TJ Watt Featured in CBC’s Podcast, The Doc Project: Big Tree Hunt

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We’re excited to share that AFA photographer TJ Watt was featured in CBC’s podcast, The Doc Project: Big Tree Hunt, which highlights his efforts to explore, document, and protect ancient forests in B.C.

Read the article at the link or below: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/photographer-of-giant-old-growth-trees-has-best-and-worst-job-in-the-world-1.6251373

And listen to the podcast documentary: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-115/clip/15880467

Tune in to hear more about TJ’s photography and conservation work and join a remote bushwhacking mission to Vernon Bay in Barkley Sound in the territory of the Uchucklesaht and Tseshaht First Nations, where they explore the area’s incredible-yet-unprotected ancient forests and find monumental redcedar trees up to 12 feet in diameter at risk of being logged.

Photographer of giant old-growth trees has ‘best and worst job in the world’

CBC Radio
November 26, 2021

TJ Watt’s before-and-after shots in clearcut forests part of renewed movement to protect B.C.’s oldest trees.

On an overcast day last August, TJ Watt made his way around the trunk of a giant western red cedar. In one hand, he clutched a yellow measuring tape. With his other, he pushed away a thick undergrowth of salal and ferns.

“It’s a small hike just to get around this thing,” Watt called out. A moment later, he read the measurement of the tree’s girth: a whopping 11.6 metres.

It was the biggest tree that Watt had found all day. To get here, he had hiked several hours off-trail, bushwhacking through dense, moss-laden rainforest, near Barkley Sound on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast.

An aerial view of unprotected old-growth forests along the coastline of Barkley Sound in the territory of the Uchucklesaht and Tseshaht First Nations. (TJ Watt)

The Victoria-based photographer and activist has spent much of the past 15 years searching for and photographing some of Canada’s biggest, oldest trees. The trees he finds are often upwards of a thousand years old and wide enough to drive a car through.

His backcountry quests are more than just adventures though. Most of the trees that Watt finds are slated to be cut down. Watt’s photographs, which he posts on social media, have become a powerful tool for ramping up public support to protect B.C.’s old-growth forests.

“It can be hard to capture the complexity and the whole essence of this issue,” says Watt, who co-founded the non-profit advocacy group Ancient Forest Alliance 10 years ago. “You have to somehow find a single image that encapsulates all of that, and the feelings that go with it.”

Old-growth logging has long been contentious in B.C. The debate first made headlines in the early 1990s, when hundreds of protesters gathered near Clayoquot Sound for the so-called “war in the woods.”

The protests garnered international media attention and shone a spotlight on logging practices in the province. Clayoquot Sound was ultimately protected and local First Nations have stewarded the area’s forests ever since. But elsewhere in B.C., old-growth logging continued.

In the last fiscal year, the province said $1.3 billion in revenue and more than 50,000 jobs were linked to the forestry sector. Logging is particularly important for some smaller, more remote communities, says Jim Girvan, a forestry economist and former director of the Truck Loggers Association. “If the forest industry wasn’t there operating, those small towns would eventually become ghost towns,” Girvan said.

An old-growth tree is defined in B.C. as one that is older than 250 years in coastal forests, or 140 years in interior forests. According to provincial data, roughly 50,000 hectares of old-growth forest are cut annually. The older, bigger trees tend to have the highest value, says Girvan, which is important for an industry that’s been struggling to keep afloat. “Old-growth logs, for example, are very good for making guitars, and that’s one of the products that a lot of people come to British Columbia for,” he explained.

For his part, Watt says he’s not opposed to logging but argues that it needs to be done differently — for example, in second-growth tree plantations, which replace old-growth forests lost to fire and logging, with trees re-logged every 50-60 years. Watt also feels “there should be a more value-added side to the industry.” Rather than exporting raw logs to other countries, Watt says, those logs should be processed in B.C. to make higher-end products.

Watt’s photographs have also led to a different economic opportunity: tourism. A stand of thousand-year old conifers near Port Renfrew, known as Avatar Grove, was protected after Watt’s photos caught the attention of hikers, ecologists and activists 10 years ago. Today, the area is a protected park and draws thousands of tourists every summer seeking big trees.

Still, many of the trees that Watt has photographed have been cut down. Last year, he hiked into the Caycuse Valley, a few hours north of Victoria, just as logging was set to begin. He decided to try something different: photographing the forest before—and after—it was cleared. “I remember thinking that by tomorrow morning [these trees] won’t be here,” he said. “It’s a very odd experience to feel that you’re essentially taking a portrait of something in its final days.”

Watt returned after logging was complete and took photos from the same vantage points. Then he posted the before-and-after series on social media. The response was almost immediate, he says. “When you refresh the page just a few minutes later and it’s already got a hundred comments and a thousand shares, you can tell that it’s going to blow up in a big way.”

The photos generated some two million views on social media, along with international media coverage, and sparked public outcry. Since then, tensions over old-growth logging have reached a boiling point with more than 900 protesters arrested at anti-logging blockades in the Fairy Creek watershed—not far from the Caycuse Valley where Watt took the before-and-after photos.

In early November—facing increasing public pressure—the B.C. government announced, in principle, a temporary halt to logging in 2.6 million hectares of old-growth forests. The province stated its “intention to work in partnership with First Nations” to develop forest sustainability plans while logging of certain rare old-growth trees is deferred. If the deferrals become permanent, the province estimates that up to 4,500 jobs could be lost. Industry officials have suggested that number could be four times higher.

The announcement came a year and a half after the provincially commissioned old-growth strategy review panel released its recommendations, calling for a “paradigm shift” in logging practices. The panel called for a more ecological approach to managing B.C.’s forests, and a stronger oversight role for First Nations.

“The small communities and logging contractors we spoke with were just as concerned about not losing biological diversity, not damaging our environment, as the people who are protesting out the windows,” said Al Gorley, co-chair of the old-growth review panel.

The provincial announcement came as welcome news for Watt. The giant western red cedar that he’d photographed near Barkley Sound this summer is located in one of the logging deferral areas, meaning it won’t be cut down any time soon.

After more than a decade of documenting trees before they’re cut down, Watt sounded cautiously optimistic. “At the end of the day, I need to know that I did everything I could to make a difference,” he said. “Hopefully our efforts pay off.”

