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One of several monumental western redcedars located in Jurassic Grove.

Avatar Grove, the sequel: Introducing Jurassic Grove

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Towering more than 30 metres high, an ancient red cedar’s heavy branches fork skyward above massive burls dusted in moss.

The 500- to 1,000-year-old tree is at the centre of what the Ancient Forest Alliance says is an exciting find — an old-growth stand between Jordan River and Port Renfrew that could become the region’s next attraction.

“The whole area is a lowlands, spectacular ancient forest,” said Ken Wu, executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Jurassic Grove, as the group is calling it, covers an area of about 130 hectares near the mid-section of the Juan de Fuca Trail, between Lines Creek and Loss Creek. It’s about a 90-minute drive from Victoria and 20 minutes from Port Renfrew.

While most of the trees are protected as part of a marbled murrelet wildlife habitat area, about 40 hectares are vulnerable to logging on unprotected Crown lands.

There are no approved logging plans for the area, but that could change at any moment, Wu said.

“Virtually everywhere we find a grove like this, fairly soon it is flagged for logging,” he said.

Wu said the Ancient Forest Alliance isn’t the first to discover the area, which lies in the traditional Pacheedaht territory and has likely been a destination for mushroom hunters and other forest fans.

But it identified the area as a potential conservation zone by studying aerial maps and exploring off trails.

As a self-described “big-tree hunter,” co-founder T.J. Watt’s first clue was a large cedar along a path used by surfers between Jordan River and Port Renfrew.

“I figured if there was one big cedar, there would likely be more,” Watt said.

He made his way through thickening brush, passing ancient trees, one by one, “until this giant revealed itself.”

The Ancient Forest Alliance says its first priority is getting the vulnerable 40 hectares protected. If successful, Wu says, it could be the next Avatar Grove. The group won protection for the area in 2012, and it has become a destination for visitors to the Port Renfrew area.

Jon Cash, former president of the Port Renfrew chamber of commerce, said it wasn’t easy to win support for Avatar Grove’s protection.

“It was difficult to be in a very small town with one general store, where half the people are loggers,” he said.

But Cash said the economic benefits have proven real. As co-owner and operator of Soule Creek Lodge, Cash said his clients are happy to have an accessible destination to visit.

“The more things people can do while they’re there, the longer they stay. So getting people to stay from one night to two is like doubling your income,” he said.

Avatar Grove draws local and international visitors, he said, having been covered in more than 100 media stories, from the Times Colonist to Al Jazeera. It joins attractions such as Big Lonely Doug, a lone Douglas fir that stands in a clear-cut area.

Port Renfrew now bills itself as the Big Tree Capital of Canada and distributes a tall-tree map to visitors through the town brochure.

As of 2012, about nine per cent of high-productivity, old-growth trees remained on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

Wu said about one-third of that is protected.

Vicky Husband, a spokeswoman for Commons B.C. who helped create an animated map showing the disappearance of Vancouver Island old-growth since 1900, said protecting ancient forests should be a priority.

“In my lifetime, we’ve pretty well lost this forest, and I think most people understand now that it’s not a renewable resource,” Husband said.

“Yes, we can make fibre farms and forests for logging, but we can’t recreate these hundreds — if not thousand-year-old — forests. What we’re saying, is protect what we have left.”

She said forestry policy should focus on sustainable second-growth forestry and creating jobs by keeping mills local.

Wu said high-productivity, old-growth stands such as Jurassic Grove store more carbon, support more species and take hundreds of years to restore, compared with young forests.

“This area should be a high priority for protection,” he said. “It has the classic hallmarks of what attracts tourists, of what houses a lot of biodiversity — marbled murrelets and endangered species live in these endangered forests — and we have a second-growth alternative.”

See the original article at: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/avatar-grove-the-sequel-introducing-jurassic-grove-1.18540489

One of several monumental western redcedars located in Jurassic Grove.

