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Hollywood spin for old-growth forest

Mar 26 2010/in News Coverage

The Avatar Grove — a stunning stand of old-growth trees on Vancouver Island — is slated for destruction but local “Na’vis” hope to save it.

In reference to the James Cameron blockbuster film Avatar, the Ancient Forest Alliance will dress in blue like the indigenous Na’vis in the movie, at a demonstration Saturday in Vancouver.

Big-tree enthusiast and photographer T.J. Watt and AFA cofounder Ken Wu gave the name Avatar Grove to “a spectacular stand of old-growth red cedars and Douglas firs, some covered in giant contorted burls and hanging mosses in an alien rainforest.”

Wu pointed out Avatar Grove is an ideal ecotourism destination, about 10 kilometres north of Port Renfrew, the jumping-off point for hikers who walk the West Coast Trail.

“We wanted people to know about this world of ancient trees that is just as beautiful,” as that in the movie, said Wu.

Wu and Watt were shocked last month to find that the area’s trees were spray-painted and flagged for logging boundaries.

“This is the most accessible and finest stand of ancient trees on southern Vancouver Island, in an area of maybe 1,500 hectares in the Gordon River Valley,” said Wu.

“They’ve already logged about 88 per cent of the old-growth forests south of Port Alberni, and 95 per cent of the productive old-growth forests on low, flat terrain.”

A Facebook site set up to save the grove, including what the AFA calls the “world’s gnarliest tree” has attracted 6,000 hits.

Logging flags are now placed within a few metres of the “gnarliest” tree which is a massive red cedar, with a trunk distorted and distended by naturally-occurring burls caused by fungus growth.

It may be Avatar Grove to conservationists, but it’s part of Tree Farm License 46 to the Teal-Jones Group, which owns the area’s logging rights.

Teal-Jones, started in 1946 by Jack Jones and his sons Tom, Dick and Harry Jones, has become a four-generation family business, with a logging operation and other sites that now employ about 700 people.

April Choquette, an employee and daughter of Tom Jones had no comment yesterday.

Unlike other remote big-tree stands that require serious bushwhacking, Avatar Grove is easily accessible by paved road and good gravel road.

Even the town of Port Renfrew would like to see Avatar Grove preserved.

“This would be perfect for all the visitors we get who want to see big trees but can’t do long, difficult hikes,” said Jon Cash, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce.

“Absolutely, the future of this town lies in ecotourism, not logging.”

Forests Ministry spokeswoman Vivian Thomas said Teal Jones has “not yet submitted a cutting permit [which is] required before they can begin logging.”

The rally will begin at Canada Place at 12 noon Saturday, then march to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

TOMORROW Saturday, March 27 – RALLY for Ancient Forests and Forestry Jobs!

Mar 26 2010/in Announcements, Take Action

Send a message to the BC Liberal government that they need to protect our ancient forests, ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, and ban raw log exports to protect forestry jobs!

Vancouver, BC
12:00 NOON – Meet at Canada Place (closest Skytrain is Waterfront Station)
12:30pm – Begin march to Vancouver Art Gallery with the lively “Carnival Band”.
1:00 pm – Arrive at Vancouver Art Gallery-Georgia Street side: Speeches by Judith Sayers (former Chief of the Hupacasath First Nation), Ken Wu (Ancient Forest Alliance Co-founder), Jens Wieting (Sierra Club of BC Forest Campaigner), and Stephanie Goodwin (Greenpeace)!

Invite everyone you know to this family-friendly event!

Victorians and Vancouver Islanders please go to Vancouver for the day, it’ll be worth it!

Confirm on Facebook and Invite your friends at:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=345299427697&index=1

For more info contact the Point Grey Ancient Forest Committee at: ancientforestcommittee@gmail.com

Visit the Ancient Forest Alliance website: www.ancientforestalliance.org

Organized by the Ancient Forest Alliance, Point Grey Ancient Forest Committee, Simon Fraser University Ancient Forest Action Group.

Vancouver Island’s own Avatar world under threat

Mar 25 2010/in News Coverage

Get ready to visit the world of Avatar — for real.

On Sunday, March 28, the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is taking volunteers, community members, media and anyone interested to visit Vancouver Island’s own “Avatar Grove,” a special old-growth forest located near Port Renfrew.

Because of its “spectacular and accessible” newly-identified old-growth red cedars and Douglas-firs, the site has been named after the magical environment of the 2009 hit film Avatar.

Yet the site has come under recent attention as some of the trees have been freshly marked for logging. Now, AFA hopes some untraced exposure will help keep this resource protected for generations to come, as they prepare to compete with a Surrey-based logging company and the provincial government.

“There has been logging around Avatar Grove, which has left the surrounding area as second growth now. Yet the grove itself has remained standing. It’s a little gem out in the middle of Port Renfrew left behind,” said Katrina Andres, operations director with AFA. “One of our missions is to expose wilderness areas to people who would never be able to see them on their own. It can be so special.”

AFA is a new B.C. organization “working to protect the endangered old-growth forests of B.C. and to ensure sustainable forestry jobs in the province,” states their website.

The group was created this past January by former Western Canada Wilderness Committee activist Ken Wu and others.

Andres says that, while the Wilderness Committee was restricted by its “charitable organization” status, AFA splintered off as a non-profit — meaning it has the freedom to speak out against the governmental moves it disagrees with.

“Because we’re a non-profit society, not a charity, we have freedom that the Wilderness Committee lacked,” Andres said. “For example, the Liberal government does not have good policies on old-growth forest development, so we can finally come straight out and say that.”

The group has been busy since its inception. For those who want to get more involved with AFA, the organization is holding the “Rally for Ancient Forests and Forestry Jobs” at 12 noon on Saturday, March 27.

While the rally is in Vancouver by Canada Place, the group hopes many will come out to “send a message to the B.C. Liberal government that they need to protect our ancient forests, ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests and ban raw log exports to protect forestry jobs.”

If support is in question, the group’s nearly 7,000 Facebook members could be a good indication that people really do care. And while Sunday’s road trip is a RSVP-only event, AFA has almost 50 people signed up so far. The group plans to meet at UVic by Cinecenta early morning Sunday, then make the two-and-a-half-hour trek out to Port Renfrew. After the day hike, they plan on returning to campus by about 5:30 p.m.

“It’s great to care about the forest missions, but it’s definitely important for people to get out there and see real old-growth forest for themselves,” said Andres. “Nothing gives you the perspective that truly being out there and seeing it can. It’s incredible. Until you see those trees marked down, nothing can hit you quite so hard.”

To join the Avatar voyage, contact Andres at uvicwilderness@gmail.com. For more information on the group, visit ancientforestalliance.org or search for them on Facebook.