Article by Dr. Keith Martin
Jul 28 2010

Saving Our Forest Giants

Port Renfrew is the furthest outpost of my riding. It is a land of extraordinary beauty with mountains that hug a rugged coastline, rivers that run through deep valleys, and a land that harbours significant biodiversity. This area also contains some of the oldest and most majestic living things on our planet. In the area of the Gordon River Valley and further north in the upper Walbran Valley are some of the largest trees on the planet. A few weeks ago, I went into this remote area with a small team from the Ancient Forest Alliance to document these giant Western Red Cedars, Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir that jut out of the surrounding valley floors like spires from cathedrals.

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MP Keith Martin stands in front of "Canada's Gnarliest Tree" in the endangered Upper Avatar Grove.
Jul 14 2010

MP Keith Martin wants to expand Pacific Rim park

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is supporting Member of Parliament (Esquimalt- Juan de Fuca) Keith Martin’s proposal to extend Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s boundaries to protect adjacent endangered forests, including the grandest stands of old-growth trees in Canada.

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Nanoose Bay resident Helga Schmitt walks through the endangered old-growth coastal Douglas fir forest which the province has approved for logging by the Snaw-naw-as First Nation despite pleas by local governments and community groups to save the area.
Jul 13 2010

Endangered forest turns into Island battleground

The fate of a small patch of endangered Vancouver Island forest has put local residents and politicians at odds with the province and a First Nations band. The Snaw-naw-as First Nation has been issued a one-time forest licence by the province to cut 15,000 cubic metres of wood west of Nanoose Bay to raise much-needed cash -- even though the rare remnant of endangered coastal Douglas fir forest contains endangered plants and animals.

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2011 Tall Tree Music Festival - Port Renfrew
Jul 8 2010

Inaugural Tall Trees Music Festival grows deep roots

The streets of Toronto were lit up by burning police cars on the weekend of June 26. But back on the Island, music fans were lighting other things as they danced to the music of Jon and Roy, Current Swell, the Racoons, DJ Tedder, Listening Party and other local acts at the first ever Tall Trees Music Festival.

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Nanoose Bay resident Helga Schmitt walks through the endangered old-growth coastal Douglas fir forest which the province has approved for logging by the Snaw-naw-as First Nation despite pleas by local governments and community groups to save the area.
Jun 24 2010

Forestry agency has no guidance on conflict over Douglas fir stand

The provincial forestry watchdog agency agrees the province should allow a mature coastal Douglas fir forest in Nanoose to be logged, but stops short of saying how it can be done. The Forest Practices Board investigated a complaint against the B.C. Forests Ministry for issuing a woodlot licence for District Lot 33, a 64-hectare property containing rare coastal Douglas fir forest in Nanoose Bay.

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A map of the riders 260km round trip Big Trees Pedal Powered Tour.
Jun 19 2010

Trees and Bikes: The Big Tree Tour

The Big Tree Tour is a fundraising ride started by four friends who happen to be very passionate about the work the Ancient Forest Alliance is doing. “We also like riding bikes,” said Big Tree Tour organizer and rider Leroy Nixon. The purpose of the tour is to raise awareness about the preservation of our ancient forests through ecotourism and human-powered travel.

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AFA Campaign Director Ken Wu sits atop a massive
Jun 19 2010

Ancient forests and new advocates

Canada is among the last of the developed nations that logs its old-growth forests. In the US, the vast majority of logging takes place in second-growth stands, while Europeans log second- and third-growth forests. Southwestern Australia halted the logging of its old-growth forests six years ago, as did New Zealand in the year 2000.

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A giant redcedar over 40ft around found recently along the Gordon River near Port Renfrew
Jun 5 2010

Hunting the ancient giants

They don’t have much in the way of money, equipment or people, but Ken Wu says big tree hunting is drawing critical attention to the plight of old growth forests.

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San Juan Spruce tree and the Red Creek Fir - some of the Canada's largest trees found right nearby!
May 29 2010

Reinventing Renfrew

When members of the Ancient Forest Alliance asked Port Renfrew restaurant owner Jessica Hicks to host a public meeting about a stand of old growth trees dubbed Avatar Grove, Hicks thought she might use the event as a fundraiser for the fledgeling environmental group. Then, reflecting on her Coastal Kitchen Cafe’s place in the community and the smouldering tension between environmentalists and B.C.’s logging towns, Hicks decided a simple information session might ruffle fewer feathers.

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Ancient Forest Alliance
May 27 2010

Discover Sooke Blog – Avatar Grove in Port Renfrew

From the Discover Sooke tourism website: "Over the long weekend, Mrs. Discover Sooke and I, made the trek west from Sooke to Port Renfrew to visit the much talked about piece of land with a few remaining first growth forest trees standing on it. This piece of land has been dubbed “Avatar Grove”, after the movie, for its large and gnarly trees."

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