CHEK TV News on the Jurassic Grove

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See the CHEK News report to read more and watch the TV coverage: https://www.cheknews.ca/newly-discovered-old-growth-forest-vancouver-island-312417/

Avatar Grove's Old-Growth Trees

Land of the giants: A wet and wild trip to Port Renfrew

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Check out this major travel feature in the Times Colonist newspaper about visiting Avatar Grove! The article highlights how the Ancient Forest Alliance's campaign to protect old-growth forests has become a major economic driver for Port Renfrew, which has now billed itself as the Tall Trees Capital of Canada!

See the article from the Times Colonist: https://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/land-of-the-giants-a-wet-and-wild-trip-to-port-renfrew-1.16451897

Port Renfrew: Walking among ancient giants

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Check it out! New Zealand's largest newspaper has an article about the Ancient Forest Alliance, the importance of old-growth forests for the tourism economy of Port Renfrew, and the campaigns to protect old-growth forests including the Central Walbran Valley.

*****

Visitors to British Columbia, on Canada's Pacific southwest coast, will no doubt be expecting to see some of the thick evergreen forests the area is famous for worldwide. And of course you won't have to go far to see such trees. You will no doubt see plenty as you fly down the coast to Vancouver airport. But the majority of these forests are made up of second-generation trees. The massive giants that can live more than 1000 years are now largely gone from Canada's wooded areas.

On Vancouver Island – a 30-minute flight from downtown Vancouver – 75 per cent of the productive old-growth forests have been logged, including 90 per cent of the valley bottoms, where the biggest trees grow. However, as in New Zealand, small pockets of old growth ancient forest remain, and – like this country – people are rallying to ensure they remain protected from loggers and accessible to visitors keen to view Canada's fascinating botanical heritage.

One such man is T J Watt, who, on a wet spring day, met our small group at an area that has become known as Avatar Grove, a 20-minute drive north of the small coastal settlement of Port Renfrew.

“I came across Avatar Grove in 2009 while looking for old-growth forests and giant trees in the Gordon River Valley near Port Renfrew,” says 31-year-old Watt. “The most accessible old-growth trees usually were logged first, so it's surprising this area still exists, given that it's just a few minutes from the road.”

Watt had to move fast if he wanted to protect the area, which was slated for logging in 2010. He and long-time forest activist Ken Wu had recently formed a group called the Ancient Forest Alliance and, with the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, lobbied for its protection – which was granted in early 2012.

The group has since been constructing a boardwalk to protect the grove's ecological integrity, enhance visitor safety and access, and support the local economy of Port Renfrew and the Pacheedaht First Nation people. The boardwalk and accompanying hikers trail is expected to be completed this year.

Asked whether his project was named before or after the popular 2009 science fiction movie, Watt laughs, and says the area needed a catchier name than just the cutblock number.

“The area is largely untouched and with such amazing old giant trees that were in danger of being cut down, the name Avatar seemed to fit well.”

It is hard to deny that fact, as our group walks among the monumental red cedars, hemlocks, amabilis and douglas firs. The next tree we come across is a gnarled giant that would not be out of place on an alien planet. Its trunk resembles the mottled tubes of a pipe organ and is so tall its upper reaches can barely be seen.

Some of the trees are of such magnificent proportions it is easy see why comparisons are often made with the majestic Californian red woods. One tree, known as the San Juan Spruce, is 62.5m tall with a diameter of 3.7m. The world's largest Douglas fir is also in the area. The red creek fir measures 73.8m high with a 4.2m diameter. Watt has started a company called Big Tree Tours and leads guided hikes to Avatar Grove and the other record-sized trees around Port Renfrew.

“My hope is that the Avatar Grove helps to educate the public about the importance of protecting endangered old-growth forests on other parts of Vancouver Island, like the nearby Walbran Valley and how doing so can not only benefit the environment but the local economy as well,” Watt says.

Asked about the substantial contents of his backpack when the trees are barely 10-15 minutes from the road, Watt says it is mostly emergency gear, food, water and first-aid equipment. “In case anyone gets hurt, you never know. Plus, this a wilderness area. You can still get cougars and bears.”

During our group's hour or so in the grove, no such critters cross our path, but to prove his point Watt says he plans to check a nearby “bear-cam” he set up to see if it has had any large furry visitors.

Also joining our group for the day is Toni Chalk, another young Canadian committed to preserving the local forest areas.

