False Hellebore

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One of the most violently poisonous plants of the coastal rainforest is false hellebore (also known as Indian hellebore). This tall but unassuming plant grows in wet areas and is lethal if consumed. Even drinking water from where it grows has been known to cause stomach cramps.

In Chinook jargon, the historical trade language of the west coast, this plant was referred to as ‘skookum’ root, with ‘skookum’ meaning powerful or brave. Despite its toxic nature, this plant has enormous medicinal value for First Nations cultures, though practitioners would have to be extremely careful about consumption — something we do NOT recommend.

Totem Pole Ceremony – Opitsaht, Meares Island

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Last summer, members of the House of Ewos from the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, and many invited guests, raised a totem pole at the ancient village of Opitsaht on Meares Island for the first time since 1993. Prior to colonization, each house in the village, located just across from Tofino, would have had up to four totem poles in front of them. Today, with the addition of this new pole, three now stand in total in the village.

The pole was created by Tla-o-qui-aht master carver Joe Martin and a team of helpers. The top crest is a female thunderbird, representing female ancestry & connection to the supernatural. Eagle down was placed in the talons and could be seen blowing in the breeze.

The totem also bears four ominous skulls representing the multiple pandemics and losses the Nation has faced. These include COVID-19, tuberculosis & smallpox, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples, and the Residential School System and the children who never came home from them.

The population of Tla-o-qui-aht Nation was about 10,000 strong when the first Europeans arrived. In the year 1900, there were only 122 survivors. Without their consent, colonial governments used this to take control of the wealth of natural resources on their unceded territory.

Today, the logging industry has destroyed well over 90% of the old-growth forests with the biggest trees in BC and continues to aggressively target old-growth cedar in particular. Without monumental cedars, it’s impossible to make canoes and totem poles, resulting in a loss of Indigenous culture.

Known as the ‘Tree of Life’, there are thousands of ways cedar plays a role in the lives and culture of First Nations people. Trees would never be felled during spring or summer months as great respect was paid to any nesting birds or denning animals in the area.

Ensuring that old-growth forests are protected, while still allowing for select trees to be used for cultural purposes, will help preserve the diversity of life — both human and non-human — that depend on them.

? TJ Watt with support from the Trebek Initiative

Double your impact when supporting AFA until July 15th!

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We’re grateful to announce that a generous supporter has offered to match donations made to the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000. This means for the next month when you donate to the AFA, your gift will have DOUBLE the impact!

Match My Gift

Together, we have the opportunity to raise $40,000+ toward the protection of endangered ancient forests in BC. This support will allow us to continue our most important work at this critical time, including activities such as:

  • Working with key First Nations partners to support Indigenous-led protected areas initiatives and sustainable economic alternatives to old-growth logging. Cost: $30,000
  • Exploring and documenting endangered ancient forests with professional photography and video. An important tactic for educating and mobilizing the public to speak up for old-growth forests and attracting international news coverage. Cost: $3,000
  • Completing 2023 mapping on the status of endangered old-growth forests on BC’s south coast. Cost: $2,000
  • Building and strengthening relationships with municipalities and non-traditional allies such as unions, chambers of commerce, faith groups, and tourism associations to build a broad-based movement of support for old-growth protection. Cost: $5,000

We’re at a pivotal point in the decades-long push to protect old-growth forests in BC. What happens in the next few years — even months — will determine the fate of these irreplaceable forests for generations to come.

That is why now is the most critical time to support our organization since our inception 13 years ago.

As a direct result of our advocacy and your support, the BC government has made a number of recent commitments toward increased old-growth conservation.

These include commitments to double the total protected area in BC from 15% to 30% by 2030 (much of which will happen sooner); creating a conservation financing mechanism that will support the protection of old-growth forests through the creation of new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs); and developing a BC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework that should prioritize biodiversity and ecosystems in forestry and land-use decisions.

So far, however, there are still major provincial conservation funding gaps for both the short- and long-term protection of old-growth forests, and a lack of ecosystem-based targets set by science and informed by Traditional Knowledge Holders that prioritize the most at-risk areas for protection — critical components that AFA continues to push for every day.

Your donations keep the engine of old-growth protection running. Consider monthly giving as an even greater way to make an impact. Consistent, reliable support provides us with stable funding — allowing us to plan ahead and take on new projects that help advance the old-growth campaign.

Any new or increased monthly gifts during this time will be matched. If monthly donations aren’t financially feasible at the moment, we encourage you to give a one-time gift — any amount helps ensure the forests are left standing!

Progress is happening because we continue to fight for it. Please help us keep the momentum going.

Ways to Donate:

  • Securely via our online form here
  • By phoning 250-896-4007 (Mon-Fri)
  • Mailing a donation to: Ancient Forest Alliance, 205-620 View St Victoria, BC, V8W 1J6

Thank you for your support!

