In our campaign to protect the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, there has been a huge amount of misleading PR stats thrown around by the logging companies and BC government in the media recently to make it sound like lots of old-growth forests remain and much has been protected - this is completely false. They are including vast tracts of stunted, low productivity bog and subalpine stands with low to no commercial value along with the productive stands, and also attach stats from the northern coast (ie. the Great Bear Rainforest, where much more old-growth remains and much more has been protected due to the concerted efforts of enviro-groups) to the southern coast (where very little has been protected, relatively little old-growth remains, and where the forests are much grander with different ecosystems). The fact is that 75% of the productive old-growth forests have been logged on the southern coast, including over 91% of the high productivity, valley bottom old-growth forests where the largest trees grow, while only 8% of the productive forests have been protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas. Take note too that of 5.5 million hectares of original old-growth forests on the southern coast, 2.2 million hectares are considered low productivity (ie. bogs, high altitude, steep rocky slopes with stunted trees, etc.) - and if you go to the northern rainforest, most of the landscape is low productivity old-growth forests (or alpine rock and ice). See the stats and the "before and after" maps here, based on BC government and satellite data:
https://ancientforestalliance.org/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/
Photo Gallery: Avatar Boardwalk Construction – June 18/19 2016
For the second time this month, volunteers have worked with the Ancient Forest Alliance to construct boardwalk at the Avatar Grove. This round was a huge success! Together we completed 50+ feet of new walkways over many of the areas that flood in winter time and added a beautiful staircase leading off the road to our new viewing platform in the Lower Grove. Volunteers also worked hard to add mesh traction to the many steps, cut and carried over 100 planks of wood into the bush, mixed cement and moved heavy rocks, and did it all with a great attitude and smiles. Thank you all so much!! We're making tremendous progress thanks to the help of the many dedicated individuals who've come out and the donations made by AFA supporters and local businesses. We're working to finish the boardwalk this summer, hopefully after 1 or 2 more work parties. The boardwalk is necessary to help protect the area's ecological integrity and improve visitor access and safety. Stay tuned for further info if you'd like to help out, contact boardwalk coordinator TJ Watt: [email protected] Trail building or construction experience is an asset (we can use more of you!) but not required. See the photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1061996910561562 To donate to the boardwalk construction, please visit: https://ancientforestalliance.org/avatar-grove-boardwalk-now-completed-and-open/
Photo Gallery: Cameron Valley Ancient Forest with the Vancouver Sun
Last week Vancouver Sun's columnist Stephen Hume came with us to see the endangered Cameron Valley Ancient Forest (ie. "Firebreak"), a truly spectacular lowland stand of densely-packed, monumental old-growth Douglas-firs akin to a "second Cathedral Grove". This grove stands out as among the finest remaining old-growth Douglas-firs anywhere left on the planet and is of international conservation significance. See the photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1061910110570242
Axing old growth a crime against nature
The Vancouver Sun's columnist Stephen Hume came with us to see the endangered Cameron Valley Ancient Forest (ie. "Firebreak"), a truly spectacular lowland stand of densely-packed, monumental old-growth Douglas-firs akin to a "second Cathedral Grove". This grove stands out as among the finest remaining old-growth Douglas-firs anywhere left on the planet and is of international conservation significance. Please share and add your voice to the comments section at the end!
Voice of BC: Water, Trees & Climate
The AFA's Ken Wu joins Ben Parfitt of the Centre for Policy Alternatives on a pundit panel on the Voice of BC (aka "the Vaughn Palmer show") on aspects of forest, water, and climate policy in BC.