Chalk owns Rainforest Tours, a company that takes guided day-hiking excursions to some of the local sites of scenic beauty. Earlier that day she had taken us to the suitably named Mystic Beach – a beautiful and wild spot that was still shrouded in early morning mist on our arrival. Its remote, unspoilt location attracted US draft dodgers in the 1960s but now it is more popular with hikers and surfers.

The 45-minute walk from the carpark takes us through another heavily wooded area, but this time the trees are all second-generation growth, with little that would be more than 100 years old. Not far from the road she stops to point out three massive tree stumps that would easily be a couple of metres across.

“You can see up there the size of some of the trees that loggers took out of this area”, says Chalk, “but thankfully all this is now part of the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, so what remains will hopefully be here for some time to come.”

The old-growth forests of Vancouver Island are important for sustaining endangered species, climate stability, tourism and clean water, says Chalk. She says many First Nations tribes use naturally falling old-growth red cedars to build canoes, longhouses and other cultural items.

The largest strand of old-growth trees lies just further north of us in a 500ha section of land known as the Central Walbran Valley.

It is for these areas that Port Renfrew has the reputation as the tall tree capital of Canada.

Later that day our group returns for a tasty dinner at the Renfrew Pub, a stone's throw away from the Wild Renfrew – a small eco-resort featuring 11 well-equipped cottages beside the harbour inlet of Snuggery Cove. The cottages are warm and comfortable – exactly what is needed after a damp day's hiking.

After our meal we talk to one of the Pub's owners, Ian Laing, one of four partners who also own the Wild Renfrew resort, The Coastal Cafe, West Coast Trail Lodge and 180ha of surrounding land.

Laing says Port Renfrew used to be solely the domain of loggers and fishermen, but that is changing.

“The whole area is converting from using up primary resources to eco-tourism,” he says, adding that as well as hiking and surfing, the region has some impressive mountain bike trails and a growing kite-surfing community in the harbour.

Read more: https://m.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11708020

New entrance at the Lower Avatar Grove.

Photo Gallery: Avatar Grove Boardwalk 2016 – New Entrance to Lower Grove

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Over the May long weekend, a group of core boardwalk volunteers got together to complete a beautiful new entrance to the Lower Avatar Grove. This includes a 10ft wide viewing platform with an incredible view overlooking the old-growth forest as well as a safe and long-lasting set of stairs leading off the road to replace the old ones. It was a lot of hard work to say the least! 

See the photo gallery here: https://bit.ly/1ViQ2aM

A huge thanks goes out to Scott Harris for engineering the design, Matthew Varley for leading much of the build and custom fabricating the key metal supports, Ron Krachenfels for adding his knowledge, labour, and expertise, Matt Johnson and Jeremy David for their hard work, and boardwalk coordinator TJ Watt for organizing and helping build as well. 

We're on the home stretch now of boardwalk construction and aim to complete the project this summer, which will include a launch ceremony in the coming months! To donate towards the project and help us finish, please visit: https://16.52.162.165/avatar-grove-boardwalk-now-completed-and-open/ ($100 sponsors 1 meter of boardwalk). The boardwalk is neccessary to protect the grove's ecological integrity and enhance visitor access and safety. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the project so far!! We couldn't have done it without you. Photos: TJ Watt

Ancient Forest Alliance

The WestShore Chamber of Commerce Supports Port Renfrew’s Call for the Protection of the Central Walbran Valley’s Old-Growth Forest

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For Immediate Release
May 19, 2016

Media Release: The WestShore Chamber of Commerce Supports Port Renfrew’s Call for the Protection of the Central Walbran Valley’s Old-Growth Forest

The WestShore Chamber of Commerce (https://westshore.bc.ca/), representing almost 400 businesses in the western suburbs of Victoria and across the Capital Regional District, is supporting the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce’s call to the province to protect the Central Walbran Valley’s old-growth forests. In addition, the Sooke Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) representing 51 cities, towns, and regional districts, and the councils of Victoria, Metchosin, and Tofino, have also joined the call to protect the Central Walbran Valley and/or Vancouver Island’s remaining old-growth forests.

