Old-growth logs head out of the the Gordon River Valley near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island

B.C. warned not to touch reserves for short-term supply

To access more timber, the B.C. government is floating a plan that includes logging in areas that were previously off limits for environmental or "visual quality objectives" and changing the boundaries of forest districts to add timber to one district at the expense of another.

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Ancient Forest Alliance

Province to ease logging restrictions in Fraser region

The B.C. government plans to relax logging restrictions on about 9,500 hectares of Crown land, including the well-loved getaway of Harrison Lake.

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Ancient Forest Alliance

Leave Old Growth Alone Says Union

A major forest sector union is coming out against proposals from the British Columbia government that could see protected areas opened to logging.

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A large group of visitors walk through the Lower Avatar Grove. A boardwalk will help protect the Grove's ecological integrity

Avatar Grove’s popularity creates need for trail

The Ancient Forest Alliance, which brought Avatar Grove into the public eye and lobbied for its protection, has asked the Forests Ministry for permission to build a trail and boardwalk. "We want to improve accessibility and it's vital to protect the ecology and make sure the tree roots don't get worn down," said TJ Watt, the Alliance campaigner who discovered the grove.

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Canada's Gnarliest Tree in Avatar Grove

It’s a land of giants in Port Renfrew’s ancient Avatar Grove

“Those candelabra tops are a sign of ancient red cedars,” explains T J Watt, cofounder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect old-growth forests and ensure sustainable forestry jobs in B.C. “When I first saw those tops, I knew instantly we’d found a treasure trove of big trees.”

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Avatar Grove on the Pacific Marine Circle Route is home to ancient fir

Vancouver Island circle route: Drink in the wine, the scenery, the air

There is air, there is fresh air, and then there is the brisk, briny, oxygen-thick air that rides in on wild ocean waves.

That's the air you'll breathe when you round the tip of southern Vancouver Island and follow the Pacific Marine Circle Route. This 158-mile scenic drive begins in Victoria, hugs the western coastline to Port Renfrew, then travels across the island to Cowichan Bay before returning to B.C.'s capital.

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Avatar Grove

The Week, May 17

Forest lovers take note: your explorations into B.C.’s wilderness could be easier than ever before, at least if those summer adventures take you to Avatar Grove. Now, a new boardwalk may guide your way.

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Avatar Grove

Boardwalk sought for Avatar Grove

The Ancient Forest Alliance submitted a request to B.C.’s Ministry of Forests to build an official trail and boardwalk in the recently protected Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew on May 7.

TJ Watt, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, said the boardwalk will protect the ecological integrity of the grove, provide visitor safety and enable people from all walks of life to enjoy the old-growth forest.
 

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Cameron Valley Firebreak

Groups make appeal to save forest

Cameron Valley Firebreak was formerly protected as an ungulate winter range for Roosevelt elk and black-tailed deer, but lost protection in 2004 when the provincial government allowed Weyerhaeuser to remove 88,000 hectares of private managed forest land from tree farm licences.

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Cameron Valley Firebreak

Environmental groups decry logging near Cathedral Grove

TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance co-founder, said, "The grove is just jampacked with elk signs and ancient coastal Douglas firs - 99 per cent of which have already been logged."
 

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