NOW OPEN! AFA Office Cubicle in Downtown Victoria!

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If you’re in Victoria, feel free to come visit the AFA in the Habitat Acquisition Trust / Nature Conservancy building between 12-6 pm, Mon-Sun., until Dec. 23 at 827 Broughton St. (between Blanshard and Quadra). Pick up great holiday gifts such as our new and beautiful 2013 calendars, ancient forest greeting cards, big tree posters, prints, and more!

For a sample of our products, or to order online, check out our new online store!

Price list:

  • NEW! Ancient Forests of BC CALENDARS: $20.00 each; 5 or more $15.00
  • CARDS (for special occasions including the holiday season): 3.95 each; 6 for $20.00; 12 for $36.00
  • POSTERS (Avatar Grove’s Gnarly Tree, San Juan Spruce, or Canada’s Largest Tree the Cheewhat Giant): 12.50 each; 3 for $30; quantity of 3 or more $10 each
  • POSTCARDS: $10 each; quantity of 3 or more $9.00 each
  • MATTED PRINTS: $40 each; quantity of 3 or more $ 35.00 each

Political leadership needed to resolve Cortes Island’s "War in the Woods"

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The conflict over the past week between local Cortes Island residents and Island Timberlands over the company’s contentious plans to log endangered forests has conservationists renewing their call for political leadership in BC to resolve the “War in the Woods”.

Last week, local residents on Cortes Island repeatedly blocked Island Timberlands’ attempts to begin logging. Earlier this week the company withdrew its workers from the island and have postponed pursuing a court injunction against the protesters for one week while negotiations resume with Cortes residents.

“What is needed now is leadership from the BC Liberal government to help resolve the War in the Woods by committing funds to purchase endangered ecosystems on private lands, including old-growth forests on Cortes Island and throughout the southern coast where communities are fighting Island Timberlands’ old-growth logging plans,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.“The province hasn’t had a dedicated annual fund to purchase and protect private lands in years, despite that fact that for every $1 invested in new parks in BC, another $9 is generated in revenues in the provincial economy, according to studies. Island Timberlands also has an obligation to log according to community, ecosystem-based forestry standards on Cortes Island.”

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling for a $40 million annual BC park acquisition fund, which would amount to about 0.1 per cent or 1/1000th of the province’s $40 billion annual budget.Over 10 years, $400 million would be available for purchasing critical habitats on private lands throughout the province. The last time the provincial government had a dedicated land acquisition fund was in the 2008 budget. A similar battle on Salt Spring Island over a decade ago between local residents and a logging/development company was resolved through funding from the provincial, federal and regional governments and local citizens to purchase the endangered lands around Burgoyne Bay and on Mount Maxwell.

Park acquisition funds already exist in several Regional Districts in BC, including the Capital Regional District (CRD) in the Greater Victoria region, which has a Land Acquisition Fund of about $3.5 million each year. The CRD has spent over $34 million dollars since the year 2000 to purchase over 4500 hectares, including lands at Jordan River, the Sooke Hills, the Sooke Potholes, Thetis Lake, Mount Work, and Mount Maxwell on Salt Spring Island, to expand their system of Regional Parks.
“While private land trusts are vital for conservation, they simply don’t have the capacity to quickly raise the tens of millions of dollars needed each year to protect most endangered lands before they are logged or developed —only governments have such funds,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer.
Logging giant Island Timberlands, which owns about 260,000 hectares of private forest lands on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, is entangled in battles with communities throughout the region. The company is also one of the largest exporter of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills in the USA and Asia. Currently, the Chinese government is looking to buy a major stake of Island Timberlands through the China Investment Corporation, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, and is expected to close a $100 million deal with the company soon.
Contentious old-growth forests and endangered ecosystems owned by Island Timberlands include (see beautiful photos in the following links):

Old-growth forests are vital for supporting endangered species, tourism, recreation, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. On Vancouver Island, 75 per cent of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including 90 per cent of the most productive old-growth forests in the lowlands where the largest trees grow. Well over 90 per cent of the old-growth “Dry Maritime” and Coastal Douglas-fir forests on BC’s southern coast have already been logged.

Some youngsters joined the protest against Island Timberlands logging operations on Cortes Island this week.