Victoria, British Columbia – Conservationists are delighted that the WestShore Chamber of Commerce, representing almost 400 businesses in the western suburbs of Victoria has issued a letter in support of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce’s request to the province of British Columbia that it protect the Central Walbran Valley from old-growth logging.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists have come from across Canada, Europe, the USA, and jurisdictions around the world in recent years to visit some of Canada’s largest trees on southern Vancouver Island, near the town of Port Renfrew. Visitors are coming to see the Avatar Grove, Red Creek Fir (the world’s largest Douglas-fir tree), Big Lonely Doug (Canada’s 2nd largest Douglas-fir tree), San Juan Spruce (until recently Canada’s largest Sitka spruce tree – its top broke off in a recent storm unfortunately), Harris Creek spruce (one of the largest Sitka spruce trees in Canada), and the Central Walbran Valley.

The growing numbers of visitors coming to see ancient forests are supporting local businesses as they pay for meals, accommodations, transportation, entertainment, and services, including in the Victoria region, on their way to and from Tall Tree hotspots.

• See spectacular photos of the Walbran at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=7

And https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.886074168153838.1073741889.823970554364200&type=3

And https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.973573459403908.1073741896.823970554364200&type=3

• See a recent Youtube clip using drone footage over the Central Walbran at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyMPXHOjlK0

• See this 2012 video when a similar attempt to log near Castle Grove was held off, only to return recently: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHnG_sC4oms

“Our understanding is that old growth forests represent a vital part of our multi-billion dollar coastal tourism industry, and the Walbran Valley is a key area for preservation due to its spectacular beauty, gigantic trees, and accessibility. Every year tourists are attracted to the area from around the world to explore the wild west coast, including some of the tallest trees in the world. This increasing eco-tourism generates revenue every year and directly supports local businesses throughout the region as visitors pay for meals, accommodations, transportation, and entertainment on their way to and from Tall Tree hotspots. We fully expect that West Shore businesses are currently benefiting from this tourist traffic,” stated Joshua Schmidt, Projects & Relations Manager for the WestShore Chamber of Commerce.

“Our temperate coastal rainforests are home to about the greatest per hectare biomass and some of the biggest trees in the world. As old growth forests continue to be logged worldwide the local forests we preserve will only increase in demand and value. Our belief at the WestShore Chamber is that the ecological and economic value of protecting these last old growth forests far exceeds the monetary value of its lumber.”

The Central Walbran Valley’s old-growth temperate rainforest has long been an area of public interest since hiking trails were built in the valley in 1990. In 1994, the BC government protected the Lower Walbran Valley, about 5500 hectares, as part of the larger Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park, but left out the Central Walbran Valley (500 hectares) and the Upper Walbran Valley (7,000 hectares) from the park. Since then, most of the Upper Walbran has been heavily tattered by logging, but the Central Walbran remains largely intact. However, eight new cutblocks are planned in the Central Walbran, of which one (cutblock 4424) has been approved by the province. The Central Walbran Valley lies on Crown (public) land in the territory of the Pacheedaht band in Tree Farm Licence 46 held by licensee Teal-Jones.

On BC’s southern coast (Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland), 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including over 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow. 3.3 million hectares of productive old-growth forests once stood on the southern coast, and today 860,000 hectares remain, while only 260,000 hectares are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas. Second-growth forests now dominate 75% of Vancouver Island’s productive forest lands, including 90% of southern Vancouver Island, and can be sustainably logged to support the forest industry. See maps and stats at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/old-growth-maps.php

Over the past few months, the Port Renfrew, Sooke, and WestShore Chambers of Commerce have spoken up for the protection of the old-growth forests in the Walbran Valley, while the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) and the councils of Victoria, Metchosin, and Tofino have also passed resolutions for the protection of the Walbran or all of Vancouver Island’s remaining old-growth forests.

Overwhelming beauty: Almost every inch of Port Renfrew, B.C., inspires awe

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There’s a certain romance in wondering what lies at the end of the road, and when the road in question is so intriguingly serpentine, sharply twisting and turning its way through the dense forest that runs parallel to the Juan de Fuca Strait off Vancouver Island, there’s a thrilling whiff of adventure in the air too. What lies at the end of the West Coast Highway – or Highway 14, to give it its rather more prosaic name – is Port Renfrew. Or, as I’ve taken to describing it: Tofino 20 years ago.