“I think for someone who loves trees,” he added, “I have the best job and the worst job in the world.”

Notes From the Field: Powell River Trip

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In September 2021, Ancient Forest Alliance visited the city of Powell River to explore the region’s remaining old-growth forests, and meet with local community members and the Tla’amin First Nation to hear their views on the conservation of old-growth forests in the region.  We experienced awe-inspiring landscapes, stunning ancient rainforests, and fascinating perspectives on old-growth conservation.

The area around Powell River has been stewarded since time immemorial by the Tla’amin and shíshálh First Nations. Since its founding, the town of Powell River has been deeply defined by the forest industry. Its valleys of monumental forests were easily accessible, and industrial logging has been ongoing in the region since the 19th century. Long dominated by its huge pulp mill, Powell River is a growing destination for ecotourism.  

I (Ian Thomas) and TJ Watt were invited by the local qathet Old-Growth group to highlight some of the remaining old-growth forests in the Powell River region. We were joined by filmmaker Robin Munshaw to film a second community spotlight video about old-growth conservation in this magnificent area. We were generously hosted by local advocate Rachel Sherstad, who invited us to stay at her beautiful organic farm just outside the city of Powell River.

Massive granite walls, popular with local rock climbers, tower thousands of feet into the air in the Eldred Valley.

The towering granite walls of the Eldred River Valley.

Mt. Freda

On the first day, we went up Mt. Freda with Erik Blaney. Erik is a member of the Tla’amin First Nation and has been a strong voice for old-growth conservation in his territory. Recently, the Tla’amin requested that Western Forest Products pause all old-growth logging in their territory. One of their paused cutblocks on Mt. Freda is 21 hectares (52 acres) in size and is located at over 1,100 metres (3,609 feet) above sea level. The steep, winding road that snaked up the mountain to this paused cutblock was a powerful reminder of the extreme lengths that logging companies are going to in order to carve out the last vestiges of old-growth forest from the landscape. Stands of sub-alpine rainforests like these represent the most ancient forests known in Canada. Members of the qathet Old-Growth group found that some of the trees logged on Mt. Freda were over 1,200 years old. If these trees were artifacts or buildings, they would be treasured in museums or protected by law; but in 21st century Canada, it’s completely legal to blast a road through sensitive mountain wetlands, cut down a tree well into its second millennium, and leave behind a stump field where an ancient forest once stood. It is hard to find the words to capture the antiquity of these forests when the trees themselves are older than the English language as we know it.

Erik Blaney of the Tla’amin First Nation between two ancient yellow cedars on Mt. Freda.

During our interview with Erik, we learned that, twenty years ago, when the Tla’amin nation was seeking a tree from which to carve a traditional ocean-going canoe, they searched their vast territory and could only find six suitable trees. Out of the thousands of usable old-growth trees that would have been present a century ago, only six remained.

A giant old-growth yellow cedar within an approved cutblock, now temporarily deferred

After interviewing Erik, we explored the still-standing portion of the approved cutblock. We found giant yellow cedars, likely over a thousand years old, towering over slopes that glowed with blue-green blueberry shrubs. The soft forest floor was braided by little creeks meandering through mossy beds, filling the woods with constant music of falling water. Few forests anywhere have such a sense of timeless peace as these primeval sub-alpine groves. Nearby, picturesque alpine tarns were glowing with soft reds and golds as Autumn began its slow creep down the mountainside. High in the mountains and locked in by snow for much of the year, these forests are incredibly slow-growing, delicate ecosystems. For this reason, it’s more accurate to call the clearcutting of them a form of “tree-mining” rather than forestry, as it will be many generations before such forests ever recover from the destructive clearcutting that is BC’s standard forestry practice. 

It’s sobering to think that without the leadership and initiative of Erik Blaney and the Tla’amin First Nation, this timeless forest we were exploring would’ve been completely erased. Without any action by the provincial government to help transition communities away from old-growth logging, this site could still be logged. Erik explained the economic challenges that the Tla’amin nation faces in protecting their remnant stands of valuable, ancient trees. Erik emphasized that he believes vast tribal parks are necessary to protect Tla’amin culture and that the province of British Columbia needs to provide significant funds to realize that goal.

Eldred Valley

The next day we headed to the Eldred Valley. This majestic valley is revered among rock climbers across Canada for its magnificent battlements of towering granite. We were joined in our exploration by Dr. Andrew Bryant, an ecologist with a lifetime of experience researching wildlife in coastal British Columbia. The lion’s share of Andrew’s work has been in saving the endangered Vancouver Island marmot from extinction. He has also done research on the old-growth-dependent marbled murrelet and led pioneering work on how forest-dwelling birds respond to different methods of logging. His decades of experience studying coastal ecology provided a fascinating perspective on the ecological importance of old-growth forests.

On our way into the Eldred, we stopped at Goat Mountain. Andrew told us that in the fall, the local natural history club comes to this spot to watch mountain goats foraging on the sheer cliffs. Though iconically associated with the treeless expanses of ice and rock that dominate the forbidding peaks of British Columbia’s mountains, this monarch of the alpine realm is actually dependent on the rainforest for its survival. The Coast Mountains experience extreme winter snowfall, and mountain goats here must retreat to forested winter ranges to access the forage that will keep them alive through the winter. The BC government’s own conservation plan for mountain goats identifies the loss of old-growth forests as a key threat to their survival. The mountain goat then is a crucial reminder of the way in which old-growth forests sustain a huge variety of creatures that seem only tenuously connected to them: from coho salmon deep in the Pacific Ocean to a mountain goat perched high on a granite slab

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As we entered the Eldred and saw on all sides its soaring granite walls, we immediately understood the reason for its legendary status in the climbing community. There was an indescribable majesty in watching the clouds drift through the valley; the peaks looked like huge islands washed by foaming surf, and we were mesmerized by the always-shifting pageantry of cloud and stone, broken by sudden windows of dazzling sunlight. Contrasting with the primeval wildness of these monumental stone faces was the heavily exploited forest of the valley. It was like the entire valley floor had been gouged with an enormous ice cream scoop, with the only remaining old-growth forests hanging on in tenacious little slivers of dark green on the very fringes of sheer rock. Despite driving for over three hours up the Eldred on rough logging roads, we still couldn’t reach any accessible old-growth to showcase in our interview with Andrew. Eventually, we settled in front of the castle-like stump of what had once been an ancient redcedar and listened to Andrew explain the critical ecological importance of ancient forests.

