Blog Archive Layout

Western Coralroot

Apr 17 2026/in Educational

Meet one of the rainforest’s loveliest yet strangest flowers.

A bright fountain of pink flowers and flower-pink stems without a hint of green in the shady darkness of the forest floor marks the alien beauty of the western coralroot. A highly specialized orchid, it tells a fascinating story of life on the forest floor.

Its total lack of the green pigments that are the hallmark of most plants is a clue to this orchid’s unusual lifestyle. Coralroots have lost the ability to extract nutrients from sunlight through photosynthesis; instead, they tap into the complex web of mycorrhizal fungi that permeates the soil. Beneath the forest floor, these fungi are busily exchanging nutrients with trees in symbiotic partnerships that the coralroot can exploit. The orchid parasitically siphons off resources from this network for its own nourishment, without providing any known benefit to the hosts. These types of plants are known as saprophytes.

Coralroots are extremely choosy about their fungal hosts, with western coralroot specializing in a handful of species in the russula family. Even when western coralroot is found intermixed with the closely related spotted coralroot, the two species have been found to parasitize different kinds of fungi.

The fungal relationship starts early with coralroots; their seeds are among the tiniest of all plants, just grains of dust. Unlike other plant species that provide a “bag lunch” of rich nutrients to support the infant seed sent out into the world, coralroots provide no resources for their offspring, sending them out with nothing. Terrible parents! The tiny dust-like seeds must wait until they encounter fungi to mooch off before they can germinate; they are freeloaders from the start. Because of this tough beginning, coralroots may take years before they acquire the resources to flower.

Parasites stick to parasites. In an interesting twist, one of the documented pollinators of the spotted coralroot is the parasitic wasp Pimpla pedalis, which, unlike the more familiar bees that lovingly raise their young on pollen and honey, injects its eggs into the caterpillar of the pale-winged geometric moth (Iridopsis ephyraria) and leaves the growing larva to feed on its insect host. Wasp and coralroots are indeed thick as thieves.

If you encounter this gorgeous bloom in the shady depths of the forest, take a moment to consider the vast world it reveals below the earth and the huge marketplace of nutrient exchange that links the thriving forest and provides patronage to eccentric artists like the coralroot.
When freed from photosynthetic labour, it’s a wonder that they are able to dedicate themselves completely to sculpting such exquisite flowers.

Victoria Buzz: Advocates warn proposed legislation changes could put BC’s old-growth forests at risk

Apr 17 2026/in Announcements, News Coverage

Victoria Buzz
April 16, 2026
By: Curtis Blandy

Original article here.

Advocates warn proposed legislation changes could put BC’s old-growth forests at risk

The Ancient Forests Alliance (AFA) are concerned that legislation changes in BC could put endangered old-growth forests at risk.

The Province’s own logging agency, BC Timber Sales (BCTS), may see an increase in logging rates with the changes brought about by Bill 14, the Forest Statutes Amendment Act.

The changes would provide BCTS with a projected increase of at least 700,000 cubic metres in timber for the 2025-26 period. This would be equivalent to approximately 15,500 to 17,700 additional truckloads.

Bill 14 was introduced in March, but has not yet been passed.

The proposed legislation seeks to modernize the logging industry in BC and is aimed at increasing mill production and sustainability within the forestry sector.

It would give BCTS an expanded mandate, streamline salvage and fibre access for mills, change the contract authorization process and encourage future stewardship.

Despite the intentions of Bill 14, old-growth advocates say it falls short of expectations.

Both the AFA and the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance (EEA) are expressing concern that the changes could set the stage for logging in conservation reserves containing old-growth under the guise of wildfire risk reduction.

“Simply ramping up the rate of logging by BC Timber Sales without also taking proactive steps to ensure at-risk old-growth forests are protected is a recipe for disaster,” said TJ Watt, campaign director and photographer with the AFA.

“BCTS has a track record of logging some of the grandest and most endangered ancient forests, including those in places like the Nahmint Valley, where numerous cutblocks are still planned.”

The AFA is now calling on Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar to unequivocally state that protected areas and conservation reserves will not be targets of any commercial logging, through BCTS or otherwise.

The organization is also calling on the Province to commit to transitioning to second-growth logging as the standard, while concurrently providing official protections to at-risk old growth forests.

“Our organizations fully support a swift transition to sustainable, value-added, and modernized second-growth forestry, while protecting endangered old-growth,” Watt continued.

“BCTS has the best opportunity to lead that second-growth transition, but continuing to log forests with 500-1000 year old trees is in no way renewable or sustainable.”

The AFA says that roughly 1.3 million hectares of old-growth forests are currently unprotected in BC, even though they have been identified as such.

The old-growth advocates concede that Bill 14 would give the government clearer authority to apply stronger licence conditions where appropriate, but they want to see protections built into the proposed legislation.

The Difference Between Old-Growth and Second-Growth Forests

Apr 15 2026/in Educational

Spot the difference between old-growth and second-growth forests 👀🌲

Pretty simple, eh?

The secret ingredient in an old-growth forest is time. Old-growth forests in BC are highly complex ecosystems that have grown and evolved over centuries to millennia. They store vast amounts of carbon in the trunks of large trees and in their soils. They’re also home to a wide range of unique species, many of which depend on these forests for their very survival.

Second-growth tree plantations may look green on the outside but are often brown and sparse on the inside, as their dense canopies shade out sunlight from the forest floor. These “tree farms” lack the structural diversity needed to support many of the species that depend on old-growth forests. Under BC’s current forestry system, second-growth forests are typically relogged every 50 years, never given the chance to become old-growth again.

Rather than deforestation, this conversion is known as “forest degradation,” in which complex primary forests are replaced by simplified tree plantations that do not replicate the ecological values of ancient forests.

Beyond the environmental impacts, the loss of ancient forests contributes to generational amnesia, where each new generation inherits a world that’s different from the one before but comes to accept it as the new normal. Often, the only evidence of the once-grand forests that existed here are the monumental stumps hidden among the hillsides.

Today, after more than a century of industrial logging, we’ve lost over 80% of the productive old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and well over 90% of the valley bottoms where the biggest trees grow and the richest biodiversity is found.

We must ensure the remaining, irreplaceable, endangered ancient forests receive the protection they deserve.

👉 Take action HERE today.

Western Coralroot

Apr 17 2026

Meet one of the rainforest’s loveliest yet strangest flowers: the western coralroot!

Educational

Victoria Buzz: Advocates warn proposed legislation changes could put BC’s old-growth forests at risk

Apr 17 2026

The Ancient Forests Alliance (AFA) are concerned that legislation changes in BC could put endangered old-growth forests at risk.

Announcements

The Difference Between Old-Growth and Second-Growth Forests

Apr 15 2026

What is the difference between an old-growth forest and a second-growth tree plantation? Learn why ancient ecosystems are irreplaceable and how tree farms differ.

Educational

Province Expands BC Timber Sales Logging Powers Without Addressing Old-Growth Protection

Apr 15 2026

Read why AFA and EEA warn that BC’s Bill 14 expands logging powers for BC Timber Sales without protecting at-risk old-growth or providing vital funding.

Media Release