There’s that same arresting, wild West Coast scenery: wind-blasted Sitka spruce, pristine beaches, softly sloping hills bristling with Douglas fir and hemlock, and those awe-inspiringly huge waves breaking on the shore. But unlike Tofino – farther up the Vancouver Island coast – there are no surf shops or art galleries, no youth hostels or ritzy resort hotels, and very little in the way of, well, anything at all, really. Just endless natural beauty and – thanks to a recent renovation – a rather good pub, and surprisingly stylish seaside cottages.

But change is coming to the sleepy town, thanks to developer Ian Laing and family, who last year bought the pub, cabins and commercial land – essentially most of the town – from the former owner of Harlequin Enterprises (of romance-novel fame). They have big plans for the area, including a gift shop, gas station and commercial zone.

However, right now, with no cell signal, and just a two-hour drive from Victoria, it’s the perfect break for city types seeking a West Coast experience without the crowds. I’d gone looking for storms to watch and trails to hike and found them both in spades. However, I didn’t know that it was possible for rain to be this wet – sure, I was in a rain forest, but c’mon! I could feel it soaking through my usually impenetrable Canada Goose parka, a steady stream from my waterlogged tuque dripping down my face. No wonder it’s nicknamed Port Rainfrew.

After settling in at my cabin at Wild Renfrew, which featured a kitchen, bathtub and huge windows overlooking the ocean, I drove to the Botanical Beach Loop Trail, a part-boardwalk hike deep through the forest on a trail constructed by the youth of the Pacheedaht and T’Sou-ke First Nations.

In the heart of winter, plenty of leafy greenery was still on display; ferns glossy from the rain curled on each side of the trail, and mossy old man’s beard hung wispily from the soaring Douglas firs and chunky western red cedars. I was alone among the trees, and for a while, the only sound was the steady thrumming of torrential rain on the forest canopy and the squelch of my boots along the trail, until I started on a downhill section and heard the sea pounding the rocks below.

When I arrived on the beach, I shrieked with delight: Sitka spruce hunched low by the water determinedly growing in the gaps between the rocks – and oh, what rocks. Frilled like a mille-feuille pastry, ridges of shale and quartz jutted through black basalt and smooth sandstone, where centuries of relentless waves had worn deep tidal pools. I’d have loved this as a kid; this wasn’t a sandy beach where you’d build castles and lie snoozing in the sun. This was a beach to wear rain boots in all weathers, puddle-jumping and exploring the miniature world of the tidal-pool aquariums that trapped all kinds of fascinating marine life: urchins, starfish and chiton, until the tide rolled back in again.

Still, on a soaking day like this, I contented myself with picking over the rocks for an hour or so, before climbing the stairs back to the trail. Dried off and warmed up later, I tore into crisp, battered, juicy halibut and piled-high poutine with a decidedly fancy wine-kissed gravy at the Port Renfrew Pub. No ordinary middle-of-nowhere boozer, behind the bar there was an excellent selection of locally distilled spirits from the nearby Sheringham Distillery, and wine from small B.C. suppliers such as Unsworth Vineyards in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley.

Sleepy after my feast, I curled up by the fire in my wooden cottage and watched entranced as plumes of rain-forest mist swirled up from the trees on the far-off hills, while the waves lashed the beach beyond my window. That night I was lulled to sleep by the sound of rain beating down on the roof, and I could hear the howl of the wind and the crash of the ocean outside.

The stormy deluge continued the next day and I ran through a sudden hailstorm to meet Drea Gibson for a guided hike through Avatar Grove to find “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree.” An ex-local, now living in nearby Shirley, “Day Trip Drea” runs guided hikes and camping trips around the area, and she proved a fun fount of knowledge.