After interviewing Andrew, we were determined to see any scrap of remaining old-growth that we could, so we set out in search of the shreds of old-growth still clinging to the upper walls of the Eldred. We hiked up through a gloomy second-growth forest where the closed canopy of young trees blocks out the necessary light for understory dwelling shrubs and forbs. Such barren forests are deserts to foraging deer and for the wolves and cougars that depend on them. We had driven three hours deep into the Eldred and, though we hiked further and further up, we still couldn’t find a single old-growth tree. As we climbed higher, the ground fell away on all sides until we were walking a narrow ridge, only wide enough for us to continue in single file. This slender bridge led directly into a remnant stand of ancient forest

Conservation Biologist Andrew Bryant beside a massive cedar stump amongst second-growth in the Eldred Valley.

Dr. Andrew Bryant beside a giant cedar stump in second-growth.

Unprotected monumental redcedars can still be found at the base of of some of the climbing walls in the valley.

The moment we set foot in the old-growth grove, we passed through a threshold into another world. After the dark, lifeless gloom of the logged-over second-growth, suddenly there was light and green and life. We’ve had the privilege to explore many ancient groves in BC, and still, we were stunned by the beauty we’d stumbled into. The glade was split by a stream of clear water overhung with devil’s club, blueberry, and sword fern. The forest floor was a gently sloping garden of oak fern and queen’s cup. Rising above it all, were the magnificent trunks of enormous redcedars; ancient monarchs still ruling this quiet glade as they had for centuries. As we wandered through this garden of giants, we found the daybeds of animals nestled among the roots of the colossal cedars, and on their bark, the claw marks of bears. This grove was clearly a precious oasis for the wildlife of the region. We could easily imagine them creeping up, just like we had, through the vast wasteland of second-growth forest, so they could rest or feed in this far-flung refuge, nestled against the granite teeth of the Eldred.

From this vantage point, we could see the popular climbing wall of Amon Rudh and its dark green beard of remaining old-growth. Amon Rudh is named after a mountain in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth. In Tolkien’s legendarium, this mountain is the refuge of the doomed hero Turin, who takes shelter there from the conquering forces of Tolkien’s primeval dark lord. Tolkien was a pioneer in the way he linked the traditional struggles of good and evil – expected from fantasy – with vivid imagery of ecological devastation. It’s not lost on anyone who knows the story of Amon Rudh, a symbol of heroic resistance to the forces of destruction, that the Eldred’s Amon Rudh holds some of the last remnants of healthy forest in a valley nearly conquered by clearcut logging. In recent years, the local climbing community of Powell River has been actively opposing plans to clearcut this last, tiny trace of the Eldred’s ancient rainforests. 

Local advocate and qathet Old-Growth member, Jill Marie Bronson.

On our third day, we interviewed Jill Marie Bronson, one of the founders of the qathet Old-Growth group. She’s been doing fantastic work documenting and advocating for old-growth forests in the Powell River region. Jill Marie defies the stereotype of your average old-growth forest advocate. Deeply connected to BC’s logging industry, Jill Marie’s father works as a tree-faller and she herself has worked in laying out cutblocks. Educated in forestry, Jill Marie provided a fascinating and insightful perspective on the old-growth forest issues in the region.

That afternoon, we headed out of Powell River, reflecting on our fascinating three-day adventure. We interviewed people with diverse perspectives on biology, forestry, economics, and First Nations culture. Yet, despite these varied backgrounds, the consensus was clear: things need to change. The Powell River region is a perfect microcosm of the issues facing First Nations and forestry communities across British Columbia. How can they transition away from old-growth logging? Despite a history deeply steeped in forestry, community members from all different backgrounds are increasingly sounding the alarm on the destruction and unsustainable future of old-growth logging. They’re asking for leadership and financial support from a provincial government that still seems unwilling to act.

New community spotlight video: Mt. Freda & Eldred Valley

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Watch our new community spotlight video featuring the ancient forests of Mt. Freda and the Eldred Valley near the town of Powell River on the west coast of BC. The region, which is home to Canada’s oldest recorded trees, has been stewarded by the Tla’amin, shíshálh, Klahoose, and K’ómoks, First Nations since time immemorial.

Photos: Eldred River Valley

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Located in Tla’amin First Nation territory, outside the town of Powell River, the Eldred Valley is legendary among rock climbers for its towering granite peaks while also supporting some of the last vestiges of old-growth forest in the region. These magnificent groves are home to monumental western redcedars and Douglas-firs, and provide critical habitat for wildlife in the valley.

Most recently, the BC government has identified a number of at-risk ancient groves in the Eldred Valley for potential logging deferrals, including some of the forest pictured here. Significant funding for First Nations is now urgently needed to make these deferrals possible.

Photo Gallery: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/eldred-river-valley/https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/eldred-river-valley/

Send a (NEW!) instant message to the BC government to demand funding for conservation solutions here: https://16.52.162.165/funding-send-a-message/

Photos: Mount Freda Ancient Forests – qathet Region

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Located in the territory of the Tla’amin and shíshálh First Nations, and close to the town of Powell River, Mt. Freda is home to some of the oldest trees in Canada. 

Photo Gallery: https://16.52.162.165/photos-media/mt-freda-ancient-forests/

Currently, the logging of the remaining ancient forests of Mt. Freda has paused thanks to the leadership and initiative of the Tla’amin First Nation who requested a temporary halt to any old-growth logging in their territory. Most recently, the BC government has identified a number of at-risk ancient groves on Mt. Freda for potential logging deferrals, including some of the forest pictured here.

Send a (NEW!) instant message to the BC government, demanding they must step up and commit at least $300 million dollars in provincial funding to support Indigenous Protected Areas to permanently protect old-growth forests and sustainable economic alternatives for First Nations communities across BC: https://16.52.162.165/funding-send-a-message/

Photographer TJ Watt wins accolades for showing the world the destruction of old-growth forests in BC

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Focus on Victoria
November 12, 2021

Watt’s dramatic images of coastal forests—before and after logging—have helped everyone better understand what’s being lost.

