today to help us reach our fundraising goal of $14,000 by March 10, 2024. While $14 may seem like a small amount, it can add up quickly and will truly make a difference in what we can achieve this year!

Donate $14 or more.

What has your financial support resulted in?
See the milestones you’ve helped us achieve in just over ONE YEAR, including:

Over one billion dollars announced for nature conservation in BC through the BC Nature Agreement.
The launch of a $300-million conservation financing fund by the province.
The launch of a $100-million BC Old-Growth Fund to save the most at-risk old-growth forests.
The commitment by Premier David Eby to protect 30% of lands in BC by 2030.
The release of the draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework intended to prioritize ecosystem integrity over resource extraction.

It’s been amazing to see this progress — now let’s keep the momentum going!

With your continued support, we’ll be able to:

Expand our important work with key First Nations communities to support Indigenous-led protected areas initiatives in areas with the best old-growth forests in BC while fostering sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging. (See our current public projects, the Kanaka Bar IPCA & MMFN Salmon Parks)
Ensure that BC uses “ecosystem-based targets” that include “forest productivity distinctions” (i.e. big trees vs. small trees) to guide the expansion of protected areas in the province and the spending of its conservation dollars. This is now the most critical campaign piece needed.
Push for deferral or “solutions space” funding to help offset lost logging revenues for First Nations who are still deciding whether to implement deferrals in the most at-risk old-growth forests in their territories.
Continue to explore and document endangered old-growth forests in BC, bringing back professional images, videos, and stories to help educate citizens across BC and around the world, inspiring them to act.
Continue to broaden our support base to ensure that the province knows that people from all walks of life, including businesses, unions, faith groups, and more, want to see old-growth forests in BC protected!

From the major wins we’ve seen in the past year to the key work that still needs to be done, your passion, dedication, and generosity will play a vital role in our ability to help preserve the incredible old-growth forests we all love so much. We’re grateful for anything you can give. Thank you for standing with us.

For the forests,
—The Ancient Forest Alliance team