There’s a fascinating back story to Avatar Grove, which only got its name a few years back after the Ancient Forest Alliance campaigned to have the area saved from logging and it was declared a protected area in 2012. Named after James Cameron’s epic 2009 movie, it’s home to some of the most ancient trees on Vancouver Island and just a few minutes drive from Port Renfrew. Unlike Cathedral Grove, a protected old-forest area on the way to Tofino, Avatar Grove is no simple stroll. Although the AFA has been laying down boardwalk to protect the root systems of the trees, there’s still plenty of clambering over logs and navigating slippery slopes before you reach the famous Gnarly Tree. You spend so much time looking where you’re going, in fact, that when you finally stop and look up, it’s more than a little overwhelming. Thoughts crash through your mind in rapid succession: Oh wow, that’s so beautiful. Oh man, that’s so big! And, most importantly: How the hell did anyone even think about logging this treasure?

As Gibson and I stop to take in the jaw-clanging abundance of arboreal beauty, we talk about the attractions of the area: “The really big draw is that there is nothing to do,” she says with a grin. “It’s wild and it’s rugged; you can hike, swim, fish and just have your own spot here.” Throughout the summer, Gibson says, the little town transforms again as the handful of other businesses open for the season, and the cabins and campgrounds are full of visiting families. “It still feels pristine and untouched,” Gibson adds. “I love Port Renfrew because it’s quiet and quaint and gorgeous.”

As we clamber back down to the road again, the rain finally dries up and I’m rewarded with an extraordinary, vivid rainbow emblazoned across the sky.

Later that day I explore the sandy beach at the Pacheedaht Campground; again I’m the only person there to watch bald eagles wheel overhead as I perch on an orange arbutus log. As magic hour swings around, the light turns the gun-metal grey sea into a golden-apricot swath of silk shimmering between the mountains and the shoreline. I sigh with contentment and happiness – and rainbows – found at the end of the road.

Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/overwhelming-beauty-almost-every-inch-of-port-renfrew-bc-inspiresawe/article29583454/

A climber makes his way up the towering trunk of Big Lonely Doug

New Photo Gallery: Climbing Big Lonely Doug – Round 2!

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The Ancient Forest Alliance has once again teamed up with members of the Arboreal Collective to ascend Big Lonely Doug, Canada’s second largest Douglas-fir tree near Port Renfrew! 

See the photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1016073868487200.1073741898.823970554364200&type=3

Over the March long weekend, climbers Matthew Beatty, Aaron Kinvig, Elliot Wright, and James Frystak, worked with AFA photographer TJ Watt to capture some stunning images and incredible drone footage. Photographers Martin Gregus Jr & Sr from the One 50 Canada Society were also present to document the climb for a future book publication!

In order to get the first ropes in place, the climbers use a 12-foot slingshot to launch a weighted line precisely over one of the top branches. Then, using techniques that allow you to climb the actual ropes and not the tree, they're able to ascend to the top without impacting the tree.

Big Lonely Doug measures 66 m (216 ft) high, 4 m (13 ft) wide, and 12 m (39 ft) around. It stands alone in a 2012 clearcut on Crown lands in Tree Farm Licence 46 held by the logging company Teal-Jones, in the unceded traditional territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation band. Big Lonely Doug is a clear example of both the incredible granduer and terrible destruction of BC’s endangered old-growth forests. Photos by TJ Watt

Old-Growth Momentum Grows as Businesses, City Councils, and Naturalists Speak Up & Renowned Filmmaker Comes to Port Renfrew

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The Port Renfrew and Sooke Chambers of Commerce, the town councils of Metchosin, Victoria, and Tofino, and the Federation of BC Naturalists (BC Nature) have joined conservation groups in calling on the BC government to protect Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests in the Walbran Valley. In addition, renowned two-time Sundance filmmaker Joe Callander whose documentaries have been featured in the New York Times is on Vancouver Island to do a story about the old-growth forests around Port Renfrew.

Interest and concern for the fate of Vancouver Island’s endangered old-growth forests is on the rise, as a renowned filmmaker and his crew arrived earlier this week from the US to do a piece about the old-growth forests around Port Renfrew. In addition, a growing and diverse base of businesses, municipal councils, and natural history associations have joined the chorus of concerned citizens calling on the province to protect the endangered old-growth forest in the Central Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew.