THERE WERE A FEW TIMES, as TJ Watt slogged through a sea of stumps and barren clearcuts, that he questioned whether anyone cared that trees, which had grown for centuries and supported intricate networks of species, had been destroyed forever.

“You sometimes wonder ‘why am I even doing this? Is it really making a difference,’” said Watt, a photographer and campaigner for the Ancient Forest Alliance whose dramatic before-and-after pictures of old-growth logging in BC recently went viral.

International shockwaves from his photographs of giant western red cedars in the Caycuse River watershed on southern Vancouver Island, strategically placed with after-logging images of massive stumps, helped focus attention on BC’s already controversial old-growth logging policies.

All photos above were taken in the Caycuse area of Vancouver Island by TJ Watt.

The reaction proved that, indeed, people do care.

“It says we are on the right track,” Watt said.

The images appeared in several major magazines and were recognized in three international photo competitions. Then, in October, Watt was named as a National Geographic Explorer and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer.

Watt will also receive a Trebek Initiative grant, which will help fund more expeditions into remote areas where, out of sight of the general public, old-growth is being logged. 

He hopes the recognition will allow him to reach a wider audience. “I think it just goes to show that this is truly a globally significant issue. These are some of the Earth’s largest and oldest trees and, here we are in a first-world country, and it is still legal to cut them down,” said Watt. 

TJ Watt

The Trebek Initiative is named after Alex Trebek, the Canadian host of the popular television show Jeopardy, who died earlier this year. Trebek was an honorary president of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the grants, awarded for the first time this year, support explorers, scientists, photographers, geographers and educators who use storytelling to ignite “a passion to preserve.”

The recognition comes shortly after Watt’s latest release of photographs that are breath-taking for all the wrong reasons.

The pictures of scalped hillsides along the upper Mahatta River on northwestern Vancouver Island immediately drew horrified condemnation of BC’s old-growth forestry policies.

Scalped hillsides along the upper Mahatta River on northwestern Vancouver Island (photo by TJ Watt)
The destruction on the ground at Mahatta River (photo by TJ Watt)

About 50 hectares around the Mahatta River, within the territory of Quatsino First Nation, was auctioned off by BC Timber Sales, and the photos show the raw reality of clearcutting, with slopes and the valley bottom denuded of old-growth trees, leaving only giant cedar stumps.

“[The photos] really struck a nerve with people. A lot of people see those images and think ‘didn’t we stop clearcutting like that back in the 1990s?’” Watt said.

The trees were cut last year and this year—after the Province received the Old Growth Strategic Review which called for a paradigm shift in the way BC manages ancient forests.

“This is one of the most atrocious examples of logging that I’ve seen in more than a decade,” said Watt, 37, who has worked on photography projects for the Ancient Forest Alliance since 2010.

The Province has committed to implementing the panel’s 14 recommendations, but, in the meantime, old-growth logging has accelerated and Forests Minister Katrine Conroy confirmed last month that, out of a total annual cut of about 200,000 hectares, 55,000 hectares are old growth.

Historically, before commercial logging, there were about 25-million hectares of old growth and government figures now put BC’s total forest at 56.2 million hectares of which 11.1 million hectares is old growth (not the 13.7-million hectares that government previously estimated).

The definition of coastal old growth is a forest with trees that are at least 250 years old and, in the Interior, trees that are at least 140 years old.

It’s too late for the Mahatta River forest, but Watt is holding out hope that people will no longer put up with such destruction elsewhere.

“The world is watching right now,” he said

“I’m hoping that the pressure of these images and the rest of the photographs we have been sharing are enough to push the government in the direction of doing the right thing.”

Recent BCTS logging at Mahatta River (photo by TJ Watt)

From skate-boarding hippie to making a difference with pictures

Watt’s interest in photography, which morphed into his crusade for old growth, started when he was a skate-boarding teenager, sporting dreadlocks and living in Metchosin.

“Like every young photographer, I figured I wanted to travel the world and shoot photos of far-flung places, but after a few months doing that and then coming home I realized the landscape in the forests right in my own back yard on Vancouver Island, are second to none and I decided to really focus my efforts here,” he said.

That commitment was cemented by a stint at the now-defunct Western Academy of Photography.

“It gave me a year to focus specifically on photography instead of doing all the construction and landscaping jobs I was doing. I knew I wanted to do photography related to nature and photography with a real purpose,” he said.

It was a decision that worried his family, Watt admits.

“If you tell your parents that you’re going to be an artist that saves trees and that’s how you’re going to make a living, they definitely roll their eyes at you and look concerned and worried,” he said.

“But, I can say, more than a decade later, they’re some of the proudest people around. You sometimes really do have to follow your gut, follow your dreams and believe it’s all going to work out.”

Andrea Kucherawy was program manager at the Western Academy of Photogaphy when Watt arrived as a student and she watched his potential develop.

“He definitely stood out for me,” said Kucherawy who has avidly followed his career.

Watt’s interest in environmental photography paralleled his interest in sports such as skateboarding, said Kucherawy, who is pleased he took the environmental route.

“I honestly don’t think we would be where we are now without the work he has done,” she said.

“People need a visual, a comparison and his before-and-after work often includes a human element to give a sense of scale and I think that’s what’s really empowering for the cause,” she said.

Ken Wu, who co-founded the Ancient Forest Alliance and is now executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, first met Watt when he (Wu) was executive director of the Victoria chapter of the Wilderness Committee.

“He was this skateboarding hippie who always had a camera with him and he liked to take pictures of all the protests we were organizing,” Wu said.

“Then I sent him into the woods to take pictures of the old-growth forests and to build trails and it turned out that he had a great aptitude for trail building and outdoor activities in rugged landscapes,” he said.

When Wu split from the Wilderness Committee, one of his first moves was to hire TJ as the Ancient Forest Alliance’s first staff member.

One of the most celebrated early campaigns was sparked by the duo’s discovery of Avatar Grove, near Port Renfrew. TJ’s photos of the huge, gnarly trees and untouched forest, which was slated to be felled, sparked massive public interest.

