Blog Archive Layout

Wu atop a red cedar stump in Upper Walbran Valley.

Ken Wu Wants to Save ‘the Avatar Grove’

Mar 9 2010/in News Coverage

Ken Wu knows how to get attention for ancient forests.

When we met at the Bread Garden Café on Broadway in Vancouver just after the news broke a few weeks ago that he and several other tree-hugging stalwarts from Vancouver Island had splintered from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee to form the Ancient Forest Alliance, the former Victoria campaign director for WCWC mentioned how much he enjoyed the movie Avatar.

A few weeks later he’d not only shone the media spotlight at his new organization — while repeatedly resisting the opportunity to take potshots at his old one for closing down the office that has been home base for many Vancouver Island environmentalists — he’d launched a new high-profile campaign to save an ancient forest near Port Renfrew that his group has dubbed what else but “the Avatar Grove.” Also known as TFL (Tree Farm License) 46, the stand, which includes some of South Island’s largest red cedars and Douglas firs, is scheduled to be logged any second now.

If the name attracts the attention of Avatar creator James Cameron — and in the days of Twitter and Google alerts you never know (this’d be the hint for whoever reads Cameron’s press to alert him before it’s too late) — this could be the most inspired new name for a patch of endangered land since “The Great Bear Rainforest.”

I spoke to Wu about the challenges of starting a new group — their total bankroll when we met was just over $200 — his excitement at the freedom that comes with not being part of a group with charitable status and his conviction that he could build an effective new organization from scratch with the magic of Facebook and the alliance he helped build on Vancouver Island.

At press time the Alliance’s two Facebook groups already had close to 7,000 members.

No logging plans near giant fir: TimberWest

Mar 6 2010/in Announcements

Flagging tape in the immediate vicinity of the world’s largest Douglas fir does not mean the area will be logged in the near future, according to forest company TimberWest.

The marked cutblock, less than 100 metres from the Red Creek Fir, was found by members of the Ancient Forest Alliance who say that if surrounding trees are cut, the 74-metre tall tree will be in danger of blow-down.

The tree is 15 kilometres east of Port Renfrew.

The flagging tape is on TimberWest private land, although the Red Creek Fir is on Crown land. Company spokeswoman Sue Handel said the tape does not necessarily indicate harvesting plans.

“We use it in many ways — to determine boundaries and what we have on the land base as assets,” she said.

“We don’t have any immediate plans for harvesting in the area. In the next year or two, it’s not in our short-term harvesting plans.”
TimberWest is aware of public interest in the Red Creek Fir and is planning to improve access to the area, Handel said.

Part of the trail leading to the tree is on TimberWest land, so the company is looking at an access agreement with the province and possible “parking opportunities,” she said.

However, members of the Alliance are skeptical about the company’s long-term plans and want to see the surrounding area protected to ensure the tree survives.

“We believe it is the B.C. Liberal government’s obligation to protect the surrounding Crown lands and to purchase the adjacent private lands to protect the ecosystem where the Red Creek Fir survives,” said Ken Wu. “That would ensure the area’s integrity for biodiversity, tourism, recreation and other important values.”

Protect old grove before it’s too late

Mar 5 2010/in Announcements

The provincial government should not let the mostly undisturbed grove in the Gordon River Valley, nicknamed Avatar Grove, be logged. It is a gem of an ecosystem and with so little of our old-growth forests left, it is not something we can afford to lose. With its proximity to Port Renfrew, it will be very beneficial for bringing in tourists, which will support local economies.

People will not come from all over the world to see giant stumps and ugly clearcuts. Tourists come to Canada to see the natural beauty that we have left.

An immediate land-use order is needed to protect this grove of old-growth red cedar and Douglas fir trees. A provincial old-growth strategy is also needed to protect and sustainably manage the remaining old growth in our province. All logging that goes on in our second-growth forests should be sustainable so that they remain healthy for many generations to come.