Loggers leave Cortes … but promise to return

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An unofficial time out is being observed in the standoff between Cortes Island environmental activists and Island Timberlands over the company’s plans to log its private land which contains old growth stands.

Last week, Cortes environmentalists, residents and supporters repeatedly blocked Island Timberlands’ crews from beginning logging operations near Basil Creek. Zoe Miles, a member of Wildstands, says the community has attempted to work with the company for more than four years to develop an ecosystem-based approach to forestry. “The community is now left with no choice but to stand in Timberlands’ path to defend these ecologically significant forests.”

The group lifted its blockade after frustrated logging crews left the island, but the company’s Director of Human Resources Mark Leitao says they are simply assessing their options. One of those options is a court injunction. Behind the scenes efforts were being made to bring the two sides together for talks.

West Vancouver environmental lawyer Joe Spears, who has been hired by the environmentalists, tells the Mirror: “Situation normal, trees standing.”

“This goes way beyond private property rights,” the lawyer says. “There is so little coastal old growth left.” Spears says there needs to be an informed discussion about the best use of the resource – “a source of raw logs for China or deferred forestation that gives rise to carbon credits?”

Ken Wu, Executive Director of Ancient Forest Alliance, says: “What is needed now is leadership from the Liberal government to help resolve the war in the woods by committing funds to purchase endangered ecosystems on private lands, including old-growth forests on Cortes Island.

The alliance is calling for a $40 million annual park acquisition fund. The last time the provincial government had a dedicated land acquisition fund was in the 2008 budget, Wu says.  A similar battle on Salt Spring Island over a decade ago between local residents and a logging company was resolved through funding from the provincial, federal and regional governments and local citizens to purchase the endangered lands around Burgoyne Bay and on Mount Maxwell.

Meanwhile, the Private Forest Landowners Association has taken Cortes activist Leah Seltzer to task for her claim that “privately managed forest companies (do not have) any legally binding regulations on their lands.”

There are more than 30 acts and regulations that apply to managed forest land, the association says, “and successive independent audits show the protection … on private managed forest land meets or exceeds the standard of protection on public lands.”

Seltzer counters: “The industry uses a model of ‘professional reliance’ which means that there is no real government oversight.  So, technically on the books, there is ‘legally binding legislation,’ but ultimately the forest professionals determine what compliance looks like and for us this feels a lot like the fox is watching the hen house.

[Campbell River Mirror online article no longer available]

NEW! Ancient Forests of BC Calendars for Sale!

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We’re proud to present the Ancient Forest Alliance’s premier calendar! It highlights some of the special places on British Columbia’s coast that we’ve explored as we work towards securing provincial legislation to save our endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs.

The calendar features beautiful photos of many incredible places including Echo Lake, the Cameron Valley Firebreak, San Juan Valley, Cortes Island, Avatar Grove, Mossy Maple Grove, Cathedral Grove Canyon, Upper Walbran Valley, Flores Island, the Gordon River Valley, and more! It’s also printed on 100% post-consumer recyled paper with vegetable based inks.

You can order one today for $20 through our new online store, by phoning 250-896-4007, or, if you’re in Victoria, you can come by our temporary office cubicle in the Habitat Acquisition Trust office and Nature Conservancy of Canada building between 12-6 pm, Mon.-Sat., until December 23 at 827 Broughton St. (between Blanshard and Quadra St.)

Cortes Island residents seek compromise with loggers

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Cortes Island residents who blockaded roads for a week in a fight to modify logging plans say they are hopeful talks with Island Timberlands can lead to a compromise.

But Mark Leitao, a spokesman for the company, said Thursday no commitment has been made to meet with the islanders, who are organized under the banner, Wildstands Alliance. The group lifted its blockade Wednesday, after logging crews withdrew from the island. But Mr. Leitao said the crews will be back.

“We’re resolute that we’re going to harvest and continue to manage our properties on Cortes over the long term,” he said. “At this point we’re sitting back and assessing our options.”

Mr. Leitao said the company has considered an injunction against the blockaders, if necessary, but isn’t in a rush.

“We’ll be on Cortes for the long term, and so a week here and there is not going to really affect the overall long-term scheme of things,” he said. “First and foremost we want to make sure that when we go to harvest, that we can do that safely.”

