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Avatar Grove to be protected by province

Feb 16 2012/in News Coverage

A grove of giant, old-growth trees near Port Renfrew, which has brought thousands of visitors to the area over the last two years, will be protected by the province.

Avatar Grove, a unique stand of centuries-old Douglas firs and red cedars, will be included in an expanded, 59-hectare old-growth management area, Forests Minister Steve Thomson said Thursday.

That means no logging or mining, but is one step short of the legislated protection of park designation.

Surrey-based Teal-Jones Group, which holds logging rights for the area around Avatar Grove, is being compensated with 57 hectares removed from other old-growth management areas.

Much of Avatar Grove, named after the movie, was slated for logging two years ago when the Ancient Forest Alliance started campaigning for its protection.

At that time only 24 per cent of the grove was included in an old-growth management area.

Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder, applauded the move by the province, but said all old-growth forests on Vancouver Island should be protected.

“We do commend the B.C. government for protecting this tract of extremely rare old-growth valley bottom, as 95 per cent (of that ecosystem) has already been logged on Vancouver Island,” he said.

The Alliance wants to see an end to all old-growth logging on Vancouver Island and a sustainable second-growth forestry industry.

Call to write letters

Feb 16 2012/in Take Action

Hello friends, there is an urgent need for your voice on numerous endangered ancient forests in BC right now! Please take a moment to assist with each area – if you commit just 30 minutes, you could help each area listed below right now: Avatar Grove, Cortes Island, the Great Bear Rainforest, Flores Island, McLaughlin Ridge, and Mossy Maple Grove:

AVATAR GROVE

GOOD NEWS! The BC government this morning declared the Avatar Grove legally off-limits to logging through a new, 59 hectare Old-Growth Management Area! We’re aiming that eventually the Avatar Grove will be protected through legislation as a park or conservancy, but this keeps out the chainsaws now! The Avatar Grove campaign has been an “old-growth campaign on steroids”. Thousands of people have visited this incredible monumental stand of extremely rare valley-bottom ancient redcedars and Douglas firs near Port Renfrew in a campaign spearheaded by the Ancient Forest Alliance. The Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role by joining our call for the area’s protection. Unfortunately the logging company, Teal-Jones will be compensated with 30 hectares of second-growth and 27 hectares of old-growth (57 hectares) in the area – the AFA opposes compensation since the company does not own the land nor the trees, these are public forests. Lets remember too that THOUSANDS of hectares of old-growth forests are logged

EVERY year on Vancouver Island, tens of thousands of hectares are logged across BC, and millions of hectares remain unprotected and endangered in the province – this is a campaign to end logging of ALL endangered forests and to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry in BC.

See the “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree – Save the Avatar Grove” Youtube Clip at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uPkAWsvVw
See today’s Times Colonist/Vancouver Sun article: www.vancouversun.com/news/thewest/Avatar+Grove+protected+province/6164261/story.html
See our media release at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=378
Please write a quick email supporting the new protection of the Avatar Grove and calling for the protection of ALL endangered old-growth forests in BC, sustainable logging in second-growth forests, and a ban on raw log exports. Write to Forest Minister Steve Thomson at: steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca *** Be sure to include your name and mailing address so they know you’re a real person.

CORTES ISLAND

Over 1000 hectares of endangered “dry maritime” forests are threatened with logging by Island Timberlands. Determined local residents on this northern Gulf Island have built different teams to undertake petition and letter-writing drives, fundraising, negotiations, mapping, and potentially blockades – which may happen shortly. BC’s Ministry of Environment has responded to our first round of letters calling on them to help protect these lands that it has “no funds available”.

Let’s ramp-up the call by targeting Premier Christy Clark now at premier@gov.bc.ca (include your full name and mailing address so they know you are a real person). Write her a quick letter to let her know it is the province’s responsibility to help purchase the endangered forests, sensitive ecosystems, and rare old-growth groves on Island Timberland’s private lands on Cortes Island. Only 1% of BC’s old-growth coastal Douglas firs remain!

Visit the Cortes Island campaign website if you’d like to get directly involved with their campaign and protests at: https://wildstands.wordpress.com/ or email them at: protectcortesforest@gmail.com
See spectacular images of Cortes Island’s endangered forests at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=12

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST

The central and northern mainland coast of BC is massive, twice the size of Vancouver Island and bigger than many European countries. It is home to numerous First Nations communities and the towns of Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Bella Bella, and Bella Coola. It is also home to hundreds of ancient forest valleys with grizzlies, spirit bears, wolves, cougars, and salmon. BC made headlines six years ago when the province promised to save the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. Today 50% of its forests are off-limits to logging while the rest remains at risk.

Please SIGN ONLINE to help the campaigners to “Take it Taller” to reach their goal of 5000 supporters at: www.TakeItTaller.ca [Original article no longer available]

FLORES ISLAND

Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound is Heaven on Earth. It is one of the most extensive intact ancient rainforests left in southern BC. Located near Tofino in Nuu-cha-nulth territory, it is home to wolves, cougars, deer, and black bears on the land, and gray whales, humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, and sea otters in its marine waters. Unfortunately it is under threat from logging.

See SPECTACULAR photos at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=8
See the new Sierra Club press release about the proposed logging: www.sierraclub.bc.ca/our-work/hotspots/spotlights/new-risk-of-logging-in-clayoquot-sound
SEND a LETTER for Flores Island through their website at: www.sierraclub.bc.ca/take-action/environmental-hotspots/help-avert-logging-in-the-heart-of-clayoquot-sound

MCLAUGHLIN RIDGE

Near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, this 400 hectare tract of extremely rare old-growth Douglas firs and hemlocks is considered to be the finest deer wintering range on southern Vancouver Island and is critical habitat for the endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk. Island Timberlands is still intransigent and won’t commit to not logging the ridge.

See a Youtube clip at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsZiO1wAKwE
Please WRITE a LETTER to help protect McLaughlin Ridge. Find the info at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=370

MOSSY MAPLE GROVE, a.k.a. “Fangorn Forest”

This unique, newly located stand of magnificent, massive mossy maple trees near Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island is just about the most beautiful forest you could imagine – straight out of a fairy tale!

See NEW HD video of the grove here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOefJnAENI
Watch for calls to action to ensure this forest’s protection!
Directions will be made available to visit the Grove in the not distant future, for all those who are asking! Please be patient.

MOST of ALL please SIGN and FORWARD our online petition to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs at: ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/

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Support the Ancient Forest Alliance!

We are a new organization and greatly need your support.

Please DONATE securely online at https://donate.ancientforestalliance.org

Visit the Ancient Forest Alliance online at:
Web: www.ancientforestalliance.org
Email: info@ancientforestalliance.org
Petition: https://ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancient_forest
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/BCAncientForest

Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest

Feb 13 2012/in News Coverage

This video, created by BC’s Ancient Forest Alliance, showcases the mossy beauty of Mossy Maple Grove, a forest near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island.

From the Forest Alliance: “This is the unprotected “Mossy Maple Grove”, Canada’s mossiest rainforest, a stand of enormous old-growth Bigleaf maple trees — some as much as 2 meters (7 feet) wide in trunk diameter — completely draped in hanging gardens of mosses and ferns… This is in the traditional territory of Cowichan Tribes who are part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group.

Unlike other spotlighted old-growth forests in BC, this is an old-growth ‘deciduous’ or broad-leaf rainforest. This area has also been nicknamed “Fangorn Forest” after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.”

Link to original artlcle from The Tyee: https://thetyee.ca/Video/2012/02/09/fangorn-forest/

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The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is hiring a passionate Forest Campaigner to join our team and help protect old-growth forests in BC!

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