Avatar Grove (photo by TJ Watt)
Avatar Grove (photo by TJ Watt)

Avatar Grove has now become a tourist attraction and was pivotal in the transformation of Port Renfrew from a logging town to a destination for people who want to see big trees.

It was the right time in history, noted Wu: the movie Avatar—which has a story line about saving a forest on another planet—was taking the world by storm; and TJ’s growing camera skills, combined with the rise of Facebook, allowed his photos of the discovery of a spectacular grove of trees in an accessible area to be shared around the world.

“I recognized that TJ’s photos could be news media in and of themselves because they could be shared on that new platform,” Wu said.

“They really hit home. It’s a visual shock. It’s like harpooned whales or rhinos with their horns cut off, you get it a lot more quickly than all of my emails about productivity distinctions and tenure regulations,” he said.

Edward Burtynsky, one of Canada’s best-known photographers, who focuses on global industrial landscapes, came across TJ when he was looking at photographing big trees and BC’s northern rainforest.

All his research led to TJ and a loose collaboration started, said Burtynsky, who was impressed with the power of the photographs and the direction of the Ancient Forest Alliance campaigns.

“When you name an area and name a tree it’s a really powerful way to save them,” he said.

Now, in the age of iPhones, images have become one of the most powerful and fluid forms of communication, putting eyes on parts of the world that most people cannot witness first-hand, Burtynsky said.

“Those before-and-after images I believe really drive the point home. You look at a tree that is 500, 700 or even 1,000 years old that sprouted before the medieval age and is now going to be sent somewhere else—not even here—to be cut into boards for decking. There’s something terribly wrong with that image,” he said.

“I can’t see a more compelling way to tell that story than letting people look at that majestic tree and then [look at it again] after the loggers have been in.”

Before and after images of logging of old-growth forest on Vancouver Island (photos by TJ Watt)

Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Green Party, said Watt’s photographs illustrate the gap between logging practices on the ground and the story that government tries to tell.

“Thirty years ago, the world was paying attention because we were clearcutting old-growth forests. Well, nothing has changed,” she said.

“We have accepted this approach to forestry that puts mechanization and efficiency above, not only ecosystem protection, but also above jobs,” said Furstenau, pointing out that increasing volumes of timber are being cut with fewer and fewer people working in the industry.

“When you see these images that TJ has so beautifully captured of before and after, what he shows is the real devastation of these logging practices,” Furstenau said.

A huge emotional toll in witnessing the destruction

The accolades for Watt come at a pivotal point as the provincial government announced in early November that logging will be deferred on 2.6 million hectares of old growth for two years while it consults with the province’s 204 First Nations.

The deferrals are based on new mapping, identifying areas of old growth where there is imminent risk of biodiversity loss. BC Timber Sales, the government agency that hands out logging contracts for 20 percent of the province’s annual allowable cut—and which has been heavily criticized for auctioning off some of the most controversial areas of old growth—will immediately stop advertising and selling parcels in the deferral areas.

It is positive that government is now using independent mapping, based on science, to identify old-growth forests at risk and that mapping confirms that many of BC’s forests are at risk of irreversible biodiversity loss, Watt said.

However, details and provincial funding are missing although the federal government has committed $50-million to help protect BC’s ancient forests, noted Watt.

“Without a matching provincial commitment of several hundred million dollars in conservation funding, with a primary focus on First Nations economic relief linked to deferrals, the full scale of the deferrals and eventual permanent protection will be impossible to achieve,” he said.

“We have the road map in hand, but we’re missing the gas in the tank,” he said.

That means the clock is ticking as the ever-shrinking remains of BC’s old-growth forests are continuing to fall and Watt suspects it will be impossible to avoid more before-and-after pictures—and they are never easy.

The chance to inform the public about forestry practices in the hidden corners of the province is a privilege, but it leaves scars, Watt admits.

“There’s a huge emotional toll and compounding ecological grief to witnessing the disappearance and destruction of these truly irreplaceable forests,” he said.

“It even causes a lot of anger, because I know that every day there’s a delay in ensuring these forests are protected, some of them are gone forever. Trees may come back, but never the ancient forests that are so humbling and awe-inspiring.”

As an example, he described how retracing his steps through the Caycuse after the machines had done their worst, was like looking at the death of old friends.

The idea of irretrievable loss when old-growth forests are cut was echoed by Gary Merkel, one of the authors of the Old Growth Strategic Review and a member of the technical advisory panel on the recent deferrals.

Speaking at the news conference Merkel emphasized the importance of the underlying ecosystems in old-growth forests: “Some of our ecosystems in British Columbia remain relatively undisturbed since the last ice-age, more than 10,000 years,” he said.

“We can grow new trees, they are renewable. These ecosystems, in most cases, are not renewable. They will never come back in a lifetime and possibly ever because of climate change,” he said.

Watt’s photographs have helped make British Columbians aware of what was happening in the remote reaches of Vancouver Island. Despite the toll, Watt is committed to continuing his work on behalf of the forest: “Unless we go on these trips to try to expose them, the forests would disappear without anybody knowing about it.”

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Old-growth images net Victoria photographer grant named for Jeopardy! host

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Victoria photographer TJ Watt, whose photos documenting the loss of old-growth trees have been seen around the world, has won a grant named for former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.

Times Colonist
November 12, 2021

“I would consider myself successful if I put myself out of a job,” says TJ Watt, a photographer and co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, who has received one of the first Trebek Initiative grants to support his work documenting the loss of old-growth trees on Vancouver Island. The grant is named for former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who had a passion for geography. SUBMITTED BY TJ WATT

Victoria photographer TJ Watt, whose photos documenting the loss of old-growth trees have been seen around the world, has won a grant named for former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.

The Trebek Initiative grant will support the continuation of Watt’s “before” and “after” series, which depicts 800-to-1,000-year-old red cedars in the Caycuse Valley of southern Vancouver Island next to images of the stumps left behind after the trees are cut.

Watt, always in the same red jacket, stands next to the trees and their stumps, providing scale for the enormous trees.

