Entries by TJ Watt

Protesting Raw Log Exports

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Here's a news article on Friday's rally in Port Alberni:

A collaboration of forestry workers and environmentalists took to the streets today in an effort to fight back against provincial raw log exports. Organized by the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) and the Ancient Forest Alliance, the rally attracted a number of supporters both for the walk up Johnston Road and by honks from those driving by.
Organizers hope the rally keeps the momentum going since the last one in Duncan a few months ago.
“We want to bring attention to the government,” said PPWC president Arnie Bercov. “They are exporting 60 per cent of second growth logs and exporting the future of young people.”
Bercov said Port Alberni is the epicenter of the industry, was built on forestry and is now threatened because of mismanagement.
Vince Lukacs, national representative with Unifor 592, agrees.
“We are exporting six to seven million cubic metres of wood fibre a year to foreign mills,” Lukacs said. “That is enough to run several mills. There has been a significant reduction in the number of mills operating in BC and this province was built on the forest industry. We’re exporting instead of doing it ourselves.”

Ecological emergency: call to save remaining West Coast old growth forest

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Here's a good article in Radio Canada with lots of the AFA's photos (by TJ Watt) based on the Sierra Club's recent mapping on how little old-growth remains on Vancouver Island:
Richard Hebda, the Royal B.C. Museum’s curator of botany and earth history says the old forests weave together a complex interconnected system of hydrology, soil formation, nutrient cycling and so on.
Logging removes not only the trees, but also breaks up the living fabric holding those systems together.
Quoted in the Globe and Mail news, he says, ““We need a hard-nosed investigation of what we want these forests to be doing: Do we want to protect biodiversity? Do we want them to be very good at storing carbon? Then we can decide how much forest we actually need”. He adds, “I think the answer will be a much higher percentage than we now have.”

‘Generational amnesia’ softens fight for forests

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Jack Knox in the Times Colonist: The future of the forests was once seen as being inextricably linked with the identity, economy and culture of the Island, and the resulting tugs-of-war were big news, not just here but abroad. In 1993, the legendary War in the Woods, the massive campaign against Clayoquot Sound logging, drew international attention as 850 protesters were charged. Activist rockers Midnight Oil —whose big, bald singer, Peter Garrett, later became Australia’s environment minister — played a concert at the protesters’ camp. Environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy, Jr. (another kind of rock star) waded into the fray. International pressure, the threat of boycott, eventually contributed to B.C. forestry reform.
It would be wrong to drag out some “if a tree falls in the forest” metaphor and say nobody cares about this stuff anymore. They do — and in the mainstream, too. In May the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a bastion of hemp-hatted hippies, called on the province to expand protection of old-growth forests in areas where they have, or are likely to have, greater economic value if left standing.

Vancouver Island old growth on brink of collapse, environmental group claims

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This spring, the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce pitched a bold policy to the 36,000 businesses that make up the B.C. Chamber of Commerce (BCCC). Its bottom line: old growth forests have greater economic value as a tourism attraction than as logs. "We raised the flag and said, 'Hey, it makes more sense to bring the tourists in than to take the logs out,'" said Hagar. The policy was overwhelmingly supported by members of the BCCC, and this week, management will individually write each of the B.C.'s ministries outlining their new policies.

About five years ago, the Ancient Forest Alliance successfully lobbied the B.C. government to protect Avatar Grove, a cluster of 80 metre-tall old growth Douglas fir and western red cedar thought to have sprung up 800 years ago…. That's when Hagar really started to notice some changes. 'People love history and people love this idea of environmental tourism,' he said. 'Old growth, big trees are good for business.'

