Victoria News: Advocate makes desperate plea for Island’s old-growth at Victoria TEDx talk

Dec. 12, 2024
Victoria News
By Rick Stiebel

See the original article here.

TJ Watt compares old-growth logging on Vancouver Island forests to grinding up castles in Europe into gravel to make highways

To say TJ Watt embraced the opportunity to share his quest to protect B.C.’s old-growth forests to an international audience doesn’t paint a clear-cut picture of how the issue has impacted his life.

Watt is a renowned Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) photographer, big-tree hunter, National Geographic explorer, and Royal Canadian Geographical Society explorer who has dedicated his life to capturing the beauty of old-growth forests in B.C. His viral ‘before and after’ photos were instrumental in exposing the shocking scale of devastation of old-growth logging in B.C.

Among Watt’s efforts is the landmark victory of protecting Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory, and helping to secure major conservation financing to support the creation of new protected areas across B.C.

Watt took his the stage recently at TEDxVictoria 2024 to deliver One Last Shot to Protect Old-Growth Forests in British Columbia, an urgent, passionate plea that fuses elements of his award-winning photography with nearly two decades of experience advocating for the permanent protection of endangered old-growth forests and irreplaceable ecosystems.

“I’m honoured to have been a TEDxVictoria speaker and to have the opportunity to share my life’s mission to protect endangered old-growth forests in B.C. with the world,” said Watt, who was born in Metchosin and co-founded the AFA 15 years ago. “These forests are among the most majestic, vital, and imperilled ecosystems on Earth and without protection, they are at risk of being lost forever. From uncovering groves of ancient giants to trudging up steep mountainsides or slogging through soaked clear-cuts, it’s been a beautiful and, many times, heartbreaking journey documenting these forests.”

Watt estimates that more than 80 per cent of the productive old-growth forests have already been logged on Vancouver Island, including more than 90 per cent of the valley bottoms where the biggest trees grow and the richest biodiversity resides.

“Old-growth forests are extraordinary – some of the ancient trees are as wide as a living room, as tall as a downtown skyscraper, and have lived to be more than a thousand years old,” Watt noted. “Yet, in British Columbia, their destruction from industrial logging continues at an alarming rate. Cutting down thousand-year-old trees and turning them into 2x4s and toilet paper is like grinding up castles in Europe into gravel to make highways. It’s unethical and unnecessary, (especially considering) most of the world is now logging second, third, and fourth-growth forests.

“We must ensure a swift transition to a truly sustainable, value-added, second-growth forestry industry in B.C.” Watt stressed. “By investing in technology that makes higher-value wood products from smaller-diameter trees, we can protect old-growth forests and forestry jobs at the same time. We have a global responsibility to do the right thing.”

Watt said he hopes his talk will raise widespread awareness of this issue and inspire people to stand together and help protect these irreplaceable ecosystems for this generation and those still to come.

In a follow-up interview with the Sooke News Mirror, Watt said he’s pleased that talks with the provincial government and various stakeholder groups about reopening Avatar Grove to the public will resume in the near future after a two-year hiatus.

The AFA is a registered charitable organization working to protect endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry in B.C. that has launched a social media campaign this month featuring Watt’s TEDxVictoria Talk to amplify his message and reach thousands of new viewers.

“With a newly elected government in place and the fate of many endangered old-growth forests still hanging in the balance, Watt’s call to action comes at a pivotal moment for the future of ancient forests in B.C.,” the AFA said in a statement. “Namely, there is still a need for the B.C. government to take a proactive, science-based approach to ensuring the most at-risk old-growth forests are targeted for protection and to deliver “solutions space” funding to help First Nations offset lost logging revenues when being asked to accept logging deferrals in their unceded territories.”

Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=enF8Zf4EPNg to view Watt’s TEDxVictoria presentation.