Watt said he is humbled and grateful to have received one of the initial grants from the Trebek Initiative, which was awarded for the first time this year f­ollowing Trebek’s death last November. He is also named a National Geographic Explorer and a Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer.

Watt, 37, said he has dedicated the last 15 years to documenting B.C.’s ancient forests in an effort to save them from logging.

“A lot of that time is spent alone, either in really rainy, miserable, clearcuts or off in faraway forests. You can feel like you wonder if anyone’s paying attention or watching, but I think this grant award and those naming recognitions really show that the world is watching,” said Watt, a co-founder of the non-profit Ancient Forest Alliance, which works to protect B.C.’s old-growth forests from logging.

His series of before-and-after images, published while protests against old-growth logging on southern ­Vancouver Island grew into Canada’s largest act of civil disobedience, was seen by millions on social media and ­recognized by multiple international ­photography contests. About 1,100 arrests have been arrested in the Fairy Creek area near Port Renfrew since May for attempting to block logging crews from cutting down old-growth trees.

“When people saw those photos, it was just outrage. There’s no way to spin it in any positive way,” Watt said. “And I think it really held the government’s feet to the fire to actually move and take some real action to protect old-growth forests.”

Watt took his “before” photos in the spring of 2020, carefully recording the location of each tree and noting how his camera was set up so he could return and replicate the image when only stumps remained.

“I was literally standing on the edge of existence where you have massive stumps on one side and a 12-foot-wide tree on your other side with a chainsaw sitting beside it, knowing that the next day that tree is going to be cut down,” he said.

Watt has already taken his first “before” images of giant red cedars and Sitka spruce trees with support from the Trebek grant. The success of the series is bittersweet for Watt.

“I would consider myself successful if I put myself out of a job,” he said. “We just don’t have the time to do this forever. The old-growth forests are already in a crisis.”

The Trebek Initiative grant supports emerging Canadian explorers, ­scientists, photographers, geographers and ­educators to explore unique ecozones, conduct research on wildlife, wilderness or water and document Canadian ­geography.

Trebek, who had a passion for geography, served as honorary president of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society from 2016 until his death on Nov. 8, 2020.

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BC makes big commitment to save old-growth trees from further logging

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The Globe and Mail
November 6, 2021

In British Columbia’s Nahmint Valley, an 11th-hour reprieve was issued this week for ancient forests that were slated for logging.

The valley, in central Vancouver Island, features massive old western redcedars and some of the province’s largest Douglas fir trees, and is home to Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, cougars, wolves, black bears and threatened species such as the marbled murrelet and northern goshawk. It has been at the centre of a long-running battle between environmental values and economic ones, as the provincial government’s own logging agency, BC Timber Sales (BCTS), oversees the falling of large chunks of the forest.

Across BC, a total of 2.6 million hectares of rare, old-growth forests may be spared further logging under the provincial government’s new approach to forestry, which recognizes that these ecosystems are irreplaceable. On Nov. 2, Forests Minister Katrine Conroy announced the province’s largest-ever commitment to preservation. The first step isto suspend logging in one-third of the rare, old-growth forests, which are considered at a very high risk of irreversible biodiversity loss. The measures are temporary, but intended to allow time for the government to fully develop its plan, which will make the health of British Columbia’s forests an overarching priority.

There is a catch: Most of the proposed logging moratoriums are subject to what may be lengthy consultations with Indigenous communities. But the province has immediately put the brakes on new logging through BCTS, which accounts for one-fifth of all of BC’s annual forestry harvest. For the bulk of the proposed deferrals, the province will make no changes until it conducts individual consultations with 204 First Nations, a process that, optimistically, the province hopes to complete in 30 days.

Meanwhile, BC will continue to harvest trees in old-growth forests, some essentially undisturbed since the last ice age, as part of an industry that still contributes mightily to the provincial coffers.

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt beside an old-growth Douglas-fir tree in a planned BC Timber Sales cutblock that is now deferred from logging in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni.

 

TJ Watt has spent years bushwhacking through the Nahmint Valley for the non-profit Ancient Forest Alliance, documenting both the old-growth giants and the logging that targets the biggest and most valuable stands of trees. Since the announcement on Tuesday, he has been studying the deferral maps to see what the changes mean.

“We’ve documented some of the earth’s largest trees being cut down there by BC Timber Sales, and we’ve continued to highlight the forest that remains at risk in that valley. And today, I’m excited to look at these maps and see that there is a real change coming,” he said.

The valley has been heavily logged, same as the surrounding region. The nearest town is Port Alberni, a forestry-dependent community where the first commercial sawmill opened in 1860.

The San Group opened a $70-million sawmill in Port Alberni in 2020, the first major investment in coastal sawmilling in 15 years. Kamal Sanghera, the chief executive officer, said his company’s five mills are already struggling to obtain raw materials to process, but if halting BCTS operations in places such as the Nahmint Valley leads to reforms of the system, he can support the changes.

“We need to cut less and create more value,” Mr. Sanghera said in an interview Friday. “The system now is wrong. We are shipping raw logs overseas, while guys like us can’t get supply.”

 

 

Conflict over old-growth forestry is a familiar story in BC, which was described internationally as the “Brazil of the North” 30 years ago. In 1992, the provincial government appointed an independent Commissioner of Resources and Environment in a bid to resolve these conflicts with a consensus-based land use strategy. Consensus remains elusive, and while the industry has changed, timber harvesting remains entrenched as a priority over values such as biodiversity.

One factor has changed significantly. In 1992, Indigenous communities struggled to influence land-use decisions in their traditional territories. Today, the BC government is bound by legislation to seek consent before making new decisions about resource development.

The First Nations Leadership Council, in a statement Thursday, welcomed the deferrals but criticized the delivery, noting that some old growth remains unprotected while the consultations are carried out. As well, the council is unhappy that the province has passed responsibility to First Nations without providing financial support to replace any revenues that might be lost if they choose to defer logging old growth in their territory.

Ms. Conroy would not say whether her government is ready to offer compensation to First Nations that wish to approve deferrals. “We will work with the communities,” she said in an interview.

The government is also under fire from the forest industry, which predicts devastating consequences for jobs and communities if the deferrals are approved.

