Feature: Big Lonely Doug

Check it out! The Walrus Magazine has a feature about Big Lonely Doug, Canada's 2nd largest Douglas-fir tree, the forestry worker Dennis Cronin who decided to leave him standing, and the battle for old-growth forests on Vancouver Island! Photos by the Ancient Forest Alliance's TJ Watt!

Port Renfrew: Walking among ancient giants

Check it out! New Zealand's largest newspaper has an article about the Ancient Forest Alliance, the importance of old-growth forests for the tourism economy of Port Renfrew, and the campaigns to protect old-growth forests including the Central Walbran Valley.

VIDEO: Eden Grove

Check out this great new Shaw TV video about the stunning "Eden Grove" (ie. Lower Edinburgh Grove), one of the finest but endangered lowland valley bottom old-growth forests left on Vancouver Island! Filled with ancient cedars and Douglas-firs, and with bears, cougars, wolves, deer, elk, northern goshawks, and marbled murrelets. Located near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory at risk by Teal-Jones. Thanks to videographer Lorraine Scollan for putting this together!

VIDEO: Cave Protection

Check out the new ShawTV piece by videographer Lorraine Scollan on Vancouver Island's magnificent system of caves and MLA Scott Fraser's private members bill to afford them greater protection! The Ancient Forest Alliance's Ken Wu and TJ Watt were lucky to poke their heads into the entrance of a beautiful cave near Port Renfrew but could not enter without the proper gear and know how.

Spectacular video released of three climbers scaling one of the largest and most famous trees in Canada

CHEK TV has also featured our new DRONE video of climbing Big Lonely Doug and they have brought in our old-growth protection message strongly!

Drone video captures epic climb up Canada’s second-largest Douglas-fir

Global TV news coverage of the AFA’s drone video and campaign!

Rare cougar sighting in endangered forest on Vancouver Island

CTV has run the AFA photographer TJ Watt's still photo of the large cougar and also his video of the smaller cougar in the endangered Upper Walbran Valley: A conservation photographer has captured a rare photo and video of cougars in the Walbran Valley. According to a B.C. organization that works to protect endangered forests, cougars on the island tend to avoid clear cut areas. The Ancient Forest Alliance photographer documented the two cougars, likely a mother with her juvenile offspring, from his car. “I’ve spent over a decade exploring the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island several times a week, and I grew up here, but I never saw a cougar until this past weekend,” TJ Watt said. Watt said seeing the carnivores was a “dream come true.”

Rare sighting of mother cougar and juvenile on Vancouver Island as activists push for forest conservation

Metro News article on the recent cougar sighting and the need to save the Walbran Valley's old-growth forests!!

What Do You Get When Forestry Workers, First Nations, Environmentalists and a Politician Meet Up At A 7-Eleven In Port Alberni?

Here's a new article by Alicia LaRue about the recent sustainable forestry rally, organized by the Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union, supported by the Ancient Forest Alliance, WCWC, and Unifor, calling for the protection of old-growth forests, an end to raw log exports, and regulations and incentives for a value-added, sustainable second-growth forest industry.

Forest industry in danger, say BC mayors

Here's a Powell River Peak article on the state of the forest industry: "While he said he has sympathy for the small operators and contractors, the blame for the current situation rests on the shortsightedness of an industry that has depleted old-growth forests and has not reinvested in mill infrastructure to handle second-growth wood, said Wu. According to Wu, even the provincial business lobby and local governments around the region have supported the idea of protecting what is left of BC’s old growth. “What we need to do is do more with less, and focus on the second growth,” said Wu. He added that instead of trying to market BC old growth and raw logs in China, the industry needs to find markets for value-added, sustainable, second-growth products.