Entries by TJ Watt

Old-growth logging threatens culture, says Nuu-chah-nulth tribal council

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Check out this CBC article about the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council’s recent statement, calling on the NDP provincial government to protect B.C.’s remaining ancient forests for both cultural and environmental reasons. Nuu-chah-nulth territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island is home to some of the province’s largest remaining old-growth trees. But tribal council president Judith Sayers says the province needs to stop — or at least slow down — the rate at which they are disappearing.

Fighting to protect B.C.’s ancient forests

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Check it out! The AFA’s TJ Watt and former Executive Director Ken Wu were featured on CBC’s “The National” showcasing an endangered ancient forest and recent old-growth clearcutting near Hadikin Lake on Vancouver Island.

Avatar Grove Photography Installation Featured in New Downtown Vancouver Bookstore

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A large-scale photography installation by renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky featuring one of Vancouver Island’s most stunning ancient rainforests, Avatar Grove, will grace the walls of the new Indigo bookstore, opening today on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver. The installation incudes a short description of the importance and status of BC’s endangered old-growth forests and, thanks to the photographer’s support of our work, also mentions the Ancient Forest Alliance!

International call for action to save B.C.’s old-growth rainforests

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On Oct 25th, we joined Sierra Club BC, local government, and tourism industry representatives outside the BC legislature to deliver the names of more than 185,000 concerned people from around the world to the BC government, all calling on the NDP to save BC’s last endangered ancient rainforests. The international call for protection of BC’s old-growth forests is echoed by tens of thousands of British Columbia residents who have already signed petitions launched by the AFA, Sierra Club BC, Wilderness Committee Conservation North, and other groups.

Acclaimed Documentary, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, Depicts Beauty and Destruction of BC’s Old-Growth Forests

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The widely acclaimed documentary film entitled Anthropocene: The Human Epoch by renowned filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier and photographer and artist Edward Burtynsky, which premiered last month at the Toronto International Film Festival, highlights the profound impact humanity has had on planet Earth, including the destructive logging of BC’s coastal temperate rainforests.

VIDEO: What Will it Take to Save BC’s Old-Growth Forests?

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This film is the final in our series commemorating the 25-year anniversary of the Clayoquot Sound protests and presents an overview of the key issues relating to BC’s old-growth forests and the solutions urgently needed to protect them. These solutions, including science-based old-growth protection legislation; policies that ensure sustainable, value-added second-growth forestry; and support for First Nations’ sustainable economic diversification, are entirely possible, but require political will from the NDP government and support from British Columbians from all walks of life.

Destinations: Port Renfrew

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Pacific YachtingSeptember 20th, 2018 With a new well-protected marina, Wild Renfrew is the perfect stopover for cruising the west coast of Vancouver Island Pacific Gateway Marina, built on the south shore of Port San Juan in Port Renfrew, is so new it doesn’t show up on even the most updated charts. It’s still a marina […]

AFA’s Executive Director Ken Wu steps down to start new organization, the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, while remaining on AFA’s Board

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It is with great excitement and sadness that we announce the departure of Ken Wu from his position as the Ancient Forest Alliance’s Executive Director of eight years, since co-founding the organization in early 2010. Ken is moving on from the AFA in order to establish a new national organization, the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, which will promote “ecosystem literacy” and the science-based protection of all native ecosystems in Canada. Read our press release for more details!

Hupacasath First Nation calls on BC Government to Halt Logging of Old-Growth Forest in Nahmint Valley on Vancouver Island

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The Hupacasath First Nation has sent an open letter to the BC NDP government, calling for an end to old-growth logging in the Nahmint Valley, in their traditional territory near Port Alberni, where Canada’s ninth-widest Douglas-fir tree was felled in May. The letter calls on the provincial government to extinguish existing old-growth cutblocks and to work collaboratively with the band to ensure the protection of the area’s old-growth forests, biggest trees, and monumental cedars.

VIDEO: Old-Growth Protection and Sustainable Economic Opportunities

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The argument against old-growth forest protection is typically based on the assumption that ‘locking up’ forests is bad for business. Nothing could be further from the truth.
BC’s old-growth forests play an important role in the province’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world every year and supporting increased sustainable business and employment opportunities in nearby towns.