Susan Yurkovich, president and chief executive officer of the Council of Forest Industries, is shocked by the scale of the deferrals. To freeze 2.6 million hectares of old-growth forests equals an annual loss of 10 million cubic metres of timber, she said. Based on the average requirement to feed a sawmill, that would shut down up to 20 mills, and cost 18,000 jobs, she added.

The provincial government insists that the toll will be smaller: If all of the proposed deferrals go ahead, 4,500 forestry workers would be out of a job. The transition that the BC government envisions would see the forest industry extract more product, more value and more jobs out of every tree cut. But that, Ms. Yurkovich said, would require significant investments.

“To retool a mill takes millions and millions of dollars,” she said, “What is going to get people to invest is predictable access to fibre at a reasonable cost. And this announcement has created significant additional uncertainty. It is going to have a chilling effect not only for industry, but for workers.”

The bulk of the trees that are cut in BC are on Crown land, meaning that forestry companies depend on the province for their fibre supply. That is the provincial government’s bargaining chip.

“This is a new vision for how we’re going to do forestry in this province. We have to look at the whole picture, the whole ecosystem. It’s not just about looking at that tree and saying, ‘Okay, how much do I get for that when we harvest it?’” Ms. Conroy said. “Some companies have adjusted and some haven’t. If you’re going to harvest our timber in BC and reap the benefits of that, then we hope you will invest in BC They are the peoples’ forests.”

Although many communities around the province still depend on forestry, the industry’s clout has waned. In 1992, the industry provided more than 90,000 jobs; today there are about 50,000. Mills have closed around the province even as the trees continue to fall. In the past year, BC has shipped $500 million worth of raw logs overseas to be processed in other countries. Nation-wide, only Alberta gets fewer jobs out of every tree cut.

As the most valuable, old-growth forests disappear, experts warn that job losses, with or without this action, are looming.

Ecologist Rachel Holt is one of the experts the province retained to produce its 2.6-million-hectare deferral plan. “We know that the old growth is running out. In some places, it’s already gone, like the dry coastal Douglas fir forests on the east side of Vancouver Island. We couldn’t set deferrals, because there is no old growth left. And what has industry done to prepare for this? Where was the forward planning to make sure there wasn’t community disaster?”

Environmentalists have accused the BC NDP government of dragging its heels on action, but there is a sense of urgency now on display. That is partly due to domestic pressure: The mass civil disobedience that continues in Fairy Creek has put a spotlight on old-growth logging. It’s also international, as Canada makes bigger and broader commitments to conservation and climate change.

But most of the promises made this week depend on the work ahead, as the province seeks to execute what it has billed as unprecedented conservation.

First Nations, industry leaders and environmentalists all agree on one thing: This transition cannot be achieved without a significant amount of money.

“If the government wants to set themselves up for success here, they absolutely need to come to the table with hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation funding,” Mr. Watts said. “Primarily for the economic relief of First Nations communities, if they choose to defer and ultimately move to permanent protection, so that it’s not a choice between logging and making money, and protecting forests and losing money. It needs to be a fair and equitable choice.”

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You’re invited to the AFA’s 2021 Virtual Year-End Update & Fundraiser!

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We’re hosting our virtual year-end update and fundraiser on Thursday, November 25, from 7-8 pm (PST) on Zoom. Join us to learn what we’ve been up to this past year and what’s next for old-growth forests in BC. Plus, you could win some fun prizes!

With the BC government’s latest old-growth deferral announcement, the release of our groundbreaking report on the economic value of standing ancient forests, a federal funding commitment for BC old-growth, and mounting public pressure on the province to act, 2021 has been an eventful year for the ancient forest campaign.

Tune in to hear more about these and other developments, learn what AFA is doing to ensure the BC government follows through on all its old-growth promises, and help us celebrate all we’ve achieved this past year together.

The evening will feature a slideshow presentation from AFA campaigners TJ Watt, Andrea Inness, and Ian Illuminato about where we’ve been in 2021 and what’s next for ancient forests in BC, a Q&A session on all things old-growth, the chance to connect with the AFA team, and some fun giveaways.

You’ll also learn how you can support our campaigns, including by purchasing some great AFA gear (which make excellent holiday gifts!).

Event schedule:

7:00pm presentation followed by Q&A

Tickets: By donation. Register here

A Zoom link to join the webinar will be sent in your confirmation and reminder emails. If you have an Eventbrite account, you can also access the link on your online event page.

Proceeds from the event will go towards AFA’s campaign to protect endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry in BC.

We’re hosting our virtual year-end update and fundraiser on Thursday, November 25, from 7-8 pm (PST) on Zoom. Join us to learn what we’ve been up to this past year and what’s next for old-growth forests in BC. Plus, you could win some fun prizes!

With the BC government’s latest old-growth deferral announcement, the release of our groundbreaking report on the economic value of standing ancient forests, a federal funding commitment for BC old-growth, and mounting public pressure on the province to act, 2021 has been an eventful year for the ancient forest campaign.

Tune in to hear more about these and other developments, learn what AFA is doing to ensure the BC government follows through on all its old-growth promises, and help us celebrate all we’ve achieved this past year together.

The evening will feature a slideshow presentation from AFA campaigners TJ Watt, Andrea Inness, and Ian Illuminato about where we’ve been in 2021 and what’s next for ancient forests in BC, a Q&A session on all things old-growth, the chance to connect with the AFA team, and some fun giveaways.

You’ll also learn how you can support our campaigns, including by purchasing some great AFA gear (which make excellent holiday gifts!).

Event schedule:

7:00pm presentation followed by Q&A

Tickets: By donation. Register here

A Zoom link to join the webinar will be sent in your confirmation and reminder emails. If you have an Eventbrite account, you can also access the link on your online event page.

Proceeds from the event will go towards AFA’s campaign to protect endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry in BC.

Register for the webinar

We’re hosting our virtual year-end update and fundraiser on Thursday, November 25, from 7-8 pm (PST) on Zoom. Join us to learn what we’ve been up to this past year and what’s next for old-growth forests in BC. Plus, you could win some fun prizes!

With the BC government’s latest old-growth deferral announcement, the release of our groundbreaking report on the economic value of standing ancient forests, a federal funding commitment for BC old-growth, and mounting public pressure on the province to act, 2021 has been an eventful year for the ancient forest campaign.

