McLaughlin Ridge is a roughly 400-hectare tract of ancient Douglas-fir forest near Port Alberni that biologists have classified as critical habitat for both wintering deer and nesting endangered Queen Charlotte goshawks.
The land was formerly protected as an Ungulate Winter Range (UWR) for black-tailed deer and as a Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA) for the endangered goshawk until 2004, when the then BC Liberal government removed 88,000 hectares of land from its Tree Farm Licenses and transferred the land completely to the private ownership of Island Timberlands, thus removing most environmental protections on those lands. Island Timberlands (now Mosaic Forest Management) began logging the 500-hectare tract of old-growth forest on McLaughlin Ridge, clearcutting 100 hectares or more from both sides of the grove, while about 400 hectares of the core area still remains.
Ancient Forest Alliance has continued to campaign for the protection of this area, and in 2022, McLaughlin Ridge was included in a suite of old-growth deferrals on private lands undertaken by Mosaic as part of their BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative.
Permanent protection for this incredible ancient forest is now needed. The BC government can help make this happen by creating a Provincial Land Acquisition Fund to help purchase and protect threatened old-growth forests like this one.
Take action by sending an instant message to protect old-growth forests.
Photography by TJ Watt.
