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People around the world care deeply about British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest because of its spectacular natural beauty, rich First Nations cultures and their hope that thriving communities and intact rainforest are about to become reality in this region.

The public’s optimism that this is possible is built on the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements announced in February 2006 by the provincial government, First Nations, a group of logging companies and environmental groups, which marked a breakthrough after years of land use conflicts, and were celebrated around the world.

By March 2009, a number of key milestones were met, including setting aside half of the rainforest, $120 million for First Nations community well-being and shared decision-making, and a new five-year-plan agreed on the outstanding steps to meet the goals of a healthy rainforest and communities by 2014.

Today, after years of technical work, negotiations and planning, all parties involved have a clear understanding of what the solutions package will include: improve decision-making between Province and First Nations; new human well-being commitments for First Nations; increase the amount of rainforest off-limits to logging to 70 per cent of the natural old-growth and an ecologically-sound forest management framework.

All that is missing at this point is for the B.C. government to heed the call from First Nations, forestry companies, environmental organizations and a majority of British Columbians (68 per cent, according to a 2013 poll) and focus leadership and resources to finish the task in the coming weeks.

Eight years since the historic announcement, here are eight reasons why now is the time for the B.C. government to fully deliver the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements:

1. Because there is only one Great Bear Rainforest.

Twice as big as Belgium, the region represents some of the largest intact tracts of coastal temperate rainforest on the planet. Temperate rainforests have always been globally rare, covering less than one per cent of the planet’s land mass, and today few areas remain unlogged. It is the only home of the rare white spirit bear and provides intact habitat for unique coastal wolves, grizzly bears and all five species of Pacific salmon.

2. Because we urgently need a model for an economy that respects the limits of nature.

The new approach to forest conservation and management introduced in the Great Bear Rainforest is based on Ecosystem Based Management. Its key principle is to respect Mother Nature’s needs and undertake careful planning to make sure enough forest is being set aside before logging happens. Whether looking at clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat or a livable climate: This is a model the world is desperately waiting for.

3. Because success is paramount to build trust that collaboration can work.

All parties involved, some of them with a long history of conflict, managed to move from confrontation to collaboration. With perseverance, vision and leadership, the B.C. government, First Nations, logging companies and environmental organizations have managed to work through complex issues and endorse an integrated set of agreements including conservation, economic activity, funding and decision-making. Not following through would put the trust in collaboration at stake.

4. Because it is a model for a new relationship between First Nations and the Province.

The government-to-government relationship and the resulting progress toward shared decision-making, reconciliation and revenue-sharing between the Province and First Nations has become an integral part of the agreements and implementation progress in this region. And it offers a potential answer to pressing questions arising out of the recent milestone Supreme Court William case that strengthened First Nations rights.

5. Because one of the best carbon banks on the planet will be protected.

There are few ecosystems on the planet that store as much carbon per hectare as coastal temperate rainforests. Protecting the rainforest keeps carbon out of the atmosphere. These large intact old-growth rainforest areas are more resilient than other forests under a changing climate.

6. Because it matters to B.C.’s coastal forest industry.

The conservation commitments contained in the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements have resulted in significant reputational benefits for the forest industry operating in the region (despite the fact that forest management remains dismal in almost all other parts of the province). But as long as conservation gaps remain, the marketplace remains concerned about potential conflict.

7. Because we will inspire action to protect the lungs of the world.

The world’s life support systems are on the brink. Intact natural forests are the lungs of our planet, habitat of a large part of the world’s species and home to hundreds of millions of human beings. Success in the Great Bear Rainforest will inspire change elsewhere, from the Boreal to the equator and beyond.

8. Because the world is watching.

The Great Bear Rainforest is a global treasure and its fate a global concern. From forest products customers to people working to protect tropical rainforest and Prince Charles, the world is watching to see if promises made in 2006 and 2009 will be kept. There are few moments in the history of British Columbia where a provincial government is presented with an opportunity of this global significance to show leadership and make a gift to the world.

Jens Wieting is Forest and Climate Campaigner with the Sierra Club BC, Eduardo Sousa is Senior Forests Campaigner for Greenpeace, and Valerie Langer is Senior Campaigner with ForestEthics Solutions.

Read more: https://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/Opinion+time+fully+deliver+Great+Bear+Rainforest/10350258/story.html

Here in B.C. we have an abundance of large, gorgeous trees.

But some are so big and beautiful that we can't get them out of our heads (who could forget Big Lonely Doug?). For those, the University of British Columbia has relaunched the BC Big Tree Registry.

Newly acquired by the university's Faculty of Forestry, the database keeps track of our province's biggest and brightest trees. The registry is now online so that people can use interactive maps to search for big trees in their areas. Users can also nominate big trees for verification by an expert.