Tune in to hear more about these and other developments, learn what AFA is doing to ensure the BC government follows through on all its old-growth promises, and help us celebrate all we’ve achieved this past year together.

The evening will feature a slideshow presentation from AFA campaigners TJ Watt, Andrea Inness, and Ian Illuminato about where we’ve been in 2021 and what’s next for ancient forests in BC, a Q&A session on all things old-growth, the chance to connect with the AFA team, and some fun giveaways.

You’ll also learn how you can support our campaigns, including by purchasing some great AFA gear (which make excellent holiday gifts!).

Event schedule:

7:00pm presentation followed by Q&A

Tickets: By donation. Register here

A Zoom link to join the webinar will be sent in your confirmation and reminder emails. If you have an Eventbrite account, you can also access the link on your online event page.

Proceeds from the event will go towards AFA’s campaign to protect endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry in BC.

We’re hosting our virtual year-end update and fundraiser on Thursday, November 25, from 7-8 pm (PST) on Zoom. Join us to learn what we’ve been up to this past year and what’s next for old-growth forests in BC. Plus, you could win some fun prizes!

With the BC government’s latest old-growth deferral announcement, the release of our groundbreaking report on the economic value of standing ancient forests, a federal funding commitment for BC old-growth, and mounting public pressure on the province to act, 2021 has been an eventful year for the ancient forest campaign.

Tune in to hear more about these and other developments, learn what AFA is doing to ensure the BC government follows through on all its old-growth promises, and help us celebrate all we’ve achieved this past year together.

The evening will feature a slideshow presentation from AFA campaigners TJ Watt, Andrea Inness, and Ian Illuminato about where we’ve been in 2021 and what’s next for ancient forests in BC, a Q&A session on all things old-growth, the chance to connect with the AFA team, and some fun giveaways.

You’ll also learn how you can support our campaigns, including by purchasing some great AFA gear (which make excellent holiday gifts!).

Event schedule:

7:00pm presentation followed by Q&A

Tickets: By donation. Register here

A Zoom link to join the webinar will be sent in your confirmation and reminder emails. If you have an Eventbrite account, you can also access the link on your online event page.

Proceeds from the event will go towards AFA’s campaign to protect endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry in BC.

Register for the webinar

Province uses best available science to identify and partially defer logging of at-risk old-growth, critical funding measures still missing

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VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) – Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) commend a BC government announcement made today releasing independent scientific mapping of BC’s endangered old-growth forests, and in principle accepting recommendations to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of at-risk old-growth forests. The province has also immediately deferred all future BC Timber Sales (BCTS) cutblocks that overlap with identified at-risk forests. However, critical conservation funding to enable the full scale of deferral recommendations is still missing. 

A summary report and new scientific mapping produced by an independent Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel have revealed there are 5 million hectares of unprotected, at-risk old-growth forest across BC. These forests are categorized into ancient, rare, and big tree forests. The panel recommended the province immediately defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of these forests, focusing on the most critically endangered stands. 

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Andrea Inness beside an old-growth redcedar tree in BC Timber Sales tenure in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni in Hupacasath territory.

“The independent mapping is a major step forward,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner TJ Watt. “For the first time in history, the province has used the best available science to accurately identify old-growth forests at risk. This mapping confirms what conservation organizations have been saying for years: that much of BC’s forests are at risk of irreversible biodiversity loss and must be protected.”

“The province’s acceptance of the recommendation to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of the best and most at-risk old-growth forests is also unprecedented,” stated Watt “However, these are not immediate and without a matching provincial commitment of several hundred million dollars in conservation financing, with a primary focus on First Nations economic relief linked to deferrals, the full scale of the deferrals, and eventual permanent protection, will be impossible to achieve. We have the road map in hand, but we’re missing the gas in the tank.”

A highlight of the announcement is that BCTS, which has stood at the centre of considerable controversy for the logging of some of BC’s finest remaining old-growth stands, will see immediate logging deferrals. Covering about 20% of the province’s annual allowable cut, this could represent an area of about 500,000 hectares being placed under temporary deferral. This area is larger than all protected parkland on Vancouver Island put together, vastly exceeding all deferrals in place thus far. Included in this area are some of the most critical old-growth hotspots remaining in BC, such as the Artlish, Tsitika, and Nahmint watersheds, areas that conservationists have struggled to protect for decades.

The province also announced its plan to launch a suite of programs to support workers that will be impacted by the deferrals, including connecting workers with short-term employment opportunities, education and skills training, or funds to bridge to retirement. However, the province did not announce economic relief for lost forestry revenues in First Nations communities due to proposed deferrals. $12.69 million over three years was committed to providing capacity funding for First Nations to participate in planning and negotiation, but no money has yet been committed to providing further conservation financing. 

Port Alberni Watershed Forest Alliance’s Jane Morden beside an old-growth redcedar tree in BC Timber Sales tenure in the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni in Hupacasath territory.

“Today’s announcement is a historic step in the right direction, but there are some critical pieces still missing,” said AFA campaigner Andrea Inness. “Besides a lack of funding, the province has failed to provide timeframes or deadlines for the implementation of deferrals or any of the OGSR recommendations. Meanwhile, at-risk old-growth forests are being left on the chopping block while negotiations take place.”

“The province needs to show leadership in supporting First Nations-led old-growth conservation. The $12 million committed today to support capacity building for First Nations to participate in government-to-government negotiations doesn’t go nearly far enough.”

“It’s about ensuring First Nations in BC have funding made available to support logging deferrals, First Nations-led land-use planning, Indigenous protected areas that conserve old-growth, and economic diversification of First Nations’ communities,” said Inness. “There must also be support for joint decision-making and Indigenous self-determination. Currently, the province doesn’t have the political will to deliver on these pieces. That needs to change.”

The federal government recently committed $2.3 billion to expand protected areas across Canada. Of this, several hundred million dollars are available for the expansion of protected areas in BC, with $50 million specifically allocated to protect old-growth forests in BC. 

The Ancient Forest Alliance is urging the BC government to commit several hundred million dollars in conservation financing to match this federal funding in the upcoming spring budget.