Island residents blocked roads to protest company plans to log privately owned forest lands on Cortes Island, which is in the Strait of Georgia, east of Campbell River. About 1,000 people live on the bucolic island, which is home to Hollyhock Farm Ltd., a well-known retreat that features workshops on writing, dance and yoga among other things.

Leah Seltzer, of the Wildstands Alliance, said the group took down the blockade with the expectation that a meeting with the company would follow.

“We hope that will happen in the near future,” she said, adding that island residents are not asking for an end to logging, just that plans be changed to ensure sensitive areas are protected. “We are definitely a community that is made up of people that includes loggers. We are interested in some logging … but it has to be selective logging.… We want their forests to be managed in a way that maintains ecological integrity.”

Ms. Seltzer said she is concerned the lack of dialogue between residents and Island Timberlands will worsen if a reported deal goes through in which China Investment Corp. is proposing to purchase timber assets from Brookfield Asset Management Inc. The Toronto-based company owns Island Timberlands, which is headquartered in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island.

“It is hard enough to communicate with them now. Imagine if their offices were in China,” she said.

Ron Croda, a long-time resident, said a bitter battle was fought over the forest lands on Cortes Island in 1991, when MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. sought to log the area. “We put it off for 20 years,” he said. “That was a measure of some success.”

Mr. Croda said the battle divided the community then, and may do so again, because the issues are the same: The company has the legal right to log its forest lands, but many in the community want to protect the natural beauty of the island. “This is an example of corporate exploitation where the law is entirely on their side – but it’s leading to an environmental tragedy,” he said.

Ken Wu, a director of the Ancient Forest Alliance, called on the provincial government to end the dispute before it grows into a bigger confrontation. “Without the government taking action this will escalate into a war in the woods,” he said. “The BC Liberal government needs to show some leadership. They should not keep their heads down on the Cortes Island issue.”

Mr. Wu urged the government to set aside $40-million a year for park land acquisition.

Read more:  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/cortes-island-residents-seek-compromise-with-loggers/article6071710/

Old-growth Douglas-fir trees in the Squirrel Cove Ancient Forest on Cortes Island.

Tiny Cortes Island girds for battle with China’s huge CIC wealth fund

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Residents of an idyllic island off the west coast of Canada are facing off against corporate opponents set to include a Chinese sovereign wealth behemoth, the US$480 billion China Investment Corporation (CIC).

Environmental activists and Cortes Island residents last week blockaded land owned by the Island Timberlands (IT) company, in a bid to prevent logging. They object to the environmental impact of felling on the island and fear that jobs and economic benefits will be sent to China.

Cortes Island activist Zoe Miles said that a reported deal for CIC to buy a 12.5 per cent stake in IT was a “huge part of the issue”. She also said that because IT was exporting raw logs to China, not finished products, the bulk of the economic benefits were being exported, too.

With a population of about 1,000, the British Columbia (BC) island is known for its natural beauty and thriving arts community.

“We aren’t anti-logging. We’re opposed to Island Timberlands’ model of industrial-scale logging,” said Miles, who was raised on the island, 160 kilometres north of Vancouver.

“The jobs after the cutting of the trees aren’t staying in BC,” she said. “Our concerns are both ecological and economic. We want to preserve the ecosystem and jobs for locals.”

She said the activists wanted IT to produce a logging plan “that meets the community’s desires”. That included preserving old-growth forest, setting logging back from waterways and not clear-cutting.

Some activists, including Ken Wu from the Ancient Forest Alliance, want the provincial government to protect parts of Cortes by purchasing it.

“You ultimately have to buy the private land that you want protected,” said Wu, whose group wants to re-establish a BC parks acquisition fund. “The government isn’t going to expropriate it.”

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that CIC was negotiating with Brookfield Asset Management to buy one-eighth of IT. Brookfield, with US$150 billion in assets under management, is a general partner and “significant majority shareholder” in IT said Brookfield senior vice-president for communications, Andrew Willis.

Willis said he could not comment on the reported US$100 million CIC deal. He said other investors in IT currently include Canadian provincial retirement funds. CIC did not respond to a request for comment.

The blockade last week resulted in IT withdrawing work crews sent to carve out logging roads. IT, the second-largest private landholder in BC, owns about 1,000 hectares on Cortes.

