Entries by TJ Watt

Peace in the forest an elusive goal in B.C.

Across northern Canada, environmentalists are high-fiving one another over Tuesday’s landmark declaration of peace in the woods. No more logging in an Italy-sized swath of boreal forest stretching from coast to coast. The war is over. Hooray.

Meanwhile, Wu watches Vancouver Island’s old growth disappear like Gordon Campbell during the HST debate.

Old-Growth Forest Slideshow Comes to Saltspring Island on Thursday, May 27

An informative and spectacular slideshow presentation of the largest trees in Canada including the Red Creek Fir, San Juan Spruce, Cheewhat Cedar and the newly-discovered Avatar Grove, and the politics and ecology of BC’s old-growth forests and forestry jobs, will be presented on Thursday, May 27 (7:00-8:30 pm, Central Hall on Fulford-Ganges Rd., by donation) by Ken Wu and TJ Watt of the newly formed Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA).

CRD Parks Public Input Process Presents Golden Opportunity to Protect Canada’s Most Magnificent Old-Growth Forests

A first rate opportunity towards ending the war in the woods on southern Vancouver Island is currently being presented through the Capital Regional District Parks public input process. The public input process involves a series of Community Engagement Sessions held in a variety of CRD communities between May 6 through 19 and online written feedback until an unspecified date (see https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks/planning/strategicplan.htm). The public input will be used by the CRD Parks Committee to determine the strategic direction of the regional parks and trails in the area on southern Vancouver Island.

Old-growth forest activists turn to Facebook

Some Vancouver Island environmentalists who say they discovered tree stumps as wide as a living room are turning to Facebook for help raising awareness of what’s being lost through old-growth logging.

Massive Port Renfrew tree stumps raise logging suspicions

Massive stumps found on Crown land near Port Renfrew are arousing fears that logging companies are taking the biggest and best old-growth trees even though the local chamber of commerce wants to promote giant tree tourism.

Old-growth forest ‘a sea of stumps’

Massive stumps found on Crown land near Port Renfrew are arousing fears that logging companies are taking the biggest and best old-growth trees — at the same time as the local chamber of commerce is trying to promote giant-tree tourism.

“Canada’s Biggest Stumps Competition” Launched

Discovery of numerous 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 meters) wide old-growth stumps recently logged near the Avatar Grove on Vancouver Island prompts creation of a new Facebook group where members can upload their largest stump photos.