Two-time Sundance filmmaker Joe Callander has been in Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, and Duncan this past week with the Ancient Forest Alliance and various forestry workers, business leaders, and scientists to document the endangered old-growth forests and forest industry in the area. Callander’s award-winning documentary work has been shown at over 30 festivals globally, as well as being featured in the New York Time’s Op-docs section on NYTimes.com. The New York Times has the largest circulation of any metropolitan newspaper in the USA, as well as over one million paying digital-only subscribers for its online content.

The Sooke and Port Renfrew Chambers of Commerce, the Metchosin, Tofino, and Victoria councils, and the Federation of BC Naturalists (the umbrella organization representing 53 naturalist clubs, encompassing 6000 members) have all joined the call for the BC government to protect the endangered old-growth forests of the Central Walbran Valley. The Metchosin council resolution calls on the BC government to amend the 1994 Vancouver Island Land Use Plan to protect the remaining old-growth forests across Vancouver Island, which would include the Walbran Valley.

Near Port Renfrew, the 500 hectare Central Walbran Ancient Forest is part of the 13,000 hectare Walbran Valley, of which about 5500 hectares of the valley is protected within the Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park and 7500 hectares of the watershed lies outside of the park. About 2600 hectares lies in a “Special Management Zone” (including the 500 hectare Central Walbran), where the size of clearcuts is smaller but which still allows for most of the old-growth forests to be logged. The Central Walbran is the last, largely intact portion of the valley outside of the park, while much of the rest has been highly fragmented and tattered by clearcuts to different degrees. Teal-Jones has 8 cutblocks planned for the Central Walbran Valley, of which one, Cutblock 4424, has been granted a cutting permit by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations. The company recently stated that they will defer logging plans in the Central Walbran Valley for now, a welcome step forward. The company is actively logging in other parts of the Special Management Zone at this time and protesters have sporadically been blockading their logging operations in recent months. The Walbran Valley is in the unceded territory of the Pacheedaht band in Tree Farm Licences 44 and 46 on Crown lands.

Port Renfrew, formerly a logging town, has been transformed in recent years into a big tree tourism destination as hundreds of thousands of tourists have come from around the world to visit some of Canada’s largest trees in the nearby Avatar Grove, the Red Creek Fir (the world’s largest Douglas-fir tree), Big Lonely Doug (Canada’s 2nd largest Douglas-fir tree), San Juan Spruce (until recently Canada’s largest Sitka spruce tree – its top broke off in a recent storm unfortunately), the Harris Creek spruce (one of the largest Sitka spruce trees in Canada), and the Central Walbran Valley.

• See spectacular photos of the Walbran.

• See the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce’s statement for the Walbran here.

• See the Sooke Chamber of Commerce’s Walbran statement here.

• See the Victoria city council motion for the Walbran here.

• See a recent Youtube clip using drone footage over the Central Walbran.

“The publicity about the old-growth forests near Port Renfrew in recent years has brought in a flood of visitors from Europe, the USA, Canada, and diverse countries to visit Port Renfrew. This has especially been true since the protection of the Avatar Grove in 2012. Big tree tourism has increased the total flow of dollars spent in Port Renfrew, in our rental accommodations, restaurants, grocery stores, and businesses in general. Along with sport fishing, old-growth forest tourism has become a staple of our local economy,” states Dan Hager, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce. “Recently, increasing numbers of visitors are heading through town to visit the Central Walbran Valley to see its old-growth forest. If the Central Walbran were to be protected, it would be a great addition to our town’s repertoire of big tree attractions.”

“The Central Walbran is one of the most magnificent places that anyone could visit. With its gargantuan trees, emerald-coloured swimming holes, amazing waterfalls, and perfect camping areas, in all of my experiences the Walbran is virtually unmatched for recreational and scenic grandeur in the world. To riddle the whole area with clearcuts and giant stumps would be the lowest, worse use of a place like this,” states Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

“The Central Walbran Valley is truly exceptional in so many ways. It has the most extensive, densely-packed groves of old-growth western redcedars in the country – including some of the near-largest on record, such as the Tolkien and Castle Giants,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner. “Not only are old-growth forests important for the climate, but also for tourism, endangered species, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures.”