Mark Leitao, director of human resources at IT, said the firm was considering its next move, but still intended to log its land. “At the moment we are taking a rest and exploring our options … but our plan is to harvest those two blocks, safely,” he said.

IT workers were blocked last week by protesters lying in front of vehicles. Some protesters brought placard-waving children to the site.

Leitao said that the land in question was not virgin forest, having been through “at least one rotation” of logging, perhaps as long as 100 years ago. He said the firm was committed to saving “veteran” trees older than 250 years old.

He said that the land would not face clear-cut logging, in which most or all trees are razed.

“We are managing this tree by tree,” Leitao said. “We believe we have done right.”

Although the goal was to replant, he said that some of the felled land could be sold for property development.

Miles, the activist, said that singling out old trees to be saved was not good enough. “We’d draw a distinction between saving individual old growth trees and saving the old growth forest as a whole,” she said.

Link to original online article.

Cortes Island resident and activist

Media Release: BC’s War in Woods on Cortes Island needs Political Leadership

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For Immediate Release

December 6, 2012

Political Leadership Needed to Resolve Cortes Island’s “War in the Woods” and other Island Timberlands battles

Conservationists renew call for BC Liberals to commit to restoring and expanding a “BC Park Acquisition Fund” to purchase and protect endangered forests on private lands

NOTE: Media are free to reprint any photos, credit to “TJ Watt” where possible.
“What is needed now is leadership from the BC Liberal government to help resolve the War in the Woods by committing funds to purchase endangered ecosystems on private lands, including old-growth forests on Cortes Island and throughout the southern coast where communities are fighting Island Timberlands’ old-growth logging plans,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director. “The province hasn’t had a dedicated annual fund to purchase and protect private lands in years, despite that fact that for every $1 invested in new parks in BC, another $9 is generated in revenues in the provincial economy, according to studies. Island Timberlands also has an obligation to log according to community, ecosystem-based forestry standards on Cortes Island.”
The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling for a $40 million annual BC park acquisition fund, which would amount to about 0.1% or 1/1000th of the province’s $40 billion annual budget. Over 10 years, $400 million would be available for purchasing critical habitats on private lands throughout the province. The last time the provincial government had a dedicated land acquisition fund was in the 2008 budget.  A similar battle on Salt Spring Island over a decade ago between local residents and a logging/development company was resolved through funding from the provincial, federal and regional governments and local citizens to purchase the endangered lands around Burgoyne Bay and on Mount Maxwell.
Park acquisition funds already exist in several Regional Districts in BC, including the Capital Regional District (CRD) in the Greater Victoria region, which has a Land Acquisition Fund of about $3.5 million each year. The CRD has spent over $34 million dollars since the year 2000 to purchase over 4500 hectares, including lands at Jordan River, the Sooke Hills, the Sooke Potholes, Thetis Lake, Mount Work, and Mount Maxwell on Salt Spring Island, to expand their system of Regional Parks.

“While private land trusts are vital for conservation, they simply don’t have the capacity to quickly raise the tens of millions of dollars needed each year to protect most endangered lands before they are logged or developed —only governments have such funds,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer.

Logging giant Island Timberlands, which owns about 260,000 hectares of private forest lands on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, is entangled in battles with communities throughout the region. The company is also one of the largest exporter of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills in the USA and Asia. Currently, the Chinese government is looking to buy a major stake of Island Timberlands through the China Investment Corporation, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, and is expected to close a $100 million deal with the company soon.
Contentious old-growth forests and endangered ecosystems owned by Island Timberlands include (see beautiful photos in the following links):
–          Day Road Forest near Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/day-road-forest/
–          Stillwater Bluffs near Powell River on the Sunshine Coast: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/stillwater-bluffs/
–          McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/mclaughlin-ridge/
–          Cameron Valley Firebreak near Port Alberni: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/mclaughlin-ridge/
–          Cathedral Grove Canyon near Port Alberni: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/cathedral-grove-canyon/
–          Lands directly adjacent to Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park near Port Alberni
–          Labour Day Lake near Port Alberni
–          Pearl Lake adjacent to Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island
–          Eagle Ridge Bluffs near Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island
Old-growth forests are vital for supporting endangered species, tourism, recreation, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. On Vancouver Island, 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including 90% of the most productive old-growth forests in the lowlands where the largest trees grow. Well over 90% of the old-growth “Dry Maritime” and Coastal Douglas-fir forests on BC’s southern coast have already been logged.

