The stump of a 14ft diameter old-growth redcedar freshly cut in 2010 found along the Gordon River near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.

B.C.’s Best Old-Growth Forest Slideshow Visits Salt Spring

/in /by

Ancient Forest Alliance co-founders are bringing spectacular photographs of Canada’s largest trees and their presentation on B.C. ecology and forest politics to the island next week.

Ken Wu and TJ Watt will host an informative and inspiring slideshow at The Fritz cinema on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Adriane Carr, deputy leader of Canada’s Green Party and former Wilderness Committee Clayoqout Sound campaigner, will also give a talk and host a fundraiser pledge auction to raise campaign funds for the AFA, which has just passed its one-year anniversary.

“Time is running out for our endangered old-growth forests and B.C.’s coastal forestry jobs. Salt Spring Island is famous as a hub of environmental consciousness — it may very well have the highest density of tree-huggers in North America. It’s a key place for us to build support and expand our strong campaign to protect our ancient forests, ensure sustainable second-growth forestry and to ban raw log exports to foreign mills,” states campaign director Wu.

According to the AFA, to date about 75 per cent of Vancouver Island’s productive old-growth forest has been logged, including 90 per cent of the valley bottoms, while only six per cent of its original, productive old-growth forests are protected in parks.

Meanwhile, thousands of forestry jobs are being lost as millions of cubic metres of raw logs are exported each year to foreign mills.

The AFA plans to take their campaign to a new level in 2011 by:

• Vastly increasing the support base for its campaigns through the “100,000 Strong for Ancient Forests and B.C. Jobs” petition drive and public awareness campaign.

• Increasing cooperation among key allies by meeting and working with First Nations, politicians, businesses, unions, faith groups and many other organizations.

• Guiding monthly public hikes to the spectacular Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew and other endangered ancient forests.

• Continuing to explore and document endangered old-growth forests in B.C. through professional photography and videos.

“How many jurisdictions on Earth have trees with trunks as wide as living rooms and that grow as tall as downtown skyscrapers?” asks Watt.

“We’re so lucky to have such exceptionally magnificent forests here in coastal B.C. I am always excited to share some of the best photographs from Vancouver Island’s most incredible rainforests and hidden wild places.

original article in bclocalnews.com saltspringislanddriftwood

Liberal MP Keith Martin stands on top of a massive

Ancient forest group continues push for old-growth

/in /by

In just over a year, the Ancient Forest Alliance has collected almost 7,000 petition signatures, 18,000 supporters and fundraised more than $50,000.

Not bad for an environmental group in it’s infancy, says cofounder Ken Wu.

The non-profit organization founded in January 2010 is working to protect old-growth tree stands through B.C., including some on the West Shore.

“The western communities have some real gems of old growth,” Wu said. “On the Department of National Defence lands in Colwood and Metchosin, you’ve got some of the finest old-growth Douglas fir stands on the planet. It’s a spectacular place.”

AFA members spent the last year hunting the south Island for old-growth stands to document and photograph. It’s trying to put pressure on the B.C. government to protect old-growth stands for future generations.

“I think a lot of people realize this is a spectacular part of the world and the unfortunate thing is that the B.C. Liberal government still contends that old growth forests are not endangered on Vancouver Island, which is nuts … our old growth forests are now in tatters and are now a teeny fraction of what they once were.”

AFA’s discovery of an old-growth stand near Port Renfrew, dubbed Avatar Grove, has some of the largest trees on the Island and in Canada, Wu said. It’s in an area zoned for logging, with rights belonging to Surrey-based Teal Jones Group. The AFA is now offering guided public hikes to the area every month.

“It’ll knock your socks off,” Wu said. “It’s got Canada’s gnarliest tree. This tree’s got a burl that is 12 feet wide — something that can only happen in an old-growth forest.”

Looking forward into 2011, Wu says he’s optimistic about the upcoming leadership races for the B.C. Liberals and B.C. NDP.

“There’s great potential for new progressive environmental policies, but we’ve got to snowball the size of the movement to ensure that happens,” he said.

The AFA is trying to collect 100,000 signatures for a petition calling on the government to protect old-growth forests and forestry jobs.

One of the ways it intends to do that is through a provincewide slideshow tour. The team will be traveling across the province delivering photo presentations about the most endangered old-growth stands, including Avatar Grove, Flores Island and the upper Walbran Valley.

Wu says the AFA already enjoys tremendous support from government representatives regionally, provincially and federally. Mike Hicks, CRD Juan de Fuca regional director; John Horgan, Juan de Fuca NDP MLA; Keith Martin, Liberal MP; the Sooke Tourism Association and the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce are all calling for the protection of Avatar Grove, according to Wu.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the BC government to make a land use order to protect the Avatar Grove and eventually to establish new protective areas too. We need to protect the old-growth across Vancouver Island and throughout much of the province because it’s so endangered now.”

 

Link to original article no longer available: https://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/goldstreamgazette/news/115027064.html

Ancient Forest Alliance

CFAX Radio Interview (on Youtube): Climate and Old-Growth Forests with Sierra Club of BC’s Jens Wieting

/in /by

Link to video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXIcjHP8knE