Old-Growth Maps
In our campaign to protect the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, there has been a huge amount of misleading PR stats thrown around by the logging companies and BC government in the media recently to make it sound like lots of old-growth forests remain and much has been protected - this is completely false. They are including vast tracts of stunted, low productivity bog and subalpine stands with low to no commercial value along with the productive stands, and also attach stats from the northern coast (ie. the Great Bear Rainforest, where much more old-growth remains and much more has been protected due to the concerted efforts of enviro-groups) to the southern coast (where very little has been protected, relatively little old-growth remains, and where the forests are much grander with different ecosystems). The fact is that 75% of the productive old-growth forests have been logged on the southern coast, including over 91% of the high productivity, valley bottom old-growth forests where the largest trees grow, while only 8% of the productive forests have been protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas. Take note too that of 5.5 million hectares of original old-growth forests on the southern coast, 2.2 million hectares are considered low productivity (ie. bogs, high altitude, steep rocky slopes with stunted trees, etc.) - and if you go to the northern rainforest, most of the landscape is low productivity old-growth forests (or alpine rock and ice). See the stats and the "before and after" maps here, based on BC government and satellite data: https://ancientforestalliance.org/ancient-forests/before-after-old-growth-maps/
Some say the fate of British Columbia’s old-growth forests rests in the balance
Here's a new article featuring renowned forest ecologist Dr. Andy MacKinnon about the fate of BC's endangered old-growth forests. Take note that the forest industry and BC government are spinning the situation about old-growth forests to make it appear as if they are not endangered and that they are already well protected - this is completely false, and they do this by including vast areas of stunted marginal non-commercial stands (bog forests, high elevation and far northern old-growth forests on steep rock faces with small trees, etc.) with the productive old-growth stands with big trees that have been heavily logged, and by combining the southern rainforest (Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland) with its different ecosystems, higher levels of logging, and far lower protection levels, with the northern rainforests (Great Bear Rainforest) where 20 years of boycotts by environmental groups of logging companies in the area resulted in a far greater level of protection in a more intact region of the province, ie. they are two different regions.
Vancouver Island growing away from old growth logging?
Here's a very insightful article about the shift underway in the economy and attitudes among the business community and in rural communities (spearheaded by the efforts of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce and the Ancient Forest Alliance, with a growing chorus of voices gathering steam, including the BC Chamber of Commerce and the AVICC) towards favouring increased protection of old-growth forests - in part to support a more sustainable economy! This is worth sharing! Again take note that the BC government and logging industry's stats on how much old-growth remains and is protected are deliberately misleading by including stunted non-commercial bogs and subalpine stands on steep rocky mountainsides with the productive stands with big trees targeted by the logging industry, and by combining the northern rainforest (the Great Bear Rainforest) where huge progress in protection levels has occurred as a result of environmental boycotts of logging companies (followed by 15 years of negotiations) along with the southern rainforest (Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland) where protection levels are very minor, old-growth forests have been much more heavily logged, and the forests are different (ie. different biodiversity, ecosystems, and generally much larger, grander ancient trees), ie. the northern and southern coasts are two very different regions and should not be confused and mixed together, unless your goal is to mislead people...
The Economics of Protecting Old-Growth Forest: An Analysis of Spotted Owl Habitat in the Fraser Timber Supply Area of British Columbia
A 2008 study from SFU showed that old-growth forests in the southwestern mainland of BC are more valuable if left standing than if logged, based on their value for tourism, recreation, carbon, and non-timber forest products. Vancouver Island has even more old-growth forest tourism and carbon rich forests than the Fraser Timber Supply Area on the mainland where the study focused, and it's likely that any such economic analysis would show even stronger results for the economic case to protect our old-growth forests on the Island. See the study: https://davidsuzuki.org/publications/reports/2008/the-economics-of-protecting-old-growth-forest-an-analysis-of-spotted-owl-habitat/ And see the full resolution of the BC Chamber of Commerce calling for expanded protection of old-growth forests here: https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=1009
Editorial: Good ecology is good economics
"The chamber voted this week to ask the province to expand protection of old-growth forests in areas where they have, or likely would have, greater economic value if left standing. Old-growth forests and other pristine areas of B.C. attract an increasing number of visitors, and will continue to generate jobs forever. When an area is logged off, the jobs are gone until the forest regenerates, and that takes a long, long time. We should remember, too, that forests are about more than esthetics or recreation — they are vital to the health of our watersheds and even the air we breathe. Businesses are increasingly recognizing that environmental sustainability is not only good business, it is essential. More and more investors are demanding that corporations be environmentally responsible as well as fiscally responsible. They have recognized what we must all recognize — that if we don’t look after the environment, we won’t have an economy."
B.C. Chamber of Commerce hugs old-growth trees
BC Chamber of Commerce calls for increased old-growth forest protection in BC: "The resolution also called on the province to enact new regulations — incorporating such strategies as old-growth management areas, wildlife-habitat areas or land-use orders — with an eye on eventually legislating permanent protection through provincial park or conservancy status." While the chamber of commerce also continues to support the forest industry (which is now based primarily on second-growth stands for most of its cut), as it traditionally has for decades, for the organization's membership to also vote to expand protections for old-growth forests and thus "break through" the mold of the old 1990's land use plans (which cap protection levels on Vancouver Island at 13% of the landbase and about 6% of the productive forests) is a new thing - and a very positive leap forward!