See the Ancient Forest Alliance’s petition for a BC Park Acquisition Fund at www.BCParkFund.com [Original article no longer available] and a recent newsletter at https://www.bcparkfund.com/newsletter/June-2012-Parks-Acquisition.pdf [Original article no longer available].

 

 

Flagging tape marked "Falling Boundary" in a threatened area of mature forest of Cortes Island.

Cortes Island residents rejoice as Island Timberlands temporarily withdraws logging crew

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Link to Vancouver Observer article.

Cortes Island forest activists and residents celebrated today as Island Timberlands (I.T.) withdrew crews and announced that they would not attempt to move forward with operations for at least a week.Tensions on the island had been rising since the residents gathered to stage a logging blockade broke at the end of last week.

“We are feeling pleased that our efforts have kept these forests standing, which is a win for the community,” community organizer Leah Seltzer said.

“But we are also aware that I.T. crews could return to the island as early as next week.  We are continuing to organize on the ground, expand the movement and prepare for all possibilities.”

The protests were the latest in an ongoing effort by Cortes Island residents to stop logging on their island, which was originally scheduled to begin in January.

Island Timberlands, which plans to industrial log Cortes Island is owned by Brookfield Asset Management with $110 billion in managed assets and bcIMC with $92 billion in managed assets. Recently, China Investment Corporation, a sovereign wealth fund which manages China’s foreign exchange reserves, has negotiated for a 12.5 per cent stake in Island Timberlands.

Island Timberlands expressed a desire to return to negotiations with Cortes Island residents, and their lawyers will be meeting with legal counsel from Straith Litigation Chambers of West Vancouver, who have been retained by Cortes community stakeholders.

Residents of Cortes Island, BC and supporters from across the province began the blockade in late November, in response to the arrival of contractors.

“This follows years of attempts to get Island Timberlands to join us in an ecosystem-based approach to forestry,” Cortes-raised forest activist Zoë Miles said.

“But we have not been met with willingness on the part of I.T.  In fact, their logging plans have consistently failed to meet the wishes of the community.”  Islanders’ stated wishes are to conserve provincially designated sensitive ecosystems and old-growth stands, protect wetlands and salmon-bearing streams, and agree to no clear-cut logging.

Many Cortes residents have made it clear that they not categorically opposed to all types of logging: they said they would support it if done in a sustainable manner.

At stake are some of the last 1 per cent of old-growth Coastal Douglas-fir forests, a number of documented threatened species, and provincially designated sensitive ecosystems.  Also at stake is a local and provincial economy that could use the long-term forestry jobs, say residents who believe I.T.’s industrial forestry model employs few locals, and only for the short term, while shipping most of their logs raw to Asian markets.

Community members hope that the situation can be resolved in a way that meets local needs.  Until then, islanders will be standing in the way of the equipment, and keeping a close eye on any further signs of I.T. activity on the island.

Flagging tape marked "Falling Boundary" was discovered over summer in the Upper Castle Grove.

Province has no plans to cut old-growth stand in Walbran, near Port Alberni

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[Times Colonist online article no longer available]

A stand of massive old-growth red cedars in the Upper Walbran Valley has escaped the axe, and the province is now looking for ways to protect unusually big trees.

Environmental groups were preparing for another round of the war-in-the-woods after logging tape was found this summer near Castle Grove and the “Castle Giant.” The western red cedar has a five-metre diameter and is listed in the BC Big Tree Registry as one of the widest in Canada.

But Teal Jones Group of Surrey, which holds the cutting licence, will not be logging that area, a Forests Ministry spokesman said in an emailed response to questions Thursday.

Teal Jones has not applied for a cutting permit in that location and “advised that they were not interested in harvesting in that area,” says spokesman Brennan Clarke.

Teal Jones could not be reached Thursday.

The province is also looking at options for protecting big trees and will be consulting with stakeholders, Clarke said. “Those discussions will also examine ways of providing legal protection for big trees that have not yet been located.”

The recommendations are expected in the spring, he said.