Massive Thanks to our Incredible Business Supporters!

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We would like to extend a huge thank you to the business community for generously supporting the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) and the old-growth campaign.

Thank you to:

Wildcoast Perfumery, who donated a portion of its proceeds to our work.

Barbara Brown Art, who is donating 5% of proceeds from the sales of her art.

Zula Jewelry, who are donating $1 from every cedar piece of jewelry to the campaign.

And Elastic Email, Seaflora Skincare, and Corvidae Environmental Consulting, who have all been monthly donors since 2016, 2020, and 2022 respectively!

Your continued support makes our important work possible and we’re extremely grateful!

A sea of green old-growth in the Central Walbran Valley

Recent Updates on Old-Growth Deferrals in BC

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Great news — thanks to the leadership of the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations, the logging deferral in the Central Walbran valley was extended last year until March 2024 and the deferral at Fairy Creek (excluding the surrounding watersheds) has now been extended as well until February 2025.

Logging deferrals are interim protection measures that safeguard old-growth forests in the short-term, while long-term land-use plans (which may include new protected areas) are developed by First Nations.

When seeking to understand how old-growth forests can ultimately be protected, it’s vital to note that the BC government cannot just “save the old growth” by unilaterally creating new legislated protected areas, as First Nations support is a legal necessity, and First Nations consent for logging deferrals is an important precursor to building the trust for potential future protected areas.

However, the BC government can and should be advocates for old-growth protection after its failed policies have led to today’s ecological emergency. The province must also use its vast resources (much of which came from the exploitation of old-growth forests) to ensure that First Nations have an equitable choice when being asked whether they want to defer or protect old-growth on their unceded territories.

The government must do this by supporting First Nations with funding for sustainable economic alternatives to their logging jobs and revenues, due to many (even most) nations in BC relying heavily on the old-growth logging industry — an economic dependency fostered by successive BC governments.

Across BC, over a million hectares of at-risk old-growth forests are now under temporary deferral, but millions more have no protection at all. What’s needed now from the province — beyond major conservation financing funds — are ecosystem-based targets set by science and informed by Traditional Ecological Knowledge that prioritize the most at-risk ecosystems (such as those with big trees vs. stunted subalpine and bog forests) for protection.

Send a message to the BC government calling for funding.

Read about the newest Fairy Creek deferrals here.

A man in a red jacket stands beside a massive western redcedar trunk in an old-growth forest.

CanGeo: “Big tree hunters: saving the last untouched* areas of the planet”

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May 26, 2023
Canadian Geographic
By Madigan Cotterill

How a niche British Columbia-based community is working to bring attention to the importance of old-growth forests

Amanda Lewis stands completely alone on the edge of British Columbia’s Stewart-Cassiar Highway, contemplating her next step as she confronts a wall of dense, dark trees. Will she venture into the woods unaccompanied, potentially risking her life to reach her destination? Or will she decide to wait for the company of others, knowing there is safety in numbers?

It’s a cloudy summer day, and Lewis is searching for one of Canada’s largest trees, a subalpine fir initially located in 1987. It is already late in the day, and it would take Lewis at least 30 minutes of trekking through the bush to reach the tree. An occasional car passes her on the highway — the only sign of human life as she debates her next move.

If she runs into trouble deep in the forest, Lewis knows that finding her would be difficult as no marked path leads to her destination. “Am I overthinking,” she asks herself. “Should I just zip in and get to this tree?”

She texts her sister, an archeologist with experience in the forest, who points out the danger of going in alone. She makes the tough decision to wait until she is in the company of others before embarking on her quest.

Lewis, who has been a big-tree hunter since 2018, has been on a mission to visit each of the 43 champion trees in the BC Big Tree registry and chronicle that journey through her memoir, Tracking Giants. Like many big-tree hunters, Lewis’ passion for the environment continues to bring her back to the forest where ancient trees have stood for hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of years. But as each day passes, more ancient trees in BC disappear, felled by logging.

Old-growth forests have significant ecological value and play a key role in climate resilience and biodiversity. They are home to many animals, including grizzly bears, black bears, coastal wolves and black-tailed deer, which all rely on these ancient forests for survival. Old-growth forests contain about 90 per cent more shrubs and forbs than second-growth environments, resulting in a complex heterogeneous canopy with light pouring into the understudy. Great reservoirs of biodiversity, old-growth forests also boast an unparalleled ability to keep carbon out of the atmosphere. Yet, with each passing day, these ancient ecosystems continue to vanish, felled by intense logging.

An interactive map released by Conservation North, a science-based conservation organization, shows how much of BC’s last primary forests have been disturbed. A sea of red makes it obvious just how much of the province’s forests have been disturbed. According to the province, BC has about 11.1 million hectares of old-growth forest, 10 million of which are protected or not economical to harvest. However, despite the government’s promise to maintain these forests, logging continues apace, with companies such as Drax Global, the UK’s largest renewable energy company, moving in, wiping large expanses of primary forest.

