San Jo’s Smiley, Canada’s Largest Sitka Spruce Tree

Canada’s largest Sitka spruce tree stretches toward the night sky as a full moon rises over northern Vancouver Island. Located near the San Josef River outside of Holberg in Quatsino territory, the San Josef Spruce, aka “San Jo’s Smiley,” measures 255 ft (77.8 m) tall and 14.3 ft (4.36 m) in diameter. Standing at the base of the tree is akin to being a bug beside the foot of a giant elephant (Ian pictured here is 6’4 for scale). Apart from the region’s high annual rainfall and relatively mild year-round climate, the tree in part owes its monumental size to the limestone or ‘karst’ substrate it grows on. Karst ecosystems are commonly more productive than similar forest sites growing on different kinds of bedrock (such as granite), due to the well-drained soils and nutrient cycling associated with limestone.

Sadly, the forests that would have once supported the growth of the very biggest trees in the country have now been reduced to single-digit percentage points after more than a century of overcutting, with the fragile karst forests being especially hard-hit. This particular tree grows on private lands managed by Western Forest Products and currently has no legal protection (though the company has a voluntary big tree policy that should leave it standing). A significant portion of the surrounding old-growth forest was cut in 2012 though, fragmenting what would have been one of the most impressive remaining stands of monumental Sitka spruce in BC. And given that these trees and forests can take upwards of a millennium or more to grow, we get one chance and one chance only to keep them standing. The small town of Port Renfrew on the coast of southern Vancouver Island is a great example of how big tree tourism can majorly bolster the local economy, providing a path for other coastal communities to follow.

So, take a moment to reflect on the significance of our forest friends and send an instant message calling for their protection.

Photo of Canada’s largest spruce tree by AFA’s TJ Watt, using a Canon 5D MKIV, with a 15mm fisheye, 30-second exposure, headlamp + moonlight, and a little bit of magic.