Ken Wu of the Ancient Forest Alliance, which launched a campaign to save the grove, said he is relieved Teal Jones is not planning to cut.

“Now we need the BC Liberal government to follow up with some legal protection so we don’t have to refight this again,” he said.

It is good news that the government is looking at legal protection for BC’s largest trees and monumental groves, Wu said. “Most importantly, however, we need much more comprehensive ecosystem-level protection for BC’s endangered old-growth forests.”

Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park was established in 1990. The lower half of the Walbran Valley and the Upper Carmanah Valley were added in 1995.

Environmentalists have continued to push for protection of the valley’s remaining 7,500 hectares.

The Upper Walbran watershed, where Castle Grove is located, is considered a special management zone, Clarke said. “Management in that area is focused on sustaining and conserving the area’s unique ecological areas.”

Media Release: Conservationists Relieved as Forest Company Backs Away from Logging Canada’s Finest Old-Growth Cedar Grove, Vancouver Island’s "Castle Grove" in the Upper Walbran Valley

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For Immediate Release

November 30, 2012

Conservationists Relieved as Forest Company Backs Away from Logging Canada’s Finest Old-Growth Cedar Grove, Vancouver Island’s “Castle Grove” in the Upper Walbran Valley

BC government also moving forward with a “legal tool” to potentially protect BC’s largest trees and monumental groves in spring of 2013 – but more comprehensive “ecosystem-level” old-growth protection also needed

See spectacular PHOTOS of the Castle Grove at: https://16.52.162.165/photos.php?gID=21

(NOTE: Media are free to reprint any photos, photo credit to “TJ Watt” if possible.)

Conservationists are breathing a sigh of relief as Canada’s finest stand of old-growth redcedar trees appears to have been spared the axe – for now. The Castle Grove in the Upper Walbran Valley on southern Vancouver Island (west of Lake Cowichan) had been flagged for logging in August by the Teal-Jones Group and subsequently was the focus of an intense environmental campaign by the Ancient Forest Alliance (www.AncientForestAlliance.org). In addition, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations has recently indicated that they intend to follow through on a 2011 promise to create a “legal tool” to potentially protect the province’s largest trees and monumental groves, which the AFA would like to see used to protect the Castle Grove.

“We’re happy that the logging company has given some breathing room for Canada’s finest old-growth redcedar grove – now we need the BC Liberal government to follow up with some legal protection so we don’t ever have to refight this again,” stated Ken Wu, executive director of the victoria-based Ancient Forest Alliance. “We’re also pleased to hear that the BC government is finally moving forward with the potential legal protection for BC’s largest trees and monumental groves – whether this actually happens, what legal form it takes, where the protections are located, and how extensive the protections are, won’t be known until the spring. Most importantly however, we need much more comprehensive ‘ecosystem-level’ protection for BC’s endangered old-growth forests, which are vital to sustain endangered species, tourism, the climate, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. Sustainable, value-added second-growth forestry is also needed to support BC forestry jobs, as most of our forests in southern BC are second-growth now.”

In several recent emails to the Ancient Forest Alliance, the Ministry of Forests stated that while the forest company, the Teal-Jones Group, is still actively pursuing old-growth logging in other areas in the region, the company has backed down from their logging plans in the Castle Grove. The email stated:

“There is no cutting permit application for the Upper Castle Grove area. Apparently the company did some preliminary work, hence the tape, but has decided not to pursue any harvesting in that area.”

Another email stated:

The Ministry…is currently conducting policy analysis and stakeholder consultation around legal tool(s) that could specifically protect the big trees we are already aware of. The ministry is also exploring the feasibility of a legal mechanism that could protect big trees that have not yet been located …Options are currently being identified and will be thoroughly analyzed…conclusions and recommendations will be brought forward by the spring of 2013. “

For the past several months the Ancient Forest Alliance had been bracing for a major escalation in BC’s “War in the Woods” as survey tape marking the “falling boundary” for logging had been discovered in August in Upper Castle Grove. Subsequently, the organization began a public awareness campaign that included media coverage (see the Vancouver Sun and Times Colonist article), photography and video expeditions, slideshow tours, and a major letter-writing campaign among thousands of environmental supporters.