B.C. is home to 50 different tree species, according to Sally Aitken, a UBC professor of forest and conservation sciences.

Big trees “are the largest organisms that we can see, touch and feel,” she said in a UBC interview. “We have trees that were around before our parents or great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents were born. These massive and beautiful organisms represent a biological legacy.”

So if you ever needed an excuse to explore more of this great province of ours, here it is. Give the trees a hug for us!

Read more and VIEW PHOTOS and VIDEO at: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/09/26/bc-big-trees-photos_n_5891200.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-british-columbia
 

The University of B.C. recently took on the task of turning “several bankers’ boxes of paper and physical photos” on the province’s largest trees into a usable online database — and they want the public to add to it.

The idea is that if we know where British Columbia’s largest trees are, they can be protected and studied, according to UBC forests and conservation prof. Sally Aitken.

“Those big trees really represents a biological legacy from the past. We want to maintain that legacy,” she said.

“We don’t know how these trees are going to react to climate change, to the new environment they find themselves in — if we know where they are now, it gives us a basis to monitor them.”

B.C., Aitken said, is home to some of the largest trees in the world. And despite how the existing paper-based records go back to 1986 and already contain 300 of the province’s most enormous trees, new discoveries are still regularly found.

“In the last month, we have found the third-biggest Sitka spruce in the province. In the spring, the tree that got quite a bit of press — called Big Lonely Doug — was found. It’s near Port Renfrew, it’s the second largest Douglas fir.”

Even for the existing trees in the registry, much of the data is incomplete. Many of the old records didn’t come with exact GPS co-ordinates or even directions to how to find the trees.

Technology now, however, means anyone with a smart phone can track their GPS co-ordinates and also measure the height of trees using a simple “clinometer” app that uses distance and angles to complete the measurements.

The tree registry can be found online at bigtrees.forestry.ubc.ca.

Read more:[Original article no longer available]

We go searching for them, we hug them, we’re often speechless in their presence, but what makes big trees so special? Sally Aitken, a professor of forest and conservation sciences, explains the connection we feel to these majestic giants of the forest. The Faculty of Forestry now runs the BC Big Tree Registry, a database of the biggest specimens in the province.

Why do we love big trees?

They are the largest organisms that we can see, touch and feel. They’re often very old and the idea of something that lives much longer than our human lifespan is interesting. We have trees that were around before our parents or great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents were born. These massive and beautiful organisms represent a biological legacy. We’ve harvested a lot of our old forests and those big trees that remain become more precious because there are fewer of them around.

What makes B.C.’s big trees unique?

The zone that extends from California to B.C. is one of two places where we find the biggest and tallest trees in the world. Our coastal rainforests harbour some absolutely enormous tress and it has to do with the conditions we find here–mild year-round temperatures and lots of rainfall. We have enormous Douglas-fir, Western redcedar, and Sitka spruce. The province is home to 50 different tree species and for some of those species we have the world’s largest specimens. We have the largest trees in Canada by far and ours are almost as big as the biggest trees in the world, the redwoods of California.

People are able to nominate trees into the BC Big Tree Registry. Are new big ones still being found?

It’s very exciting that trees are still getting nominated that are champion trees. Recently a group on the Sunshine Coast found some of the largest mountain hemlocks that have ever been observed. The sadder tales are the ones of trees like the ‘Big Lonely Doug,’ the second largest Douglas-fir in the province.

A lot of nominations come in from people who work in forestry and in logging. These people find trees in areas that people don’t normally walk through. Of course, there are also a number of people, including those on the Big Tree Committee, whose hobby is finding big trees. Big tree hunters love to go out to areas that haven’t been explored and look for big trees.

One member of our committee said there are big ones that are still out there to find. We want to make anyone a big tree hunter or nominator and we’ve made changes to the BC Big Tree Registry so that anyone can nominate a big tree.

What can we learn from older trees?

We know that the mortality rates of old trees are increasing with climate change. The registry helps us and citizens monitor the health of these giants over time. People will tell us if a big tree blows over, loses its top, or dies. The registry also produces data on the type of ecosystems that these trees are found in, and this information can guide certain research. We need to know where these big trees are so we can conserve them, as a biological legacy of the past, as important members of forest ecosystems today, and for future generations.

As part of National Forest Week the Faculty of Forestry is holding an event on Thursday, Sep. 25 to celebrate the BC Big Tree Registry that will include a tree climbing demonstration.

See article and view video of Climbing Big Lonely Doug at: https://news.ubc.ca/2014/09/24/big-trees-bring-out-our-inner-tree-hugger/