The fight to save Echo Lake’s old trees and wildlife has begun

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Here's a new story in today's Globe and Mail about the old-growth forest campaign, spearheaded by local landowners Susan and Stephen Ben-Oliel and supported by the Ancient Forest Alliance, to protect all of the forests in the mountains surrounding Echo Lake (a rare lowland old-growth forest between Mission and Agassiz in Sts'ailes territory, and also the world's largest night-roosting site for bald eagles) from logging:
“Echo Lake is home to the largest night-roosting site for bald eagles on Earth,” said Mr. Wu, who in 2012 launched a campaign to save the area, then slated for logging.
In 2013, the British Columbia government set aside 55 hectares, protecting just over half the old-growth cedars and Douglas firs around the lake.
Mr. Wu wasn’t satisfied and since then has been pushing for the addition of another 40 to 60 hectares to the reserve, which would protect the key eagle area. “That would get the bowl, essentially the mountain and forest that rings Echo Lake. So it should be a no-brainer at this point,” he said.

New calls for a moratorium on old-growth logging

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Here's a new Focus magazine article by Briony Penn about Vancouver Island's old-growth forests, featuring forest ecologist Dr. Andy MacKinnon, Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president Dan Hager, Jens Wieting of the Sierra Club, AFA, Ahousaht and Tofino councils, and the growing support among businesses, chambers of commerce, and municipal councils for protecting BC's old-growth forests.

Rare Lowland Old-Growth Forest at Risk – Road-building and Logging Surveys Underway at Echo Lake, the World’s Largest Night-Roosting Site for Bald Eagles, east of Vancouver

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Road-building is scheduled to begin this week and preliminary logging surveys of the old-growth redcedars are underway by Echo Lake, an extremely rare, lowland old-growth forest about 2 hours east of Vancouver between Mission and Agassiz. Echo Lake is part of the drinking watershed for local people, is home to the largest night-roosting site for bald eagles on Earth, and harbours much wildlife including bears, cougars, bobcats, wintering black-tailed deer, osprey, numerous bats, and various Species at Risk. Local landowners and conservationists are redoubling efforts to convince the BC government to protect the endangered north and west sides of the lake.

Sustainable Forest Rally (July 22, Port Alberni)

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The Ancient Forest Alliance will be supporting the forestry workers with the Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (now the Public and Private Workers of Canada) at a rally they are organizing in Port Alberni on July 22. Please come out if you can in solidarity with them and local Port Alberni activists to support a sustainable, second-growth forest industry and to end the export of raw, unprocessed logs out of Canada! https://www.facebook.com/events/1342362639111734/

Photo Gallery: Avatar Boardwalk Construction – June 18/19 2016

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For the second time this month, volunteers have worked with the Ancient Forest Alliance to construct boardwalk at the Avatar Grove. This round was a huge success! Together we completed 50+ feet of new walkways over many of the areas that flood in winter time and added a beautiful staircase leading off the road to our new viewing platform in the Lower Grove. Volunteers also worked hard to add mesh traction to the many steps, cut and carried over 100 planks of wood into the bush, mixed cement and moved heavy rocks, and did it all with a great attitude and smiles. Thank you all so much!! We're making tremendous progress thanks to the help of the many dedicated individuals who've come out and the donations made by AFA supporters and local businesses. We're working to finish the boardwalk this summer, hopefully after 1 or 2 more work parties. The boardwalk is necessary to help protect the area's ecological integrity and improve visitor access and safety. Stay tuned for further info if you'd like to help out, contact boardwalk coordinator TJ Watt: tj@15.222.255.145 Trail building or construction experience is an asset (we can use more of you!) but not required.

See the photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1061996910561562

To donate to the boardwalk construction, please visit: https://ancientforestalliance.org/avatar-grove-boardwalk-now-completed-and-open/

Photo Gallery: Cameron Valley Ancient Forest with the Vancouver Sun

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Last week Vancouver Sun's columnist Stephen Hume came with us to see the endangered Cameron Valley Ancient Forest (ie. "Firebreak"), a truly spectacular lowland stand of densely-packed, monumental old-growth Douglas-firs akin to a "second Cathedral Grove". This grove stands out as among the finest remaining old-growth Douglas-firs anywhere left on the planet and is of international conservation significance.

See the photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1061910110570242