“The old growth forests of the Walbran Valley are very important biologically for the great variety of plants and animals living there – some of which are at risk such as the Queen Charlotte Goshawk and Marbled Murrelet. The second growth forests which replace the old growth lack much of the biodiversity present in old growth”, stated Eric Marshall, president of Cowichan Valley Naturalists.

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigners recently located and measured two huge western redcedar trees, one of which makes it into the top 10 widest redcedars in BC according to the BC Big Tree Registry, in the Central Walbran Valley – the 4.6 metre (15 feet) wide “Tolkien Giant” and the “Karst Giant”. See: www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=944

The recent agreement in BC’s northern coastal rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest, where 85% of the old-growth forests will be protected in a combination of legislated parks, conservancies, and forest reserves (through Ecosystem-Based Management), sets a science-based precedent to increase protection now for BC’s southern rainforest – on Vancouver Island and the southern Mainland Coast, where only 8% of the original, productive old-growth forests are protected in parks and conservancies (6%) and Old-Growth Management Areas (2%).

The Ancient Forest Alliance is calling on the province to protect its endangered old-growth forests, ensure a sustainable second-growth forest industry, and end the export of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills in order to support BC forestry jobs. An Old-Growth Protection Act has been developed by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre for the Ancient Forest Alliance. See: https://www.elc.uvic.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/An-Old-Growth-Protection-Act-for-BC_2013Apr.pdf

On BC’s southern coast (Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland), 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged, including over 90% of the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow. 3.3 million hectares of productive old-growth forests once stood on the southern coast, and today 860,000 hectares remain, while only 260,000 hectares are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas. www.ancientforestalliance.org/old-growth-maps.php

Tall trees turning Port Renfrew into tourist hot spot

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The discovery of a grove of massive and unusual cedar trees six years ago has slowly been attracting more and more tourists from around the world to the tiny community of Port Renfrew.

And now the business community says it’s better for the local economy to move on from logging, and set its sights instead on ecotourism.

Port Renfrew is a two hour drive from Victoria, along Vancouver Island’s west coast.

“To be able to drive somewhere, and to be able to immerse themselves in an environment that looks the same, is the same, the way it was perhaps 1000 years ago, is a wonderful experience,” said Dan Hager, President of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce.

A short drive from the centre of Port Renfrew brings you to Avatar Grove.

TJ Watt discovered the unusual and massive cedars while exploring the area with a friend in 2009.

“We found these incredible gigantic trees that are covered in these amazing burls,” said Watts.

Watt’s group the Ancient Forest Alliance along with the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce campaigned to have the area saved and in 2012 the provincial government declared Avatar Grove a protected area and word of it’s unique beauty started to spread.

“Avatar started to bring a lot of people, and they started coming and every year they came more and more and more,” said Hager.

In the peak of summer, it’s estimated up to 200 people will visit the “gnarly” trees each day, many from Europe, and the United States.

“There’s been a massive influx of tall tree tourism and the town has re-branded itself as the Tall Tree Capital of Canada,” said Ken Wu with the Ancient Forest Alliance.

But the Tall Tree Capital was actually built on falling trees and signs of the forest industry dot the hills all around.

“Logging really has the origins of Port Renfrew, the reason the road is there because of logging, but we can bring more people and more revenue into Renfrew through tourism than from logging, taking the trees out,” said Hager.

Hager says you can see the impact ecotourism is having on the tiny community of 250 as developers build cabins and cottages for people from around the world who want a closer view of Vancouver Island’s raw beauty.

One of the most iconic tall trees in the Port Renfrew area is affectionately known as “Big Lonely Doug”.

The second largest douglas fir in Canada, it is nearly four meters wide and 67 meters tall, and estimated to be roughly 1000 years old.

It was saved as a wildlife tree when the area was logged a few years ago.

And it is just one more reason local business and environmental groups say the remaining ancient forests in the region need to be protected.

“Giant douglas firs, big red cedars, these are primeval forests, sort of Jurassic Park type landscapes that really deserve protection there’s so little left,” said Wu.

But for many in the area the tall trees remaining are a sign of transformation, for a town ready to cut ties with its logging roots and plant a new seed for a future in tourism.