Conservation photographer and big-tree hunter TJ Watt has been using his camera to document the disappearance of ancient trees in a powerful Before & After series. Watt hopes to draw viewers’ attention to their destruction by highlighting the incredible grandeur of old-growth ecosystems. A Trebek Initiative grantee, Watt often photographs himself beside a tree, using his body to provide a perspective on just how magnificent these ancient giants are. He reshoots the same image after the tree has been logged, a massive stump is all that remains.

“I’m trying to remind people that unless we speak up and advocate for the permanent protection of endangered old-growth forests, which will happen through conservation financing for First Nations to support sustainable economic development in those communities while also offsetting lost logging revenues when old-growth is deferred and protected, then we will continue losing ancient ecosystems that are second in grandeur only to the redwoods of California,” says Watt. “These trees take many centuries or even 1,000 years to grow, and nobody’s waiting around for them to come back again.”

Deep in the forest, there is no cell reception, designated trail or signage indicating you are on the right path. In the middle of the woods, everything is up to instinct and the natural inclination that something larger than life is just around the corner. When it comes to big-tree tracking, hunters have an inherent desire to be in the presence of something giant.

They feel an emotional connection to each ancient tree. For them, being with such a tree is akin to visiting a relic like Stonehenge or the Parthenon. This spiritual relationship often drives hunters to risk their lives to locate these giants in some of the last untouched* areas of the planet.

It’s late June 2022 in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, BC, and two friends are about to make the discovery of a lifetime. Both experienced outdoorsmen, Ian Thomas and Colin Spratt have been big-tree hunters for about three years. “Nature is where I feel at peace,” says Spratt. “It’s my therapy.”

On this midsummer day, they hike into the Lynn Valley under a blanket of fog. Moving at a snail’s pace, the two tree-hunters clamber over logs and under branches, driven by the thought of “What if?”

After about 10 hours of bushwhacking, they find it — the North Shore Giant.

A man in a grey shirt sits beside the North Shore Giant among green old-growth trees and shrubbery

Ian Thomas beside the North Shore Giant. (Photo: Colin Spratt)

“Oh my god, this is the biggest tree I have ever found!” says Thomas. Spratt is frozen, unable to believe his eyes as he watches Thomas approach the tree, seeming to shrink as his body is dwarfed by the enormous tree. Named by Spratt and Thomas, the North Shore Giant is thought to be about 2,000 years old and is estimated at 5.8 metres in diameter, making it Canada’s fourth-widest tree. For Spratt, big-tree hunting is not just a Guinness Book of World Records pursuit; it is a way to experience the last untouched areas of the planet while making the point that if these areas are not protected, thousands of years of biodiversity, ecology and significant ecosystems will be lost.

Hundreds of massive logs continue to be hauled out of BC’s forests. A 2019 report from the Sierra Club of BC found that 3.6 million hectares of forest was clear-cut between 2005 and 2017, a combined area larger than Vancouver Island. Once cut, these areas become “sequestration dead zones” that release more carbon than they absorb.

A forest technologist with British Columbia Timber Sales, Greg Herringer is a knowledgeable big-tree hunter who helps to manage a legacy big-tree program that reserves large trees in the area he supervises. Herringer’s job requires him to target the best places for harvesting. “I walk a tightrope,” he says. “I am conflicted most of the time between satisfying the needs of what British Columbia Timber Sales is mandated to do and my ethics and moral values.”

Herringer explains that his supervisors view him as a “pain in the ass” because his job is to advocate for reserving trees in certain areas. He often explores with fellow big-tree hunters, as well as experienced outdoors people like Mick Bailey.

For more than 40 years, Bailey has searched the forests for big trees and documented his experiences on his blog, BCtreehunter. He wants more people to be aware of the consequences of cutting down these giants. As a mentor to younger big-tree hunters, he hopes their use of social-media platforms like Instagram will allow them to connect with like-minded individuals and reach a wider audience of concerned people. He often gets together with other tree hunters to venture into the woods. “We call ourselves the ‘tree crew,’” says Lewis. “I enjoy tree tracking a lot more now. Going out with a group is way more fun.”

By going in and ground truthing areas of BC far from the public eye, big-tree hunters show communities what is still standing and what needs to be saved. “By getting out in the forest, by being the sort of boots on the ground, finding these incredibly rare ancient trees, we’re able to effectively advocate for their protection,” says Thomas.

“It’s up to us to ensure these trees are protected, and I encourage people to safely get out there and explore the landscapes themselves,” says Watt. “Reconnect with nature and see what you might find.”

*Although old-growth forests may have been “untouched” by logging, they were used by First Nations peoples for millennia and often still bear the markings of cultural use, be that bark stripping on trees, test holes, or even old canoes in the forest.

See the original article with more photos here.