“Not all old-growth forests are created equal – the Castle Grove tops all remaining ancient cedar forests that we know for its combined qualities of grandeur, geographic size, and intactness. It’s a real life Jurassic Park-type landscape, a global treasure that must absolutely be protected,” stated TJ Watt, campaigner and photographer with the Ancient Forest Alliance. “Of all places, the Castle Grove is THE place where a legal designation to protect our monumental ancient groves would make the most sense. The existing so-called ‘Special Management Zone’ in the Upper Walbran Valley has resulted in the area’s old-growth forests being turned into Swiss cheese, punctured with major clearcuts throughout.”

The Castle Grove is an extensive stand of densely-packed enormous redcedars, including the “Castle Giant”, a 16 foot (5 meter) diameter cedar that is one of the largest trees in Canada. It sits on unprotected Crown (public) lands within Tree Farm License 46 in the Upper Walbran Valley. Unfortunately much of the grove is not protected by any forest reserve designations such as Old-Growth Management Areas, Ungulate Winter Ranges or Wildlife Habitat Areas. The Walbran Valley has been the focus of protests against old-growth logging for years, and early protests in 1991 there played an important role in the build-up towards the massive Clayoquot Sound protests near Tofino on Vancouver Island in 1993. Most of western Vancouver Island, including the Walbran Valley, is in unceded Nuu-cha-nulth First Nations territory.

See a beautiful photogallery of the Walbran Valley at: https://16.52.162.165/photos.php?gID=7

In February, 2011, former Minister of Forests Pat Bell promised that the BC Liberal government would implement a new legal tool to protect the largest trees and associated groves after a Forest Practices Board report that investigated the logging of an exceptionally grand stand of ancient redcedars near Port Renfrew showed a deficiency in protection levels for productive stands over 400 years in age. The BC government has indicated that they may be looking at using existing legal tools, namely provincial Recreation Sites and Old-Growth Management Areas, to fulfill this function.

See the BC government’s announcement in February, 2011, about creating a new legal tool to protect BC’s largest trees and groves:

Vancouver Sun and Times Colonist: “B.C. looking for new ways to protect ancient trees” (Feb.16, 2011)

“We don’t care if the BC Liberal government uses new or old tools to protect our endangered ancient groves like the Castle Grove. The main thing is they need to actually designate such areas for protection, otherwise it was simply an empty promise for PR purposes at the time,” stated Ken Wu. “Most importantly, the BC Liberal government needs to implement a much more comprehensive Provincial Old-Growth Strategy to protect old-growth ecosystems on a much larger scale across BC.”

The BC government’s PR-spin inflates the amount of remaining old-growth forests by including hundreds of thousands of hectares of marginal, low productivity forests growing in bogs and at high elevations with smaller, stunted trees, lumped in with the productive old-growth forests (where most logging takes place). “It’s like including your Monopoly money with your real money and then claiming to be a millionaire, so why curtail spending?” stated Ken Wu.

These low productivity forests are extensively protected and are disproportionately represented in parks and regulatory-protections compared to the productive, big-treed forests. The government’s statistics also fail to reveal the context of the remaining old-growth forests, that is, how much of these forests once remained across Vancouver Island, including on the vast corporate-owned private lands on eastern Vancouver Island that until recent years were managed as public lands (until the Tree Farm Licenses were removed, thus deregulating the lands) and where about 95% of the old-growth forests have been logged.

On Vancouver Island, satellite photos show that about 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including 90% of the valley-bottom ancient forests where the largest trees grow and most biodiversity resides. Only about 10% of Vancouver Island’s original, productive old-growth forests are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA’s). Of 2.3 million hectares of original, productive old-growth forests on Vancouver Island, about 1.7 million hectares have now been logged. Of the remaining 600,000 hectares of productive old-growth forests, just over 200,000 hectares are protected in parks and regulatory protections like OGMA’s.

See maps and stats at: https://16.52.162.165/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the BC Liberal government and the NDP Opposition to commit to implementing a BC Old-Growth Strategy that will protect old-growth forests wherever they are scarce (such as on Vancouver Island, in the Lower Mainland, in the BC Interior, etc.). The AFA is also calling for the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, which constitute most of the forests in southern BC, and to ensure a guaranteed log supply for BC mills and value-added wood manufacturers by ending the export of raw logs to foreign mills.