Screenshot from the new video clip which used drones to helped capture footage in the Central Walbran Valley
Sep 22 2015

Drones used in BC’s Old-Growth Forest Campaigns – Walbran Valley conflict escalates

Conservationists are employing a new tool in the battle to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests – remotely-piloted drones. The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is using a small drone equipped with a GoPro camera to monitor and document the endangered old-growth forests of the Central Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island. This has allowed the organization to capture aerial video footage of old-growth forests threatened by logging on steep, rugged terrain that otherwise would take hours to hike to. 

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A Marbled Murrelet floats on the sea.
Jul 17 2015

Audio Recording of the Threatened Marbled Murrelet, an Old-Growth Dependent Seabird, taken in the Endangered Central Walbran Valley

Two new recordings of the calls of a threatened, old-growth dependent seabird, the Marbled Murrelet, have been taken in the endangered Central Walbran Valley recently and were submitted last Friday to BC’s Ministry of Environment in hopes the new findings will halt logging plans in Canada’s grandest old-growth temperate rainforest.

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Ancient Forest Alliance's Jackie Korn stands amongst incredible old-growth redcedar trees in proposed cutblock 4412 in the Central Walbran Ancient Forest.
Jul 9 2015

Canada’s Two Grandest Old-Growth Forests Under Logging Threat by the Teal-Jones Group!

Port Renfrew –  Surrey-based forestry company, the Teal-Jones Group, is aggressively moving forward with plans to log and build roads into Canada’s two most magnificent old-growth forests, the Central Walbran Ancient Forest (about 500 hectares) and the Edinburgh Mountain Ancient Forest (about 1500 hectares) on southern Vancouver Island. The company is planning eight new cutblocks (clearcuts) and a new road in the Central Walbran, and two new cutblocks and a new road on Edinburgh Mountain. The Walbran Valley is home to perhaps Canada’s finest stand of old-growth redcedars, the Castle Grove, while Edinburgh Mountain is where “Big Lonely Doug” (discovered last year by Ancient Forest Alliance activists to be Canada’s 2nd largest Douglas-fir tree – alas, completely surrounded by a 2012 clearcut) still stands and where the threatened "Christy Clark Grove" (ie. Lower Edinburgh Grove) is located in the Gordon River Valley.

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Port Alberni Watershed Forest-Alliance's Jane Morden stands with giant Douglas-fir trees on McLaughlin Ridge
Mar 31 2015

BC Government Must Protect Old-Growth Forests in Port Alberni’s Drinking Watershed

Conservationists call on BC Government to help purchase endangered old-growth forests on Island Timberlands’ deregulated lands, including McLaughlin Ridge in Port Alberni’s drinking watershed,  following BC Teachers Federation motion, Port Alberni city council resolution, and now Island Timberlands’ potential interest in selling McLaughlin Ridge.

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A Northern Red Legged-Frog spotted during the Echo Lake Bio-Blitz. (listed as a species of Special Concern by COSEWIC and Blue-Listed or threatened provincially)
Mar 19 2015

Diverse and Endangered Species found at Echo Lake Ancient Forest near Vancouver

Mission, BC - A biodiversity survey (ie "Bio-Blitz") of an extremely rare but endangered, lowland old-growth forest between Mission and Agassiz (about a 2 hour drive east of Vancouver), the Echo Lake Ancient Forest, famous for its bald eagles, has revealed that it is also home to a large diversity of flora and fauna. This includes many species at risk such as various species of bats, frogs, snails, dragonflies, and moss. The surveys, conducted over a weekend last year by biologists and naturalists, and coordinated by the Ancient Forest Alliance, have now been compiled and will be submitted to the BC Ministry of Environment’s Conservation Data Centre and Wildlife Species Inventory. Over 2 days, approximately 174 plant, 55 vertebrate, 153 invertebrate, and 38 fungi species were found around Echo Lake.

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Nov 26 2014

BC’s Oldest Forest Conservationist, 104 Year Old Al Carder, Receives Forest Sustainability Award For Decades of Service Documenting, Researching, and Promoting BC’s Old-Growth Trees

BC’s oldest forest conservationist, Dr. Al Carder, received public recognition last night for his decades of service to document, research, and promote the conservation of BC’s old-growth trees. The 104 year old Carder is the recipient of the 2014 “Forest Sustainability Award” from the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) www.AncientForestAlliance.org, a British Columbia-based conservation group working to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, second-growth forest industry. 

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Nov 19 2014

Canada’s Grandest Rainforest at Risk from Old-growth Logging as Survey Tape is discovered in the Heart of the Walbran Valley

Port Renfrew, British Columbia - One of Canada’s most iconic and grandest old-growth temperate rainforests is under threat as signs of potential logging have been discovered in the heart of the Upper Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island. Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) activists TJ Watt and Jackie Korn recently documented survey tape marked “Falling Boundary” and “Road Location” in the Central Walbran Ancient Forest, one of the last, largely-intact sections of the unprotected portion of the valley.

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Recent old-growth logging by Island Timberlands on McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni.
Jul 21 2014

Major Environmental, Labour, and Community Organizations call on Island Timberlands and the BC Government to Halt the Destruction of one of BC’s Finest Old-Growth Forests at McLaughlin Ridge

Diverse organizations, including a major forestry workers union, BC’s largest environmental organizations, and community organizations, have signed a statement calling on Island Timberlands to immediately cease and desist from logging the endangered old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge, one Canada’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and for the BC Liberal government show leadership and ensure the forest’s protection – before it’s too late.

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Recent old-growth logging by Island Timberlands on McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni.
Jul 16 2014

Island Timberlands Rips into the Heart of one of British Columbia’s Finest Old-Growth Forests

Conservationists are raising the alarm as Island Timberlands has rapidly undertaken a road-building and logging spree into the heart of one of BC’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests at McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. Last week conservationists were greatly dismayed to discover that the company had logged a couple hundred meter wide swath of old-growth trees, traversing almost the entire span of the previously intact section of McLaughlin Ridge’s old-growth forest.

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Jun 6 2014

Tree-Climbers Scale to the top of “Big Lonely Doug,” Canada’s 2nd Largest Douglas-fir Tree, to highlight BC’s Endangered Old-Growth Forests

“Big Lonely Doug”, the recently found, second-largest Douglas-fir tree in Canada, has been scaled by a team of professional tree-climbers. The climbers with the Arboreal Collective are collaborating with the Ancient Forest Alliance, a BC-based conservation organization, to highlight, research, and document the largest old-growth trees and grandest groves in British Columbia. Big Lonely Doug stands alone in a 2012 clearcut, hence its name.

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